VBS.tv

We are currently in the early stages of Internet TV, and as new technologies are being prepared to usher in the next media renaissance, one company is getting an early start and staking their claim as the counter cultural one stop spot for music, news and more. Founded by the creators of Vice magazine, alongside creative director Spike Jonze, VBS.tv streams exclusive video content, with daily updates to their numerous channels all free of charge to viewers. Their coverage is candid and raw, whether it be sneaking into Darfur to interview Mini Minawi of the Sudan Liberation Army or taking a skate tour through Manhattan, they combine education and entertainment with stories that defy the traditional. Equally investigative reporting and rock ’n’ roll, VBS.tv might not be the absolute answer to mainstream media, but they do provide a much-needed honest and in-touch outlet for those seeking more force-fed rhetoric. Co-founder Shane Smith took a minute to further explain VBS.tv and what the future holds for the online broadcast network.

In the bio you talked about how Vice started with the revolution of desktop publishing, and VBS.tv seems to be doing the same with online broadcasting. Do you feel we are at the brink of a media revolution right now?
Yeah, definitely. I just went and saw the test site for Joost, the guys who invented Skype, and my brain was confused. I’m like I don’t even know how the world is going to be able to handle this. There is no lag time, it’s better than TV quality, it can go to your phone, computer, TV anything, and you’ll have all the content in the world. It’s gonna make TV obsolete. It’s insane. We call Vice the post MTV, like once you’re done with MTV and know about music, that’s the Vice audience. The way we look at it is like Yahoo or Google will do deals with ABC or whatever, and have TV on the Internet but it’s like we’re gonna be post mass consumer acceptance of Internet as TV. After that happens it will become more niche-specific, and it’ll have more demographic. Like now I can go to VBS if I want to see music or politics or environmental stuff. For us, we’re leap frogging ahead to when it’s gonna be niche specific, when right now online broadcasting is going through the acceptance as a major mainstream sort of thing.

Are you starting to see invasions on online broadcasting?
We were just talking about that. Right now it’s sort of a beautiful time, like the technology is there and everyone is flooding to put stuff up but I can’t imagine that they will let it go.

On the Web site there is the quote, “VBS will exploit every utopian vision that the Internet has thus far failed to live up to.” Can you further explain that?
Jesse Pearson, our writer, writes those and he’s amazing. But that one, it’s like when the Internet came out, it was like it was gonna be about democracy and free movement of information, and the people having the technology back in their hands. Of course it was nothing but a distribution for porn, some e-mail and to chat. But now we’re just hitting that cusp in technology where it is actually the only place for free movement of information.

For some of the stories when you go to places like Baghdad or Sudan, are people aware of what you’re doing or as a news source what VBS.tv stands for?
Yeah, I think so. We go to places and they see that we have small crews and food stains on our T-shirts and don’t have security, and I think that really changes the way that they look at us and talk to us. We always say it’s for young people and that we’re not biased, and they’re much more interested in talking to us after that.

What I like most about VBS.tv is the human element that is brought to each story. Like when you’re scared, you say you’re scared, or in cases when you’re happy, that is shown.
I think it’s fake to go to these places and not tell what your personal experience is because that is what formulates your opinions. For us, Spike [Jonze] always said, if you’re afraid, say you’re afraid and if you don’t get the shot, shoot the ground and talk over it and say we’re too afraid to pick the camera up. I think when news became…like this is Dan Rather reporting from Baghdad, whereas if you see someone who looks like you in Baghdad who is afraid and fucked up, it’s more approachable and interactive and people can understand it more.

Is that your strongest quality? I’ve heard you joke about not being professionals; is that the key?
I don’t know [laughs]. I think our strongest quality is that we don’t have any rules. It’s not like it has to be this way, or it has to be that way. I think we’re honest with ourselves, we just say what our personal trip was. Bad or good, this is what happened when I went to this place. I think so many people are trying to find the answer and say this is what it’s all about, but it’s really complex. Like we went to Beirut, there is good and bad on both sides, but when you’re training children to be transportation for dynamite devices, it’s fucked up.

Where do you see VBS in the near future?
The response has been, “Yeah this is great, but everyone still goes to watch ladybugs fucking on the Internet.” We talk about how great it is, but 90 percent of it is stupid shit like dancing dogs or whatever. I think we’d like to be considered on the same level as dancing dogs and lady bugs fucking. Nah, where I’d like to see VBS is where I’d like to see the Internet, which is more people treating it as a medium that is equal to or better than cable.

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