I never really understood the notion of "selling out". Sure, media corporations often exact a noticeable amount of creative control and profit sharing over indie filmmakers, musicians, and artists who sign with them. However, I always thought that if the creative talent was good enough to enrich the lives of the public through their output, it should be celebrated when they are given any sort of mass exposure.
Indie filmmakers the Lonely Island were just a couple of guys from UCLA creating humor videos and great parodies and posting them on their site, TheLonelyIsland.com, until a few years back, all three auditioned for SNL. After some negotiating, all three members became featured writers and actor on the late night show. (Jorma and Akiva became writers, Andy Samberg the actor) However, the jump from more indie, alternative online video hosting to NBC prime time didn't really change the dudes-it just gave them a wider audience for their hilarious short form videos. From this leap to the big time came such massive hits as Lazy Sunday and Dick in a Box - both videos low on production work and effects and heavy on comedic brilliance (funny at least until they got played ad nauseam on Youtube and broadcast tv.)
So I'm not really sure what I'm trying to prove-just that the alternative nature of the dudes' site and the presentation was able to survive the trip to corporate media intact and free from visible manipulation. Check their old stuff out, especially "The Bu", a parody of the OC.
www.thelonelyisland.com
Peace
~Ben D
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