Local Video Rising

Kudos to SiliconBeat for unearthing TurnHere.com, which is posting local videos from all over the U.S.—watch a couple of them and you'll immediately see the local biz advertising and travel implications.

Here's what the site says:

TurnHere.com, a new Internet video destination, is seeking professional and independent filmmakers, who it pays for their work and creativity, to participate in an ambitious initiative which is chronicling the stories of American neighborhoods and places across the country through 2-5 minute short films made specifically for the Internet.

Films should be artful and high-concept, focusing on the people, culture, history, local businesses and political landscapes across America. Importantly, the site is highly viral, as each film has it's own unique URL which can be forwarded via email.

There's also a social dimension, which is very interesting and, of course, de rigeur for today's Internet start-ups. SiliconBeat says distribution will come through TurnHere.com and third parties (e.g., Yahoo!, MSN, etc.)

As we said, 2006 is the year of video and that extends to local as well. We'll have several panels on video and its implications for local at our next event in San Jose at the end of March.

Will be following up with Brad Inman (founder) to learn more next week about TurnHere.