Partner - Bite TV

Jeffrey Elliott: Founder, President & CEO, Bite TV

Jeffrey Elliott brings twenty-five years of strategic and creative experience in broadcasting, production, Internet, radio and print to his latest venture, Bite TV, a multi-platform entertainment universe for the 18-34 year old male.

Bite is Canada's Interactive Television Channel, celebrating the very best of comical, irreverent and edgy Canadian and international short film, animation, games and professional and amateur production. Delivering short content in a fast-paced, edgy style all it's own, BITE showcases across a wide span of genres and content.

'New Media' is passé, the future is today. BITE is on the entertainment frontlines successfully infiltrating traditional media with the newest techonolgies. A comedic, metropolitan and edgy ever-changing universe, this is BITE.


Questions:

1. First off, I'd like to congratulate you on your recent EMMY Award. What was it like to win? Were you surprised? Can you tell us what it has meant for your business.

It was a huge surprise and a big honor! It was wonderful for our work to be recognized by our international peers and with such a prestigious award.

It has validated our business plan, helped us stand out from the clutter in a rather saturated industry and also generated a significant amount of interest in the company.


2. You weren't the only Canadian company to win at the EMMYS. In fact Canadians dominated the Interactive Program category? Why is that?

Well…because there is nothing else to do during the Canadian winter except invent stuff. No seriously, we have an incredibly talented brain trust in this country.


3. How did the idea for Bite TV come about?

I’ve been involved in broadcasting for 25 years now and back in 1995 while working at Netstar (TSN, Discovery Channel) I was given what was then a brand new portfolio of interactive properties to run with, it was then that I had my epiphany; television was no longer going to be a one-way medium and so the genesis of BITE began.


4. Promoting independent filmmakers has been a specific focus at Bite TV. Do you have a formal program and in place?

We don’t have a formal process in place right now but it is in development. We are constantly on the look out for new talent and provide the opportunity to facilitate and foster Canadian talent. Currently you can upload your short films/productions to our website. We have lots of indie filmmakers, producers etc pitching their ideas and sending us their projects and I am constantly impressed with the caliber of young Canadian producers, directors, writers, actors.


5. Tell us about some of the up-and-coming filmmakers you've profiled. Who are the *stars* of Bite TV?

Brad Cowan who is the creator of one of our comedy shows called the "De Laws of Nature", an incredible talent…and if you have not yet heard of Matt Chin, you will soon. Bottom line is, it is difficult to peg just a few stars, and again, we believe that the majority of content we produce and acquire has the ability to be extremely successful in some facet on one or all of our platforms.


6. What are your most popular video segments?

Our audience is the 24 year old male, so need I tell you that content featuring hot women is a hit? No, comedy, sci-fi and horror is also of most interest I would say as well as the indie short film/productions that span a variety of genres.


7. Bite TV is a multi-platform entertainment universe -- TV, Internet, mobile. How do you manage all the "bits and bites" that go into making Bite TV?

I hire really good, talented young people who live their life immersed in these technologies.


8. A number of studies have shown that younger audiences and especially teenagers like to watch entertainment product while simultaneously doing other things -- such as instant messaging their friends. Is this something you considered when developing the Bite TV interface?

What do you mean teenagers? (Lol, emoticon, wink) Yes, of course this generation is consuming media differently and broadcasters must be mindful about this massive generational shift that is happening. TV is becoming a ubiquitous medium.


9. Mobile seems to be the perfect vehicle for "the wired male with a short attention span". Tell us about your efforts in this area.

We’re very thrilled that our content is on virtually every mobile carrier in Canada that is video enabled. This includes "Bite 2 Go" which is our streaming mobile network and the rates of consumption continues to grow in the month over month.

10. What kind of mobile content is BITE TV looking for?

It’s no different than what we want for the network, content that directly targets the 18-34 year old male demographic.


11. What's next on the agenda for BITE TV?
International expansion as well as an aggressive production slate.

12. How do you use your mobile phone?

First, to make calls. Even though my nickname is OME (Old Man Elliott) at Bite HQ, I do in fact use it for e-mail, music, video, calendar…essentially it depends where I am and what I am doing.