• by Steve Smith , Staff Writer @popeyesm, October 7, 2010

As we have reported here in the past, video hub Metacafe has been finalizing its metamorphosis from a previous life as a user-gen portal to a new existence as a curated entertainment content hub. It has been carving out verticals in film, gaming, TV and sports that are designed to super-serve fans of each content type with the latest highlights, clips, previews, etc. To drive the point home with viewers and advertisers, the site has been hosting a "Shocktober" event all month that boasts exclusive content from marketing partners like Weinstein Company, Sega, Summit, MTV Games and others. Today they launch a "Shocktober Showcase" channel that will feature two new video each day, one from the film and video game categories.

Over the next few weeks Metacafe regulars will get exclusive clips and content for upcoming films like RED and the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, previews of Rock Band 3 and Epic Mickey, interviews with game gurus like Warren Spector, and a Metacafe feature on the 12 Essential Films of Fall and the 12 Essential Games of Fall.

Metacafe CEO Erick Hachenberg tells me that the program is already succeeding. "Six days in, and the 12 exclusive videos we're featuring have collectively generated nearly 1 million video views," he says. Metacafe is aiming for the sweet spot of 'entertainment drivers,' the 18-34 year-olds who feed the weekend blockbuster monster and covet the Tuesday releases to game stores. The site claims over 17 million monthly uniques who exert inordinate influence around the Web. Part of the plan is to plug advertisers into that social network. Hachenberg says that the Metacafe Movies section alone has more than 60,000 Facebook likes.

"That outpaces many of the so-called industry giants and just a few months after we launched," he says. Metacafe is using the Facebook and Twitter channels to promote and extend the reach of the exclusive video assets for its ad clients. Hachenberg says that advertisers are responding to a model that allows them to tell their stories mainly through video in a curated context that blends original programming with promotional assets. The site has been staffing up editors who are bringing personality and voice to the portal and at the same time aggregating content that appeals to fans.