Josh Weinberg’s viral sensation The Website is Down is back, and as the new teaser (above) demonstrates, we’re in for a completely different take on the same humor that made TWID such a massive hit the first two times around.
The new video is a hilarious techno remix of footage from the upcoming episode, shot security cam style a la the popular office freakout videos. In it, the poor ‘sales guy’ (you have to feel sorry for this guy’s level of technical ineptitude) freaks out on his computer while a very soothing Indian IT guy helps him out on the phone.
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Tubefilter also got a sneak peek at an almost-final version of the new episode, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. I don’t want to give away any of the details, but I will say that I hope ‘yoga dude’ remains a character on the show. About the new format, Weinberg told me, “Hopefully people will appreciate the foray into live action. I plan on returning to the screen capture format for the next episode.”
I also got a chance to get a little more in depth with Weinberg about the business side of TWID. I mean, it’s been almost a year since the first episode exploded, so two new episodes and a Webby award later, where is the show in terms of monetization? Said Weinberg, “The Website is Down doesn’t have an advertising sponsor or any ads on the site currently. I feel like there is more integrity to the videos and the site without ads placed all over it, and for the time being I am able to cover the costs of the videos out of my own pocket and by selling T-Shirts and the MILF308 app I created.”
But is this the optimum situation? “I feel very satisfied with this arrangement since it allows me to produce the videos at my own pace and without any concern for what an advertiser would say about the content. It is possible that in the future I would be open to a sponsor, but it would have to be something really appropriate and in sync with what the site is all about.”
This is probably the coolest thing about TWID; by not being responsible to advertisers or distributors, he’s been able to try new things with each episode without worrying about anything other than what he thinks people will like. Weinberg summed it up saying, “I’m just enjoying the creative outlet this series is giving me and other than some added credibility as a filmmaker I am not looking for any kind of big payoff.”
He may not be looking for money, but he’s certainly doing the right things to build an audience. The new episode drops June 6th, and the first episode will be playing at the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival on June 19th and 20th, the film festival premiere of TWID.
