Earlier this year, KC Montero took on the role of Head of Content at KUMU, the fastest-growing social media app in the country.
Perhaps best known as MTV鈥檚 longest-running VJ, KC鈥檚 career includes billings as host and producer on a number of shows like Celebrity Car Wars, Survivor Philippines, Discovery Channel鈥檚 Worst Vacation Ever, and GOOD TIMES on Magic 89.9. While KC鈥檚 star power and marketing talent are undeniable, what helps KC perform in the boardroom is his unique brand of creativity that ensures content on the app stays relevant to a young mobile audience.
As KUMU鈥檚 head of content, KC often gets asked, 鈥渨hat is good content?鈥 It鈥檚 a question he thinks is fundamentally misguided.
鈥淭he term 鈥済ood content鈥 can be used in such a broad sense,鈥 he said. 鈥淪ome would say that if you can watch a piece of content from start to finish, that it should be considered good content. That isn鈥檛 totally true because what鈥檚 inside that content can captivate you and keep your attention for three minutes but it doesn鈥檛 mean, to me, that it鈥檚 any good.鈥
KC believes audiences today want more than just flashy visuals, catchy wordplay, and a coherent aesthetic. What they鈥檙e looking for, he says, is something that makes them feel good about themselves.
鈥淚 like to use the phrase 鈥渜uality content鈥 which means that it鈥檚 thought-provoking, entertaining, and leaves you with a positive feeling,鈥 KC said. This triumvirate guides every bit of programming KC oversees at KUMU, from the messaging to the technical executions鈥攅verything is designed to maximize quality.
The KC recipe for effective content
KC shares these three useful insights to aspiring content creators on how to keep things creative, dynamic, and worth sharing:
- If it鈥檚 a long video, make sure you show a quick look at what happens in the video right away. You have to grab attention as fast as possible.
- Get close. The closer the subject is, the closer the audience feels, but don鈥檛 overdo it. No one wants to see your pores.
- Know your audience. Know what makes them tick and play into their wheelhouse.
Pushing innovative technology
More than any other device in history, smartphones are the most immediate, on-demand platforms for content consumption. With livestreaming, the bridge between consumption and creation has narrowed nearly to non-existence.
For the team at KUMU, it’s an inmate understanding of the relationships between platform, product, and people that guide their growth into everything from arts to online marketplaces.
This formula proves to be effective as KUMU now engages more than three million Filipinos around the world with its online contests, game shows, celebrity live streams, live e-commerce, and just recently audio streaming features.
鈥淚 think that content is really only bound by technology and how it鈥檚 delivered,” KC said. “I think at the moment, we鈥檙e on the cusp of an e-commerce boom and the faster and closer you can get to humanizing your process the more success you will have.”
