• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, July 26, 2007

Following closely in Sony's footsteps, NewsCorp's MySpace plans to scout for new video talent online.

Joined by Fox Broadcasting and the Producers Guild of America, MySpace said today it's launching "The Storyteller Challenge," which seeks five-to-seven minute pilots from filmmakers. The companies will select two winners, who will receive $25,000 each and the chance for a Fox development deal.

News of the new venture comes one week after Sony conducted a similar contest to find new video auteurs on "Crackle," formerly known as Grouper.

The new crop of talent contests marks another way the media world is seeking to better showcase the burgeoning world of consumer-created video. This week's CNN/YouTube debate, in which candidates answered questions submitted via video, is another. It's an obvious example of how media companies are tapping into average consumers' new abilities to create and share videos. 

Also, in a move that didn't receive much publicity but is nonetheless significant, the Sacramento Bee said this week that it plans to accept video letters to the editor. While details, such as who is likely to screen the clips remain unresolved, the fact that the paper plans to ask for them marks an evolution in the mainstream media's attitude toward user-created video.