Following yesterdays post on the power personal media, this post is about the Streaming Media West session on New Media Production: Building an Independent Media Brand. Over the last few years I've seen a growing trend of more online video content producers at Streaming Media West. This year with more panel sessions focusing on original and personal media production, online video publishing strategies, video blogging and with the LG15 creators presenting one of the Keynotes, it's proof that original content and independent media brands are becoming a mainstay within the industry. With online video stars like Gary Vaynerchuk competing in the same space as Hulu, this "middle ground" as Brian Steinberg describes it in his Advertising Age post It Surely Isn't 'Lost,' but Online Video Finds Ad Niche:Programs Not Ready for Prime Time Still Prime for Marketing Dollars is safe but not ready for prime time yet. Steinberg said, "The theory starting to emerge is that more advertisers will find themselves associating with characters such as Mr. Vaynerchuk, even though their shows look little like ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" or NBC's "Heroes." Gary Vee says, "All the pizzazz, the cameras, the lighting and the miking, I think for lack of a better word, it's a lot of bull crap in the social-media world... When people are consuming information online, there is definitely a charisma and a charm to the bare-bones approach." Steinberg spoke with Andy Forrsell, senior VP-content and distribution at Hulu, who said, "I think this is going to be an interesting chunk of audience that is passionate... Does Gary have slightly lesser production values? Absolutely," he said, but "these are people that pay a lot of money" for high-quality wine, and "this is an audience that people want to get to." But even with an original brand how do you build your audience and fund your work? One option is to create your brand and join a "niche video network" as Dan Rayburn calls them in his blog post, Niche Video Networks: Can Content...