“Furniture Guys” lend celebrity names to Ottawa-based Internet video company

A start-up new media production company in Ottawa is hoping the addition of two celebrity how-to TV hosts to its board of advisors will help it crack the lucrative U.S. market for web videos. GetHow! Inc president and CEO Rob Woodbridge says the company has been flying under the radar until now, building its capabilities to plan, shoot, digitize and distribute Internet do-it-yourself shorts through shops such as Home Depot. Now that the company has scored its first contracts, it’s ready to hit larger markets – a move which will likely mean leaving its Byward Market home to be close to customers and other agencies in Toronto and New York City. GetHow! Management TeamPresident and CEO, Rob WoodbridgeVP & COO: Catherine Christie-LuffFounder & Director: Jamie Herring Advisory BoardJohn CriswickColette Watson (Rogers Inc)Brian Ferstman (Lang Michener)Tero Hollo (itemus Solutions)Ed Feldman and Joe L’Erario (The Furniture Guys)Betty Moore (Ignition Point)Furniture Guys on boardIn mid-April, GetHow quietly added Ed Feldman and Joe L’Erario to its board of advisors. The pair are popular hosts of television home décor and repair shows and the company hopes their profile will bring it market recognition for its services. GetHow creates how-to product videos, then streams them using video management software from VideoSpheres Inc. The company plans to derive the largest chunk of its revenue from making how-to videos, with the balance of revenue coming from the sale and licensing of pre-existing video content, pay-per-view fees to distribute videos across partner and affiliate networks, advertisements and sponsorships, and a significant portion from the sale of Internet kiosks for in-store video demonstrations. The company has an exclusive licence to use VideoSphere’s MPEG-4 streaming technology for the how-to niche, and the technology allows them to offer collateral material for download next to the viewing window. The software also tracks usage, allowing pay-per-view billing to their customers. GetHow has no plans to offer the videos to end-users, but make them available exclusively through retailers and manufacturers. The company hires talent for its shoots on an as-needed basis, and has basic video equipment in-house, though Woodbridge says it will rent equipment when broadcast quality productions are demanded. Move from Ottawa likely Within the next 12-18 months, Woodbridge says, the company will likely move its operations to Toronto, probably with a New York City head office, to be closer to its customers and investors. "Ottawa doesn’t invest in companies that fill pipe. They invest in companies that build pipe," he told Canadian NEW MEDIA. "As far as being in the Market, that’s the place to be if you’re in our business, but being in the middle of Ottawa is not the greatest place for an entertainment or a content play." He notes that the companies they’re targeting, like Canadian Tire and Black & Decker, are based in or around Toronto. New York City is also important, he says, as the company targets U.S. companies such as the Home Depot. GetHow is looking for further investment, although Woodbridge says they’re making do with private funding from angel financier John Criswick, institutional funds from Benjamin, Vikman Henry Investments Inc and NuCHEMISTRY Inc, Videosphere’s parent which did a share swap for the software. "It hasn’t been a substantial amount, but it’s not something that we needed because we’re going to turn what we’ve done into services that generate revenue very quickly," he says.

“Furniture Guys” lend celebrity names to Ottawa-based Internet video company

Broadcast | May 3, 2001

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