Prominent video blogger Amanda Congdon has landed another gig, this time as the star of a new Web-based television show backed by a pair of big-name advertisers.
Congdon, the former Rocketboom host who now works as a video blogger for ABCnews.com, is launching the new show is partnership with New York-based video sharing start-up blip.tv.
Dove Cream Oil Body Wash, a new Unilever product available in February 2007, and Paltalk, a video chat community on the Internet, have signed on as advertisers for the new show, dubbed “Starring Amanda Congdon.”
In the new show, which debuts on December 22, Congdon plans to provide a behind-the-scenes look at her life in Los Angeles as she juggles new projects in traditional and new media. It will also be distributed to iTunes and MySpace.
Congdon has emerged as an Internet celebrity since leaving Rocketboom under controversial circumstances earlier this year. In addition to her ABCNews.com gig, she has signed with HBO to help develop a new cross-platform comedy show and recently partnered with Ford on “Amanda Congdon’s Trip Across America,” a video blog project aimed at raising awareness of environmental issues.
The participation of Dove and Paltalk is further confirmation that video blogging is beginning to attract the attention of mainstream Web advertisers.
The Congdon partnership is not Dove’s first foray into user-generated content. The company is running an online contest that invites users to create 30-second video ads for the Dove Cream Oil Body Wash.
“Advertisers that have wanted to tap into the growth of online video but have been concerned about random and unpredictable viral videos have now found an outlet in independently produced shows like Amanda’s,” says blip.tv chief operating officer Dina Kaplan.