Barry Diller Just Bought This Kid a TV Studio
At the ripe old age of 28, Ricky Van Veen is finally putting CollegeHumor.com behind him. He's leaving the site he co-founded and starting a production company called Notional. But the young man remains in Barry Diller's well-padded nest.
Diller will play sugar daddy to Notional; the IAC chairman will fold it into his ConnectedVentrues division, alongside CollegeHumor.com. The video content will be similar — cheap to make, zeitgeisty — but on television proper rather than the Web. Read: Potentially more lucrative. Reports PaidContent:
The focus will be unscripted programming, broader than comedy aimed at young males that they have been known for, and will include all genres.
Van Veen will report directy to Diller. The elder mogul has run Paramount, Fox and USA Broadcasting and no doubt relishes the chance to bestow his knowledge on an adoring young acolyte. One imagines Diller might become something of a father to Van Veen. Or perhaps more like a stepfather.
