Here's Why Jerry Seinfeld Likens YouTube to a 'Giant Garbage Can' 'I think show business is for talent, that's who should be in it,' the comedian said. 'And I like being at the top of the pyramid.'
By Geoff Weiss
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Though Jerry Seinfeld has been a trailblazer in the realm of online video, the beloved comedian takes a decidedly old-school stance when it comes to the state of new media.
At a presentation yesterday to promote his hit web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which counts more than 100 million viewers and has been nominated for an Emmy, Seinfeld took a swipe at the user-generated content running rampant today across YouTube -- which he referred to as "a giant garbage can."
"I think show business is for talent, that's who should be in it," Seinfeld said, according to Tubefilter. "Let's keep it in its hierarchy. And I like being at the top of the pyramid."
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Though many homespun creators on YouTube have turned their digital notoriety into lucrative careers, Seinfeld has higher aspirations for the medium, noting that Comedians is "trying to generate a little higher level" -- and succeeding amid a sea of amateurs. "You can be in the same world as cat videos and still deliver a great demo for the advertiser," he said.
During Seinfeld's presentation for Crackle, the Sony-backed digital studio and distribution platform behind Comedians, he also discussed why, given his unprecedented success on television, he opted to take the digital plunge. "When you get to a certain point in the business, what a man is looking for in a network is the same as in his underwear," he said. "A little bit of support and a little bit of freedom."
And he's just getting started on the web. In the future, Seinfeld says he envisions his own online hub, where all of his work over the years might live. "That's what people that get to a certain point in the business are looking for," he said.
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