by Scott Bass
August 8, 2000
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Q: Let’s start with an introduction to Romp.com, for readers that may not yet be familiar with your site and what you do.
The Romp is a freewheeling, online entertainment experience. We specialize in developing no-holds-barred videos, animations, and games for our audience.
Q: What’s your target audience? Can I assume that it’s males?
That’s a fair assumption. We think that The Romp is more of a sensibility and an attitude and it’s for those people who watch South Park and read Maxim magazine. I think it extends beyond men, but it’s safe to say that men, particularly college-aged men, are our primary audience.
Q: And speaking of no-holds-barred, you guys really do have some of the “edgiest” content out there. How important is having that kind of edge when trying to create compelling content for the web?
I think what’s most important is that it’s entertaining and funny. Not all of our stuff is over the top, a lot of it is interactive a lot of it is made for the Internet and makes sense for people who are getting the experience on their computer. And that’s what’s paramount.
Q: Personally I think all of the shows are entertaining, but I’d think that some people might object to some of the content. Particularly some of the content that borderlines on pornographic or other shows like “Cottonmouth Kings” that advocates marijuana use. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for that, but I wonder if it gets you in any trouble, or at least angry letters?
Actually, no. We’re a narrowcaster and so by definition we’re focused on a specific audience and as a result we’re not going to be catering to appealing to other audiences by virtue of being so focused on our niche audience.
Q: How do you prevent minors from getting into something like “Booty Call”? Or is that even an issue?
It hasn’t been as of yet, if it ever became a problem we would work to remedy it.
Q: You mentioned interactivity. A lot of your features are interactive like the “Open Mic” section which asks viewers to cast votes for competing amateur comedians. An innovative use of web, I think. Is interactivity something that most web surfers are looking for with entertainment-based sites?
Absolutely. Our most popular shows are the ones that are interactive. Booty Call, Open Mic, even Celebrity Piņata tend to be the most popular shows. People get a kick out of clicking away and getting a response and then getting a corresponding reaction from the animated characters. That’s taking advantage of the unique nature of the web and that’s what we specialize in--developing that type of programming. Instead of talking about interactivity we actually do it and people can experience it on our site. I think that going forward, it helps us develop programming for other two-way platforms whether it be wireless or even interactive television. For example, “Open Mic” would be a great interactive television show. And so might “Booty Call.”
Q: Is that the ultimate goal? Some sites like Icebox.com are creating content with the intention of porting it offline. Is that a primary focus for Romp?
It’s certainly a very attractive way to make money off of our programming and characters, but particularly we are focusing on new media and being the leading new media brand for our audience. And that’s why we’re going beyond just flat narrative to interactive animation and storytelling.
Q: Are you guys producing most of the content in-house, I’ve noticed that some of the content is licensed.
We produce the majority of our content in-house and we have a network of global animators who we work with who bring our ideas and characters to life.
Q: Do you syndicate your shows to other sites?
Yes, we’ve already done a bunch of deals and we’re going to be doing more. We’re finding that there’s a strong demand for our programming. It’s not so easy to create compelling content online. There are a number of different larger sites that are seeking our content to retain audiences to their sites.
Q: Cream definitely rises to the top. If I can change gears for a moment, I wanted to ask you… it’s been a tough summer for video on the web, thinking of the closing of DEN.net, major restructuring at Pseudo.com, and even some layoffs at Honkworm.com. Does this effect your strategy, what are your thoughts?
It validates our strategy, which is to stay lean and mean and to be sensible about the budget for programming and how you staff your company. We’ve managed to accomplish a lot in a very little period of time without anywhere near the investment that some of the companies have in our space. And our audience probably exceeds most of our competitors in terms of traffic. So I think that staying small, and creating compelling content, and working with an outsource group of talent whether it be writers or animators, is working extremely well for us and is a model that the market, both our audience and our investors are responding well to extremely positively.
Q: You said you’re outsourcing a lot, does that mean the in-house staff is small?
Yes, we have around 35 in-house, and our network of animators is up to 50 animators. One of the points of differentiation with the Romp versus other sites is that we look outside of Hollywood for talent and for people to work with. That’s how we got started was by finding animators online. So rather than go to the agencies, we went and found our first wave of talent online. Those are the people who tend to be most passionate about the Internet and who are the most familiar with creating compelling, interactive content for it.
Q: Have you received any angry calls from celebrities that have been featured on “Celebrity Piņata?”
No, not yet.
Q: But you’d enjoy it if John Rocker stopped by The Romp office, right?
Actually, speaking of him, we’re going to be doing physical, in addition to the John Rocker Celebrity Piņata on the site, there will actually be real John Rocker piņatas all over New York, which our street teams will be holding at select traffic corners in New York City. People will be able to step up and take a swing.
Q: Wow, sounds like an edgy publicity stunt.
Absolutely. It’s already been featured earlier this month on television. All over New York, people will be stepping up courtesy of the Romp and taking a swing at John Rocker.
Q: So the Romp is no-hold-barred in all arenas, not just on the web.
We couldn’t think of a better celebrity piņata than John Rocker.
Q: Actually I wouldn’t mind taking a swing at him. You guys really are one of the more exciting content sites out there. What kinds of stuff can people look forward to in the future?
They can look forward to more interactive, edgy programming that strikes a chord with people who are fond of South Park and read Maxim. We’re exclusively focused on that audience and we have a rapid net development cycle and so we’re always pumping out new stuff for the audience to respond to.
