• by Wayne Friedman , December 17, 2009

The creator of "American Idol" is starting up a new digital distributed talent show, and will take one of the "Idol" sponsors with him.

Simon Fuller's new entertainment series "If I Can Dream" will focus on five young people who strive to make their mark on the entertainment industry. The series debuts in early 2010.

The show will be distributed through online, mobile and radio platforms with Hulu.com, Clear Channel and MySpace as its main distribution partners. Ford Motor Co, one of the three big "Idol" sponsors, will sponsor "Dream." So will PepsiCo.

Hulu.com will stream an exclusive episode of "Dream" each week, as well as running highlights and other content.

Clear Channel Radio will serve to market the event through its radio personalities and discussions with its audience. "Dream" cast member stories will air on Clear Channel's radio stations, online and on mobile devices. Clear Channel has access to a national audience of more than 100 million people on-air each week and 30 million people on its digital properties monthly.

Using MySpace, prospective talent will upload videos explaining why they deserve to be featured as part of the audition process.

Ford Motor Company is partnering with "Dream" to create a marketing buzz for its new Ford Fiesta in 2011. An initial social media effort has generated over 675,000 flickr views and 5.5 million YouTube views so far.

PepsiCo will develop new, integrated partnerships for a number of its brands -- as yet unannounced. The beverage company's Pepsi Refresh Project will be a part of the effort, where people are encouraged to submit ideas that will lead to positive change.