Monday, December 17, 2007

"My New Haircut Live: Washington, DC"

"MY NEW HAIRCUT LIVE: SKANKS AND BROSKIS TOUR"
NEXT STOP: McFADDEN'S, WASHINGTON, DC
"Jager Bombs! Jager Bombs! Jager Bombs!"
Brett, America's Favorite Guido, will be appearing live at McFadden's
Thursday December 20th to host our MY NEW HAIRCUT Party!!
$3 Pitchers, Vodka Drinks and SoCo Limes from 8pm-12am ..
and more great specials for you and your broskies!!


at 12/17/2007

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"My new haircut" was the best video i've ever seen!!!!!!! hahaha that guy is great!!!!

5/14/2008

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

"My New Haircut Live: Skanks & Broskis Tour"


Contact: Kendra Bonnett
"mailto:Kendra@academyprintwear.com" Kendra@academyprintwear.com
203-535-9030


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


WARNING, THIS RELEASE IS RATED “R” FOR ADULT CONTENT


“MY NEW HAIRCUT” RATED “S” FOR SUCCESS AND
COMING SOON TO A BAR OR NIGHTCLUB IN NEAR YOU

Stamford, December 10, 2007—It’s time Now, Chief, for you to get yourself into the F***ing Zone! So pop your collar, shower in some HGH, chug a Jagerbomb and get to the next “My New Haircut” event. If you don’t understand a word I’ve written, then check out the YouTube video that is taking the country by storm. Step One, I want you to go to this YouTube video site: "My New Haircut" . I’ll warn you the language and content is for adults. But if you’re receiving this release, I know you’re more than 21.
Step Two, please do not be offended because “My New Haircut” is all about fun. It’s a parody of a universal type: egocentric, self-obsessed characters that think they’re hot stuff. It makes its point precisely because it spoofs the originals.
Step Three, join Brett Tietjen (27) and Mike Allen (25) at the next stop on the “Skanks and Broskis Tour.” If you don’t see a location near you on the schedule at the end of this release, please call me for the latest list of dates because we’re adding more all the time.
Step Four, call me to set up an opportunity to interview Brett and Mike. These are interesting, well-spoken young video creatives. They’ve broken the code for success with Internet video production and distribution. They’ve got a lot to say, and you’ll enjoy your time together talking. You’ll gain insight and probably come away believing in the probability for a media revolution in the not-to-distant future. Hey, we don’t ask you to drink their Kool-Aid® but we hope you’ll join them in a Heineken® or Jagerbomb.

Not Your “Poser’s” Celebrity Tour
Brett and Mike are really changing the look and feel of personal appearance. They don’t just show up and talk to a few Skanks and Broskis, toss down a few Jagerbombs, throw out a couple lines from the video and leave. They get into the part and they let their audiences in on the performance. “It’s like we all ‘get’ the joke together,” says Tietjen. “And we can all have fun with it.” Says Allen: “We don’t just interact with the fans, we make them part of the whole event. I guess you could call it some new form of performance art.”
Audiences take part in games and challenges that play off themes in the video. For example, Mike and Brett host Muscle Milk® drinking contests. They bring out a curling bar so Broskis can take turns showing off their power lifts…not to mention their best grunts. “We even host a dance competition for the Broskis to do their best fist-pumping imitations,” says Allen. “It’s funny and everyone really gets into it.”

Appearing at a Club Near You
Here’s the schedule as of today, and more dates and cities will be added soon:
December 14, Thirsty Turtle, White Plains, NY
December 20, McFadden’s, Washington, DC
December 27, Pub 46, Clifton, NJ
December 28, Thirsty Turtle, Stamford, CT
2008
January 8, Pub 17, Ramsey, NJ
January 11, Hula Hanks, Stamford, CT
January 16, McFadden’s, Columbus, OH
February 7, Pub 46, Clifton, NJ
February 8, Hula Hanks, New Haven, CT
February 19, Pub 17, Ramsey, NJ

*Dates Subject to Change



"My New Haircut" 7 Month/Million Anniversary


Contact: Kendra Bonnett
"mailto:Kendra@academyprintwear.com" Kendra@academyprintwear.com
203-535-9030


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


“MY NEW HAIRCUT” CELEBRATES ITS SEVEN-MONTH ANNIVERSARY ON YOUTUBE BY PASSING THE
SEVEN-MILLION VIEWER MARK

Stamford, December 10, 2007—Just seven months ago today on July 10th, Brett Tietjen and Mike Allen posted their video “My New Haircut” on YouTube. They did it with no fanfare. No marketing strategy or advertising campaign. They just put it up and sat back to see what would happen.
Something happened all right. Viewers connected with the actor/producers Tietjen and Allen and joined them in their contempt for the self-obsessed, egocentric character who thinks he’s “God’s gift to…” well you fill in the blank. “The truth behind the humor has really hit a chord with people,” says Allen. “Our viewers honor us with their enthusiastic word of mouth endorsement,” says Tietjen. “And their comments, video responses and parodies just keep pushing us over the top.” Students report that lines from the video can be heard quoted all over campus. It’s all pretty amazing given that the “R” rated content prevents YouTube and a lot of mainstream media from picking up on the video and helping to promote its popularity. “Our avid viewers have done this all by themselves,” says Tietjen.
Fast forward seven months. Today “My New Haircut” passes the seven-million viewer mark. New parodies continue to come on line. More than six thousand viewers have left comments. Viral marketing has kicked in too as enthusiastic fans have spread the video’s popularity by embedding it on other sites. You can see it on Digg, CollegeHumor, Flickr, BuzzHumor, Shoutfile, Newgrounds, Zigzo Zlinks and Clipaday…to name a few.
In true internet fashion, the fans are speaking back to the guys who have given voice to what can only be called an addiction to make fun of posers everywhere. Fans are speaking back in the language of video by doing their own versions of “My New Haircut.” They are also clearly illustrating the universal theme of the video. “People around the world get this,” says Tietjen.
And “My New Haircut” has created more than a following; it’s a community. As Brett and Mike continue the “Skanks and Broskis Tour,” making live appearances at bars and nightclubs around the country, they are working on new ways to stay in touch with their community of avid fans. “One thing for sure,” says Allen, “video is our medium so you can bet that video will be part of our communication.” This is not a fad it’s performance art in progress. “In the weeks ahead you’ll be seeing the boys taking advantage of Internet technology to communicate live...in real-time…with the community,” says manager Peter Fertiguena, owner of The Academy Agency and Academy Printwear. “It’s crazy insane and great fun.”



L2X Backgrounder


Contact: Kendra Bonnett
"mailto:Kendra@academyprintwear.com" Kendra@academyprintwear.com
203-535-9030


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


RAPID RISE OF “MY NEW HAIRCUT” ELEVATES INTERNET VIDEO AND ITS CELEBRITY TO A NEW LEVEL—ONE WITH A LEGITIMATE FUTURE…MAKE THAT “PRESENT”

Stamford, December 10, 2007—Okay broskis and skanks, pop those collars and get with the program. Because two young video creatives—Brett Tietjen and Mike Allen of L2X Productions—are in the process of demonstrating to audiences around the country…no make that the world…just what the Internet can do (excuse me, IS doing). We guarantee you’ll never look at television quite the same way again.
Every few years a phenomenon comes along that forces us to re-evaluate our perceptions of the world around us. For most people living today, television has been in existence since before we were born. Film, definitely. In fact, most of the great geniuses that saw the potential of these media are long gone. TV…film…they’re comfortable. But they’re also going to have to move over and make some room center stage for the Internet. Welcome a new generation of innovators.

This Is Our Platform
Old Media, like Old School, is losing it dominance. The Internet is fast becoming the new king. Exhibit A? Tietjen and Allen’s YouTube video, “My New Haircut,” is receiving more than 100,000 views a day. Today is its seven-month anniversary on YouTube; it’s also the day it passes the seven-million viewer mark. Exhibit B are the dozens of “My New Haircut” parodies, spoofs, remixes, and variations as well as the line-for-line regurgitations—all the work of other inspired young video creatives, drunken college students, girls, adult men, fathers coaching children through the quotable lines, animators, ethnic groups, and the military. “Everyone’s getting in on the act, and some of the remakes are pretty amazing,” says Tietjen. “Their own creative expression is showing through,” says Allen. “We love it.” In all cases these video responses point to the power of the technology. It’s more than a vehicle for low-cost, self-expression. It’s a medium that has gained traction with audiences for its ability to enable interaction. Give clapping, laugh tracks and even the heartfelt boos of condemnation the bum’s rush to the dustbin of uninspired passive involvement. Internet audiences today can get right in there and mix it up with the performers. That’s the power of what we’re seeing with “My New Haircut.”
“It’s the revolution in media and media distribution that we want people to ‘get,’ ” says Tietjen. “With computer and Internet technology you can do it all. You can produce, direct, write and act. And cost-wise, production is efficient.” Allen agrees: “Anyone who ventures into this medium has complete creative control. It’s empowering. It’s freeing.” And it’s never happened before. The cost constraints go out the window. Instead creative people can focus on what they’re trying to say. While Mike and Brett even admit to being slightly “blown away” by the response “My New Haircut” has received, they’re vision remains clear: “This very organic medium is our platform,” they say in unison. “It’s how we will express ourselves. It’s how we will distribute our message. And it’s how we see the industry at large performing going forward.”

Taking YouTube by Storm
One thing is for sure, “My New Haircut” is not fad. This is not merely the next viral marketing curiosity. This is a legitimate performance. It may not play quite the way folks over 40 are used to seeing their entertainment. But the under-thirty crowd gets it. They get it big. And they like what they’re getting. It’s a performance that makes a social/cultural statement (always popular). It’s funny. And it’s deliberate.
Allen, 25, and Tietjen, 27, both grew up on Long Island. But they weren’t childhood friends. They met at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, NY. Tietjen graduates this month with a Masters in Communications Arts. Allen, who started in finance, switched majors and has his B.S in Communications Arts. Their teacher teamed them up on a school project about a year ago, and they’ve been writing and performing together ever since. Several of these class projects can be seen on YouTube, including “The Chase” and “Newscast.” They also created a 40-minute “mockumentary” and two entries for the Heinz Top This TV Challenge (an invitation to video artists to create a commercial for Heinz catsup).
“All the excitement connected with ‘My New Haircut’ is still hitting us, I think,” says Allen. “ I know I haven’t really grasped it.” Tietjen agrees: “It hit me hard when we went up to New Haven and did the appearance at Hula Hanks. I honestly didn’t expect that kind of response. I thought it was going to be fun and everything, but it was total mayhem. Honestly, I didn’t have a free second. People were grabbing us in all directions. We’re having fun; at the same time we’re trying to keep this in perspective.”

Secret of “My New Haircut” Success
“If I had to explain the origin of ‘My New Haircut’ in a sentence,” says Tietjen, “it’s the result of people watching. We grew up seeing a lot of these people and hearing the lines that our fans are now going around quoting.” The appeal is fairly easy to explain: It’s a universal recognition of and general dislike for the egocentric, self-absorbed, flashy character. The guy who’s not nearly as cool as he thinks he is. Viewers who have commented on the video are almost unanimous on this point and report seeing and knowing the same character types in their communities—bars, gyms, countries (England, Australia and France), schools, fraternities…the list goes on.
“My New Haircut” is even a phrase defined in the online Urban Dictionary. It cites Allen and Tietgen’s video: “A funny video on youtube.com. It epitimizes a typical guido in Staten Island, NJ shore, etc. It mocks them in the way they dress, tan, cut their hair, and work out at the gym.”
“The kids ‘get’ our humor,” says Tietjen. “It’s like we touched a nerve by making fun and caricaturing a personality type that we all know and dislike. I perform the persona as the local Long Island/New Jersey turbo version that I grew up seeing. But people across this country and beyond know the type…maybe theirs wear a certain kind of cowboy hat or shoes or a different kind of haircut but it’s all about ego, attitude and disregard for other people. Humor that touches a universal truth is enduring.” Seven months after the video’s debut and the parodies keep coming. “Our audiences are paying us great respect,” says Allen. “What is it they say? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery? There are some very creative variations on ‘My New Haircut’ like the Asian Edition, Easthampton Edition, Pre-Kindergarten Edition, and Jewish Edition. There are a couple of spoofs on us that replace the haircut icon with syrup or leather jackets. And who knows what’s next. It’s a riot.”

Not Just Another e-lebrity
It used to be that what happened on the Web stayed on the Web. Dancing Baby. JibJab videos. Elf and monkey animations. These things would bring people streaming to Websites to see the latest weird thing. It was more about the fascination with something they hadn’t seen before. Interest spread by word of mouth (what we call viral on the Internet), but interest died just as fast as it came as audiences moved on the next new thing. To a certain extent the “Numa Numa Guy” and the “Star Wars Kid” are part of this phenomenon. They showed how quickly fame could spread, but in both cases it was just a couple of kids performing in front of a camera. Having fun. Maybe showing off. Definitely not production quality stuff that they expected the world to embrace.
Chad Vader is a little different. This is the ongoing tale of Chad Vader (Darth’s younger brother) who is the day-shift manager in the Empire Market. It’s creative and funny. And now that it’s got a following the actor/producers Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda are trying to turn it into a legitimate product. It has started to crossover.

It’s a New Order From Now On
Enter Mike Allen and Brett Teitjen. They have started where everyone before them pretty much left off. The gauntlet the boys have thrown down has been deliberately cast in the face of Old Media. Teitjen and Allen have made a legitimate video statement that proves the power of Internet-based production and distribution. “My New Haircut” has been an instant hit.
Now Teitjen and Allen’s “Skanks and Broskis Tour” has them performing live at bars and nightclubs around the country. They have raised the bar yet again with the caliber of these events. “Just as the Internet empowers interactive collaboration and intimacy with the performance,” explains manager Peter Fertiguena, head of The Academy Agency, “so too the live events engage the audience. Brett and Mike are building a community with audiences. They get them involved by running Muscle Milk® challenges, fist pumping dance contests and even curling bar events. You have to watch the video to understand the significance of these activities, but my point is that audiences are having fun interacting with the guys. Club owners are telling us they’ve never seen anything like this.”

What’s Next?
Tietjen and Allen are continuing to build on the “My New Haircut” brand. They have a line of tee shirts, ringtones and accessories for their broskis and skanks. They are developing an Axe commercial featuring the popular persona and are in the early phases of developing a feature-length production. “We’ve already got enough ideas and footage to do a video a month for the next year,” reports Tietjen. “And you can’t believe the ideas our viewers are giving us,” adds Allen. “ ‘My New Haircut’ will be around for some time to come. And then, who knows what we’ll produce next.”