The Web site is iCHOOZ.tv, a new venture owned by Second-Look Media, founded by technology industry vet John Henry Mulder, who serves as the company’s president and COO, and television producer Christina Tongco Garcia, who fills the CEO shoes.

You probably know the drill by now: Web company announces talent contest judged by music industry vets, promising the competition will give bands and artists that important first leg up in getting discovered.

iCHOOZ.tv does fit that description, but saying it’s just another Web-based talent contest is like saying Michael Phelps enjoys an occasional dip in the pool. That’s because iCHOOZ isn’t limited to a computer desktop. Instead, the company is aiming at the global mobile phone audience.

“There are a couple fundamental differences that stand out for artists coming to the site,” Mulder told Pollstar. “We’re the first to really integrate the mobile experience from mobile voting. [We’re] in 38 countries of coverage with premium SMS text-messaging voting and billing. And also allowing the artist to have a mobile content delivery platform. In those same 38 countries we can push content out – songs, ringtones, videos – to participating carriers.”

It was the founders’ past experiences that led them to create iCHOOZ.tv. Both have a background in indie film making. In fact, co-founder Garcia not only worked on indie films but acted in a few as well. The founders quickly learned during their film days that there weren’t many opportunities to promote their work. Realizing they could help other unknowns promote themselves was part of the impetus that led to creating iCHOOZ.tv.

At iCHOOZ.tv, artists not only compete against each other in a social media environment, but also benefit from attracting an audience that’s already proven itself willing to spend money on the performers through voting and purchasing music downloads. The idea is that if the audience members pay to participate, they’ll also buy merch from their faves.

“That’s exactly what these artists need beyond just having 10,000 MySpace fans,” Mulder said. “They need this loyal buying fanbase to be able to allow one of our Grammy Award-winning music producers to walk into a label and be able to say, ‘Look, these people won the season finale. They beat all their other regional rivalries for hip-hop, rock, country or whatever it might be, and they have a half million fans that have voted for them and have also purchased their digital music. These guys are ready to be picked up by the major labels.’ And that gives the labels much less risk in picking them up.”

Judges include Grammy-winning producers Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson for the Rock Band and Hip-Hop categories. Professional show caster Patti Carns Kalles, who filled TV’s “Northern Exposure” with all those eccentric and lovable characters, judges Sketch Comedy. Producer/singer-songwriter Herschel Boone judges the Pop category entries and Kevin Wilson, son of the late, great Flip Wilson, judges contestants in the Stand Up comedy division.

Unlike other Web-based talent contests, iCHOOZ.tv promises to be more like the granddaddy of all successful reality show contests – TV’s “American Idol.” The company says its competitors are just as talented as those facing judgment from Simon, Randy and Paula.

“The drama that you see each week on television – we’re trying to capture that on iCHOOZ,” company co-founder Garcia said. “Contestants with the lowest mobile votes will be eliminated, and each week they have to do some challenges. What we see on the competition are the best of the contestants that have proven themselves, unlike other competing Web sites. All they do is ratings.”

For contestants, it all starts with uploading an audition video. Ten contestants will be chosen based on audition ratings and overall popularity. Plus, two wildcard candidates will be chosen from monthly TEXT-2-WIN events. Winners of each of the contest’s monthly competitions will automatically be entered in the iCHOOZ.tv semifinals where they will compete for the two top spots on the competition ladder at a live event in Los Angeles. There is no entry fee for entering.

The mobile-phone voting platform is one of the more exciting aspects of iCHOOZ.tv, although current voting is split between the computer desktop and mobile phones. Future competitions will be mostly, if not entirely, mobile-based.

“We’ll be able to have the whole experience on the mobile phone directly through WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]-enabled phones,” Mulder said. “So that somebody sitting at a train station will be able to experience the week’s mobile voting status updates, check out the latest video that’s uploaded and submitted, or look at the latest competition and rate it directly on their phone.”

Still not convinced that iCHOOZ.tv is different from those other Web-based talent competitions? Mulder and Garcia stressed that their contest isn’t for the occasional weekend band or wedding singer. Instead, it’s for those who are serious about their performance and have what it takes to climb to the top of the pops. Or comedy, depending on the category.

“This is one critical difference with our competition versus everybody else that’s out there,” Mulder said. “Every other competition site requires musicians and comedians to put up one video, and that’s it. Then it’s a matter of who has the coolest video. That’s not a competition in terms of real human drama and interactivity.

“Our competitions are based on four weeks of challenges, starting with an original song, or including live performances or street performances, public performances. And the final week for Pop and Hip-Hop we have our music producer provide an original track. These talents – the last three that make it the last week – have to write an original song in five days, perform it, shoot it and get it up on the site. That’s where you can really see who has really got the all-around talent, from creativity, songwriting, showmanship, as well as just natural singing ability.”

iCHOOZ.tv‘s monetary streams are varied and differ from many other Web-based talent competitions. Of course, there’s mobile revenue from elements such as digital downloads. Mobile voting is via the premium SMS billing system. There’s also mobile advertising, which can push ad content out, tailored for the receiver.

“The other aspect of it is the sponsored competitions, where the advertisers are not only limited to banner ads, but can come in as a sponsor, analogous to more like television, where they’ll be basically branding the community,” Mulder said. “We may have a lifestyle sponsor like an energy drink company, come in and sponsor the Hip-Hop competition.”

Think of it. Fans in 38 countries voting, buying ringtones, music downloads and merch while sponsors back individual competitions. It’s a worldwide event with revenue streams from all over the world. And best of all, the competitors don’t have to part with even a single penny to enter.

“If you believe you have the talent, let the world show it,” Garcia said. “We’re not here to charge you to just prove you have talent … If you have the talent and need a place to show it. That’s going to be iCHOOZ.”