[snowfalkes11]

thanks for sharing all the news on milo for all us milo fans

[ramgirl]

Milo did an interview with Ad Age.com

Milo Ventimiglia: A 'Hero' Looks to Create Branded Content - Advertising Age - Madison+Vine: News

A 'Hero' Looks to Create Branded Content

Q&A: Milo Ventimiglia on His New Venture With Generate

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- As actors such as Ashton Kutcher use their production companies to experiment with branded entertainment in front of the camera, others, including Milo Ventimiglia, are looking to go one step further by developing original web content with brands in mind.

Mr. Ventimiglia, star of "Heroes," "Gilmore Girls" and the upcoming "Gamer," first dabbled in branded content two years ago, when he produced and directed animated web shorts for American Eagle. The spots were produced by Divide Pictures, the 5-year-old production company he co-founded with producers Russ Cundiff and Dino DeMilio. This week, Mr. Ventimiglia and Divide have a new home with Generate, the Los Angeles-based production studio co-founded and helmed by Jordan Levin, with which Divide has inked a new production relationship and first-look deal to create original content.

Mr. Ventimiglia has a long history with his new boss, dating back to his days on "Gilmore Girls" on the WB, where Mr. Levin was the CEO. "Jordan was one of the first guys to give me a chance behind the camera," Mr. Ventimiglia said, citing a series of network promos he directed during his "Gilmore" stint. After the two had left Warner Brothers, they found a way to reconnect. "I saw all the projects they were working on and I thought, 'Wow, these guys really are accessing the same types of relationships that we are, but at a different level,'" he said.

Mr. Levin said he's been impressed with Mr. Ventimiglia ever since he met the then-25-year-old actor during their WB days. "There's talent you meet that refuses to get boxed into a category, and we're attracted to that type of talent under our management division at Generate. They can express themselves wearing multiple hats," he said. "It was interesting from afar to track Milo's career and see he really stepped up and followed through on his ambitions and dived deep into the creative arena that most interested him."

In recent months, Divide has dabbled in everything from short-form web content to graphic novels. Mr. Ventimiglia said the Generate partnership is designed to yield high-quality video content that appeals to 18- to 34-year-old fans of science fiction and comic books, with a place for brands, too. "We want to come up with a cinematic piece that fits all the corners of what a brand represents," he said.

Mr. Ventimglia spoke with Ad Age days before heading off to New York's Comic Con, where he will participate in multiple panels for his role on "Heroes" and his work on Divide's new graphic novel, "Berserker."

Ad Age: So you're at work right now. "Heroes" work or Divide/Generate work?

Mr. Ventimiglia: I'm back to work, on the set of "Heroes." We're five episodes in already, five of 18 episodes. By the time we're back on air, we should be done with the whole thing. We've cut our production schedules down to nine days an episode. We've gone down from 16 days to 12, so we've significantly cut down. I'm sure the creative ideas are harder to get to when you get so spread out to 16 days an episode; what are you really filling those days with? I think the idea was to go back to the sentiment of the first season and the incredible things the characters were doing CG-wise.

Ad Age: So with such a crazy schedule, how many days a week do you get to work on Divide projects?

Mr. Ventimiglia: Every day. The way my days are structured -- if I'm on set three days a week, the other two days of a workweek are spent in my office. And throughout the day I'm catching up with my partner Russ and make sure I'm updated on everything going on.

Ad Age: The last time you worked with a brand, it was with American Eagle in 2007 for a series of "Winter Tales" shorts that aired online and for MTV's "It's a Mall World." What did that experience teach you about the production and distribution of branded entertainment?

Mr. Ventimiglia: When we were presented with the American Eagle opportunity, we saw a way to creatively produce and market for a brand -- but in a new way. The distribution was just something that seemed logical with the strategic business I've worked with in the last several years, regardless of whether it was online or the first commercial block in between an MTV show.

Ad Age: How did the American Eagle shorts perform for the company?

Mr. Ventimiglia: Something I always heard from American Eagle is that fourth-quarter went up that year as did sales of jeans. It was a $2 billion jean company when we were working with them and it was selling more jeans because of projects like "Mall World" and "Winter Tales." The conversation we had with Jordan was -- it worked for American Eagle so successfully because it fit its brand so specifically. This could work for any other company that wants to be portrayed in that light. That's what the Generate partnership is about.

Ad Age: Jordan Levin has a good reputation around town from his days at The WB. Do you find that your name opens doors too because you're an actor on "Heroes?"

Mr. Ventimiglia: I've been very fortunate to have opportunities that allow me to discuss projects that we're working on because of my day job, or past jobs I've worked on. That's one way to bring awareness to the projects, partnering with distribution channels online as well as production companies.

Ad Age: You've said you want to focus on bringing quality to online video. How can working with brands help you do that?

Mr. Ventimiglia: Being in the industry as long as I have, hearing how much money is spent on different commercials, you hear about companies that have a $1 billion budget, but can't seem to justify spending $1 million on a video. But a company like mine truly can create so much beautiful content that would benefit the cost of whatever tens of millions of dollars are to that brand. Times are changing, a paradigm shift is going on. It is a scary territory, but I think [branded content] is going to go in a direction of digital and online.

[ramgirl]

A few more articles about DiVide partnering with Generate

DiVide partners with Generate
Milo Ventimiglia's company to cooperate on branded content
DiVide partners with Generate

By Georg Szalai

July 24, 2009, 04:23 PM ET
NEW YORK -- Production and talent management firm Generate has partnered with DiVide Pictures, the production firm and comic book publisher co-founded by Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes") and producer Russ Cundiff, to jointly create branded entertainment content for marketers looking to reach young male audiences on digital platforms.

DiVide last weel already moved its operations to Generate’s Santa Monica offices.

The firms will co-produce all brand-sponsored digital programming concepts developed by DiVide, which has developed original series and multiplatform brand campaigns for such companies as American Eagle, Cadillac and GQ. It most recently announced plans for scripted digital series "Ultradome."

The intersection of brands and entertainment has also become a bigger focus for Generate. It recently worked with Bradley & Montgomery to produce a "Browser for the Better" viral ad campaign for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 and it will premiere sponsored Web drama "The Lake" for TheWB.com on Aug. 10.

"Ever since I met Milo at The WB as a young actor on 'Gilmore Girls,' I was struck by his professional ambition and passion for creating entertainment that he and his peer group found engaging," said Generate CEO Jordan Levin. "Milo and Russ share Generate’s vision of brands and content converging in the digital space, which is an innovative opportunity for any company trying to activate DiVide’s core fan base of ‘media multitasking’ young males."

Said Ventimiglia: "Russ and I are very much looking forward to exploring the opportunities this partnership brings to DiVide."

In a telephone chat with THR from Comic-Con, where he spent most day, Ventimiglia said the relationships and skills of the new partners will mesh and complement each other well. "We are producers and developers and know writers, directors and actors," he said. "They understand the creative work and also have access to advertisers."
He also said he fondly remembers getting a chance to do interstitials for The WB when Levin ran it. "I liked that he saw me in such roles in addition to my work as an actor in front of the camera," he said.

Asked about "Ultradome," the young star said the pilot for it is shot, and treatments for episodes are in place. "Now we are looking for backers," he explained.

What approach do he and DiVide take to the digital content space? "A lot of people are holding out for a homerun," he told THR. "I am trying to load up on base hits."

While the work is focused on the digital space, face-to-face conversations remain key to the creative process in the digital age, Ventimiglia argued in explaining the shared space with Generate. "Everybody is texting and emailing," he said. "But (sometimes) face time is better. When you want to discuss an idea, it is great if you can just walk into someone's office."

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Another article can be found here but it's basically the same info.
Generate and Milo Ventimiglia's DiVide Pictures Form Digital Pact for Branded Entertainment

Milo also filmed a video for the IAVA talking about the new GI bill check it out here IAVA especially if you know someone who was in the service to pass along the information.

[Elenwyn]

YouTube - Milo Ventimiglia LIVE at Comic Con 09 [Gamer] Vid of Milo at CC Talks about all the projects his involved in.

[ramgirl]

Thanks for bringing that over Elenwyn nice to see you here

[Ryan-Marissa<3]

Milo Ventimiglia Comic Con 2009 Portrait.
Credit:Entertainment Weekly's EW.com | Entertainment News | TV News | TV Shows | Movie, Music and DVD Reviews

[ramgirl]

Thanks for that

[Shanti70]

Love all the news and pictures! Thanks to all who provided.

[ramgirl]

comic con news can be seen Here

[Elenwyn]

YouTube - Milo Ventimiglia's Mom Plays Mum At Comic-Con '09

Not exactly Milo but it's his mom at CC, which I think is so good of her to come and support him. I bet she's so proud Her bit is at about 0:50. Someone posted it on the Heroes board

[Coco_Cat]

Aww, she seems so proud of him.

[ramgirl]

Thanks so much for bringing that over Elenwyn, very cool how much his parents support him.

[ramgirl]

Milo was interviewed by The Official Stars Wars Blog you can read it here The Official Star Wars Blog Milo Ventimiglia Inducted By 501st Legion

thanks to drofpain for the website.

[Roswell 10/2/00]

Let me just say on a side note Mama V is love. It is so sweet how proud she is of her son! Loved the interview.

Hi everyone,

i am back from Sunny CA! I had a wonderful vacation and had a blast at Comic Con! It was an amazing time! I saw Tim Burton, Johnny Deep for Alice in Wonderland looks amazing! It was awesome seeing Tim Burton I enjoy his work and Johnny need I say more!

I also got into the Twilight New Moon panel after camping out. Chris Weitz who is directing New Moon was wonderful and I am a fan of his work so New Moon looks amazing. Kristen, Rob, Taylor, and Ashley were excited for the film as well. It looks amazing from the clips they showed us!

Then later that night saw almost the whole Twilight cast at the special cast screening at the Gas lamp in downtown San Diego. The only cast members who were missing were Rob, Kristen, Eddie, Jackson, and Taylor (we saw leaving the lobby).

Friday was a free day for me so I went to a Heroes Pod Cast with a few of my friends it was fun non of the major cast members were their mostly guest star actors but it was fun and we got a lot of free stuff. Then I went to a Twilight pod cast at Borders it was fun.

Saturday I went to the david Nutter talk for his new show Eastwick. Based on the book the Witches of Eastwick. It was interesting but I was freaking out more over seeing David Nutter who has directed shows such as Roswell, Smallville, Supernatural, and Sara Conner Cronicals. He just does an amazing job of blending relationships and sci fi so well.

Met up with Drofpain for lunch then we headed to Milo's Top Cow talk.

Then I had Milo Ventimiglia's Top Cow comic Book panel later in the day they had a signing after which was awesome. The talk was wonderful and I am really happy and excited for DiVide! Rest will now be produced by Top Cow.

It was great to see Milo again as well as his friends who run his production company DiVide. After went out for a big dinner with tons of friends and drofpain who were in town.

Sunday I was a good little fearless reporter and went to Smallville panel. I saw Tom Welling it was amazing. Granted I am not a huge fan of Tom but he was wonderful and it was so cool everyone stood up when he arrived and he was wonderful at the talk. He is a riot. Very funny I enjoyed the talk a lot. Season 9 looks amazing!

Supernatural talk was a riot as always. Jensen and Jared were not there but Misha and the one who plays Bobby was Kripke was in full swing so I enjoyed it. I can't wait for season 5!

Over all the 40th anniversary of Comic Con was a blast!

When I was in CA I saw Harry Potter loved it! Went to the beach, went to Disney Land, and hung out with some great friends and had an amazing time.

Hope all is well everyone!

[barelylegal]

Thanks for sharing your experience at Comic Con! Glad you had a fantastic time over there! I love drofpain's website... went to the blog... so nice!

Who knew Milo is a huge Star Wars fan? Hehehe His geeky site is so cute!

Milo is such a stunning looking man! Seriously, he looks great in that picture ( I love leather jackets... wait does he actually wear leather or imitations?) and his outfit on Comic Con was nice! I liked the hat... but agree with drofpain that his hair is so sexy.

Anyway, on that 09 ComicCon Interview (the Gamer thing) the girl (forgot her name) casually mentioned, twice if I'm not mistaken, that Milo is nice. (You are really nice or something similar). What a great remark! That made me smile ... you know, knowing that Milo is genuinly a nice guy. (Not just for entertainment purposes, lol) Aaaah, great great Milo


Oooh and did you guys see the clips on the Heroes Panel? Hahaha Zachary making a paperplane I think Milo was folding one, too... and out of nowwhere this guy asks like the most inappropriate question to Hayden, but luckily she has a witty comeback hehe. Too bad not all of the actors had a chance to speak... maybe in other clips??... some where missing in that Panel... or where they bound to arrive later?

Anyway....