Laughing At The Life Of Boomers In Three Minutes Or Less
Boulder, CO. November 18, 2008

A veteran Hollywood sitcom producer has launched a new wave of entertainment. His vision: Boomer Alley. It’s quick. It’s funny. It’s online. It’s quality. And it’s served up specifically for the 78 million online Baby Boomers.

Marc Sotkin was head writer and executive producer of TV hits like “The Golden Girls,” and “Laverne & Shirley.” He is now the imagination and the face behind “Boomer Alley,” an online weekly syndicated Web show designed to give people ages 48 to 60 a good laugh at themselves and the world around them. The shows are 2-3 minutes long and bounce from topics as absurd as “Celebrity Colonoscopy,” and whether it is good or bad karma to draw a mustache on a poster of the Dalai Lama, to Boomer dating, his wife’s hot flashes, and golfing.

According to Sotkin, “The key to Boomer Alley is consistency. We’re drawing on the amazing, underused pool of Baby Boomer comedy talent in Hollywood. I’m working with the same writers I worked with on hit network shows. Only now, instead of being together in a re-write room, we’re working together via video chat.” Sotkin’s show occasionally poaches celebrity guests, such as actor/comedian/filmmaker Bob Saget, who was proudly featured on the show about colonoscopies.

“We’re targeting a specific audience and reaching them by syndicating to other media outlets rather than building solely on Boomer Alley,” says Ray Skibitsky, head of Boomer Alley sales and marketing. “There’s a market for a show like this,” Skibitsky says.

“As many as 60 percent of Internet users are older than 35. And the demand for online video is growing dramatically. This model offers sustainable content — in other words the ability to be funny week in and week out. The key is that Boomer Alley is branded and is marketable. Our media partners are featuring the videos rather than mixing them in with the sea of user-generated content. We’re creating a unique advertising opportunity with top quality, relatable content.”

A fresh clip airs weekly on various media Web sites that subscribe, including the The Boulder Daily Camera (www.dailycamera.com/entertainment), in the same way comic strips are syndicated in print newspapers. The show’s videos can also be viewed at www.boomeralley.com.

“From watching TV commercials, I know I’m incontinent, and I’m impotent, and my knees hurt. I know this. So leave me alone,” Sotkin says. “Boomer Alley is where we, as a generation, still get to determine what’s cool and relevant and funny?” www.boomeralley.com