Hollywood Writers Prep for Strike.TV

In the 100 Days last Winter the Writer’s Guild of America carried signs of indignation against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Peter Hyoguchi got an idea.

The director and card-carrying member of the WGA created Who’s On The Line? – a compelling short profiling strikers in their homes and on the Hollywood picket lines – uploaded it to YouTube, posted it on United Hollywood – a writer-run blog that served as a WGA soap box and message board during the strike – and was amazed by how fast it, and other shorts made possible by the strike, spread across the web.

So, Variety reports, Hyoguchi got together with a handful of other writers who thought the internet was really something special and came up with the idea for Strike.tv.

Enticed by laughably low production costs and the notion that they have full ownership of their own creations, Hyoguchi and co. wrangled writers with venerable pedigrees to populate the new site with over 40 original series. Some of what’s in store for the launch later this month includes:

“Global Warming,” starring “Saturday Night Live’s” Kirsten Wiig and “Daily Show’s” Aasif Mandvi;

“Unknown Sender,” penned by Steven de Souza and starring Timothy Dalton and Joanne Whalley;

“House Poor,” created by “Office” writer-producer Lester Lewis;

“The Challenge,” starring Bob Newhart and penned by sitcom vet Lloyd Garver;

“Five or Die,” written and directed by horror movie vet Tom Holland;

“John’s Hand,” starring Garret Dillahunt and Kali Rocha.

Exciting stuff, though we’ve seen new media companies brag about their all-star rosters filled with top Hollywood talent and then under deliver. It’ll be interested to see how Strike.tv stacks up.