Video Update: MyHollywood Tabloid Virtual World Debuts at Under the Radar; Dizzywood Takes Home Best in Show

4 out of the 32 presenting companies at Under the Radar have ties to virtual worlds. It makes sense since the event is organized around presenting companies that have only recently launched or are yet to launch. The latter is the case for MyHollywood.com, a 3D virtual world aimed at women. Inside the world, women can catch up on celebrity gossip culled from various news sites, take quizzes that are then tied to their avatars, and purchase virtual goods based on real fashion. It's a "casual game in a virtual world that's married to virtual reality,"  said creator Joey Carson.

Out of the others, VIvaty has only recently, though with a notice in the New York Times, gone into private beta; Big Stage, a motion capture specialist with interest in putting self-made animated avatars into games and virtual worlds, is in private beta after a debut at CES with Intel; and Dizzywood, which took the overall Best in Show award, opened to its audience of kids in November and has also gotten some attention from the times. While we may not know much about MyHollywood, it's certainly surrounded with some interesting peers. UPDATE: Hit the jump for a video fo the Q&A session at Under the Radar.

Comments

[Bill Ashbless]

The "My Hollywood" stuff is a return to the bad old days of the dotcom era. "a virtual world that's married to virtual reality"? Can that guy be any more clueless? From people I know who saw this, its the biggest peace of vaporware since the Phantom Console. Great demo, no product. Don't expect to see this any time soon. This is what the stupid money buys, guys.

[Michael Steele - VP, Hollywood Interactive Group]

Heh. Bill, you might have just lost credibility points from me for grabbing for the sound-bite instead of checking your facts before spouting off about a presentation you didn't even see personally.
:-)

I've been making games for ~20 years, and online games and virtual worlds for the last ten - and I can tell you that MyHollywood is not vaporware or backed by stupid money - we've got a top notch team working on it, (taken from Blizzard, Turbine, Disney, Ubisoft, EA, Multiverse, etc.) with approximately 350 years of combined experience in diverse areas such as games, web sites, virtual worlds, community, television and motion pictures. Yes, we're at the prototype stage, but we've got some kick-ass MMO game systems coming online, some great consumer brands backing us, a savvy billion-dollar VC funder, household-name Hollywood celebrities and an innovative business model.

Will it work? Who knows! But if we fail, it won't be because it's not a great idea, and executed by some great talent. Creating the next-big-thing is all about blazing trails into new territory. Once we've lifted the curtain and shown more than a glimpse of what we're doing, I'd be glad to hear your opinion again.

[LOL@U]

LOL. watch the youtube video of his Q&A @ UTR. youtube search myhollywood - this guy raised $$ for this? For some reason I have a hard time believing that. Seems like the kind of guy that was "placed." This is a tech play with a (bad) TV producer at the helm? It is good reality TV watching him try to answer questions though. Like watching Puck or some Real World idiot. Good luck Joey, create on! (LOL)

[Joey Seiler]

The YouTube video in question is embedded above now.

[QuestionForYou]

@ Michael Steele - VP, Hollywood Interactive Group ---

If you have people from "Blizzard, Turbine, Disney, Ubisoft, EA, Multiverse, etc.", why is some reality TV show guy credited as the "creator"?

[Lenore Thompson]

I know a couple people who worked for this company and Joey Carson guy. Said he is a bad leader with no grasp of technology and has questionable ethics to boot. Guess he gives these ridiculous speeches while wearing work-out gear that leave the employees laughing as soon as he exits the room (to go play tennis they say.) I guess this Joey guy hired one of his sycophant "yes men" to run the production of the site. Some old dude who employed design techniques from the mid-80's and was described as "creepy." I looked at the site because I couldn't believe what I heard (after everyone got laid off.) It is true. The site looks like something hacked together in a garage by some zit-faced half-wit. Nice job Mr. CEO. Chalk another one up for TV guys trying to stake their claim on-line.

[LessThanZero]

Joey Carson is basically a thief with his little "band of merry men" (Randy, his "book-cooker" and JB, his loopy "creative guy.") After they were all tossed-out of Bunim Murray, Joey took his "crack-team" and installed them at the Hollywood Interactive Group. Ultimately they blew through $5 million dollars of VC money, ruined the Hollywood Interactive Group's My Hollywood project and now have started a new company called "Ex Nihilo." Kind of appropriate because it means "out of nothing" which is exactly what the site is made out of - nothing. The company site, exnihilo.net claims to have this massive client list. Funny, because the list even includes Hollywood Interactive Group and My Hollywood as clients. Pretty hilarious, or sad. "Out of nothing" HA! In reality, it has never billed dime one to any of them. This guy and his disciples are a joke. Steer Clear.