Content Revolution Headlines Sundance

That such discussions were so prevalent at a party during which we could have been discussing Scarlett Johansson's latest role or whether Little Miss Sunshine will shine at the box office (it will!) underscores the importance of the Internet and the revolution that it's driving.

Whether chatting on chairlifts on Park City Mountain Resort, sitting in the Lodge at Mountain Village's outdoor Jacuzzi with snow landing on my head, or even trudging from one early morning party to another, I talked, listened and absorbed discussions about the content revolution. The mainstream Internet has been here for a decade and video over the Internet has been easy for the last five years.

But revolutions aren't smooth; they're ugly, hard and full of death or at least serious dislocations for the entrenched powers (old-school Hollywood studios, network TV and the record companies, in this case). But out of revolutions arise greatness. Our job, as investors, is to find where that greatness will come from. I've had some great rides in Google (GOOG Quote) and Apple (AAPL Quote) because I saw their place in this revolution very early on.

As I and everyone else was repeatedly reminded at Sundance: We're still so very early in this landscape-changing paradigm shift. It's going to take a lot of work, discussion, homework, networking (and playing!) to catch the next big winners.

I'm heading to the Grammys in L.A. this week for more on all of this. And maybe I'll see you next year at Sundance and we'll work on all of this together.

Word to the wise: my trip to Sundance was a last-minute decision after two friends -- one from a giant Internet company that I've written about a million times and another from a giant music magazine -- chided me until I agreed to meet them.

If you want to attend, it's best to plan ahead as the prime condos and festival passes tend to go far in advance. Check out the official Sundance Web site for information about planning, lodging and deals that are sure to be announced ahead of the 2007 festival.

Skiing With the Stars

Source: parkcitymountain.com