MySpace is once again diving into American politics as they have partnered with famed TV producer Mark Burnett to launch “Independent”, a political reality show that is focused on finding the next “great” politician.
The contestants selected to appear on Independent will be out in public, interacting with supporters, protesters and activists. Through a town-hall environment, they will receive feedback from television viewers and online through MySpace. The show has a planned launch of early 2008.
“Independent represents a giant leap in the re-democratization of American politics,” said Chris DeWolfe, CEO and co-founder of MySpace.
“MySpace puts political power back in the hands of everyday people and Independent takes it to a whole new level,” added Tom Anderson, President and co-founder of MySpace.
The winner of Independent will receive one million dollars, which they will not be allowed to keep. What they do with the money will be influenced by both the Myspace community and viewers of the TV show. For example they can decide to donate the money to a political action committee or use it to make a run for the White House.
For those interested in being candidates on Independent they can submit themselves to MySpace Video. When the candidates are selected they will create a MySpace Impact profile that will act as their campaign platform.
This latest initiative by MySpace is similar to the Unity08 movement in that it attempts to change the direction of traditional politics. Currently, Independent does not have the backing of a broadcast network, but with big time players like Mark Burnett and MySpace, securing a deal should not be difficult. CBS and Fox are obvious choices to broadcast the show.
“The largest number of eyeballs able to be reached at any one time is still network television. But clearly, the world’s largest social networking community is found on MySpace and this huge, powerful group of young Americans will definitely generate strong opinions, and unquestionable influence”, said Mark Burnett.
