Derek Dodge

bliptv: We’re excited to announce that Derek Dodge has just...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:26:15 -0400

We’re excited to announce that Derek Dodge has just joined blip.tv as our Director of Social Media. Derek will be managing all things blip.tv on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr (lots of blip-ers will still be posting to our Tumblr, but he’ll be managing it).

Derek joins us from CNN, where he was the Social Media Producer for CNN Domestic, including managing #CNNtv during the Royal Wedding and #CNNDebate during the recent NH Presidential debate. He also managed @CNN and trained CNN producers and anchors on all things social media.

At blip, we’re committed to making it easy for people to discover the best in original series. You’ll now see us increasingly use social media to put the best shows in front of you. Here’s to you finding a series or two or 20 that you love, thanks to his efforts. And, welcome to the blip world, Derek!

How #CNNDebate Exploded on Twitter

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:58:00 -0400

How #CNNDebate Exploded on Twitter:

“Without question, the promotion and management of this hashtag was a huge success.”

This viewer tweet about jobs was put into a lower third banner...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:57:35 -0400

This viewer tweet about jobs was put into a lower third banner and read to the candidates by our moderator John King. The big win: Rep. Michele Bachmann responded to it. A first in presidential debate history?!

Our “social media wall” at the New Hampshire...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:54:25 -0400

Our “social media wall” at the New Hampshire Republican Presidential Debate. We designed this wall to showcase real-time viewer feedback. I moderated and approved select comments and questions from Facebook, Twitter and CNNPolitics.com for display in the visualization.

#CNNDebate as No. 2 worldwide trending topic on Twitter (behind...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:45:00 -0400

#CNNDebate as No. 2 worldwide trending topic on Twitter (behind a promoted hash tag) - my second worldwide TT for CNN!

CNN New Hampshire GOP Debate: Join in now

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:45:00 -0400

CNN New Hampshire GOP Debate: Join in now:

My blog post for CNN’s Political Ticker about how we’re incorporating social media into the NH GOP presidential debate!

EP Sam Feist explains our plan for integrating social media into...

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:57:00 -0400

EP Sam Feist explains our plan for integrating social media into the NH GOP presidential debate!

CNN's Crazy, No-Holds-Barred, Social-Media Debate

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:32:00 -0400

CNN's Crazy, No-Holds-Barred, Social-Media Debate:

It’s got more bells and whistles than a video game and could send the candidates into anaphylactic shock

Smiling at the #CNNdebate!

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:15:00 -0400

Smiling at the #CNNdebate!

Social media to play major role in CNN’s Republican presidential debate Monday night

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:34:00 -0400

Social media to play major role in CNN’s Republican presidential debate Monday night:

CNN is using social media to build interactivity into the Republican presidential candidates debate Monday night, an approach it hopes to expand over the next 18 months of campaign coverage.

My “Twitter Fall” for the Royal Wedding on #CNNTV.

Thu, 05 May 2011 20:04:00 -0400

My “Twitter Fall” for the Royal Wedding on #CNNTV.

Ms. Valerie Streit and I in the NY control room for CNN’s...

Thu, 05 May 2011 14:19:00 -0400

Ms. Valerie Streit and I in the NY control room for CNN’s Royal Wedding! Was this before or after our worldwide trending topic on Twitter?!

The Oscars: Bringing out the worst in people, “boring” or not

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:18:00 -0500

By Derek Dodge

A return to civility. Remember that phrase in the wake of the Tucson shooting? It didn’t take long for politics as usual to resume on Capitol Hill, so it’s no wonder that we shouldn’t expect civility on Hollywood’s biggest night either. I’m not talking about the celebrities or filmmakers, who from afar seemed to all behave in a respectful manner. No, Twitter, I’m talking to you.

Much has been said and written about how Twitter and other social platforms will help save live television events. The clichéd term “virtual water cooler” is a real thing. People like to talk. And people like to talk about people more than anything else. When those people are millionaire celebrities, well nothing in the discourse is sacred, so it seems.

The female celebrities get it the worst. They are examined from head to toe by countless “experts” who critique every thread and gem. Okay, I get it. They’re supposed to look glamorous and set fashion trends. But it’s a distraction from what’s really important - their craft, as actors. And that is what peeved me the most last night about the Twitter discourse.

The Academy Awards is a celebration of the art and craft of filmmaking. Or at least it’s supposed to be. It’s become a televised spectacle where the audience demands to be entertained by show-stopping numbers and side-splitting humor from curtain to curtain. Roger Ebert, whom I admire greatly, says last night’s show was the worst “Oscarcast I’ve seen.” Mr. Ebert’s opinion is certainly valid, and maybe he’s right, but it’s the result of a larger problem.

I watched the show while scrolling through a multitude of tweets lambasting the show as “boring.” Many tweeps took particular aim at the hosts, skewering James Franco and Anne Hathaway. I could highlight some of the more amusing tweets for you, but I rather keep that negativity in the Twittersphere. I finally had enough and fired off a response to them all: “I’m sick of hearing how the #Oscars are “boring.” It’s a celebration of the craft of filmmaking, not American Idol.”

I understand the expectation that a room full of entertainers putting on a show should be…entertaining. That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is all the mean, rude, and negative comments from millions of people hiding behind their computer screens. Several times during the broadcast I was watching a certain presenter with admiration for her craft, remembering the many times in her career that she has moved me, only to turn to Twitter to find numerous tweets ripping her apart for her appearance. Really?

I watch The Academy Awards because, for many cinephiles like me, it is my Super Bowl. These filmmakers are my heroes. Making a good film is very difficult. Making a great film is near impossible. We all love to play critic, but at the end of the day we admire those who go out there and do the impossible, not those who just talk about it. Cut them some slack, will ya?

Yes, I want the Oscar telecast to be better. I want the producers to stop feeling pressured into delivering a ratings success. I’d like to see more tributes to film legends of times’ past. More honor paid to below-the-line talent. More focus on foreign and independent films. Maybe I’m living in a dream world, but I find those things “entertaining,” not silly costumes and comedic sketches.

Lastly, whatever you may hope the Oscars telecast to be, please remember this quote from the 1943 nominee for Best Original Song. “If you can’t say something nice… don’t say nothing at all.”

CNN.com - What’s your mob name?

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:03:11 -0500

CNN.com - What’s your mob name?

Top 10 CNN.com videos of 2010

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:55:06 -0500

Top 10 CNN.com videos of 2010

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:51:25 -0500

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Video Girl Barbie - CNN - Derek Dodge | Mediaite

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:37:01 -0500

Video Girl Barbie - CNN - Derek Dodge | Mediaite:

I’m a “tech whiz” now. “On the other hand, as resident tech whiz Derek Dodge did, Video Girl Barbie also carries the threat of CNN reporters using it to secretly record the activities of people confronted with Derek Dodge playing with a Barbie doll.”

We crashed this segment in less than two hours. Definitely one...

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:33:29 -0500

We crashed this segment in less than two hours. Definitely one of my most fun times at CNN thus far.

Blast from the past. My 2005 fashion choices…very...

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:52:41 -0500

Blast from the past. My 2005 fashion choices…very questionable.

puppy woof woof (via flamethrower824) I’m slightly...

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:32:00 -0500

puppy woof woof (via flamethrower824) I’m slightly obsessed with the brilliance of this video.