In Tom Cruise’s Minority Report, a world where advertising is specifically catered to each individual, was introduced as a slightly disturbing albeit realistic foreboding of what the future would bring.  While mildly far fetched at the time, advertising has in fact, taken on that very quality.  Our internet searches generate a “cookie” of information, creating a profile for our likes and interests and then sends content our way, based on areas of interest.

When you think about it, online video content has come a very long way since Jawed Karim, -one of YouTube’s founders - uploaded the first YouTube video ever, Me at the Zoo, on April 23, 2005.   In only 5 short years we have gone from watching Mr. Karim tell us that elephants are cool because they have long trunks, to the proliferation of online video ranging from hilarious and addictive user-generated content like David After Dentist, to the creation of networks and production companies like Next New Networks, that are dedicated to bringing us these videos. Add to that portals like Hulu that provide premium broadcast and cable programming, and we see a previously unimaginable landscape of online video choices.

What happens when a hooked-up online film community, innovative production studio, and trendy New York hotel join forces to produce branded content? Enter cheap, interesting, evocative entertainment.

Last October, Massify partnered with Killer Films to announce a joint-venture contest wherein independent filmmakers, actors, and crew could vie for the opportunity to produce short form content with the Ace Hotel in Manhattan (a boutique hotel with a nostalgic New York City vibe) as the story backdrop.

Nearly a year later, three winning scripts have been transformed into quirky short form films-”Charley” “Lulu,” and “Shave“-all within a budget of (according to the NYT) $30,000…

When Apple TV started shipping in March of 2007, hopes were high.  Most of us technology and advertising fanatics were expecting the device to revolutionize the industry (or at least enhance it).  Since its launch, Apple TV has been widely viewed as a disappointment, but it’s only a matter of time before the Internet and the living room TV collide.

Last night (in its latest attempt at world domination), Facebook announced the launch of its highly anticipated geo-mobile application, “Places.” The application-which, with Facebook’s user base of 500 million, is basically Foursquare on steroids-allows users to share their whereabouts, see if any friends are nearby, and “experience connecting with people on Facebook in a completely new way.”

While the platform has yet to be monetized, the business applications of “Places” are surely in sight for Facebook and its projected $1.2 Billion in ad sales…