To accompany the group on their recently announced Winter ’08 Tour, Stella will create at least one short to screen in 10 major US cities and on the web at My Damn Channel. Here’s a tease:
You Suck at Photoshop creators Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch have struck gold a second time with the launch of their newest series, Agency of Record, released on My Damn Channel and sponsored by Adobe. The series, which launched November 21st, stars Bledsoe and Hitch, themselves veterans of the advertising world, in the roles of Dave and Rick, farcical caricatures of agency ACDs (Associate Creative Directors for those not in the know) who lead their team to near disaster in the show’s first episode. Chock-full of industry jargon, and co-starring comedian Briana Hansen in the role of starry-eyed interactive designer Sierra, Agency of Record plays up the ludicrous stereotypes associated with the cadre of characters that inhabit the hallowed halls of your typical agency.
While the show pays homage to industry luminary David Olgivy through the guise of WTF Worldwide‘s Bernie Olglethorpe, a ridiculously out-of-touch boss who holds meetings in Second Life and enforces impossible deadlines (twenty concepts for a creative campaign by tomorrow morning!), it also pays him the ultimate compliment by heeding his best advice word-for-word: “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.” And that is precisely what Bledsoe and Hitch have done.
Agency of Record is sponsored entirely by software-industry heavyweight Adobe, but the sponsorship doesn’t come in the form of huge display banners, or the Adobe logo popping up in pre or post-roll ads. Instead, the team at Big Fat Brain have integrated Adobe’s software directly into the day-to-day grind at WTF Worldwide headquarters: The first episode boldly opens with Rick and Dave catfighting over boxes of the newly arrived CS4 (Creative Suite 4). This of course because the show’s creators are working directly with Adobe’s Creative Suite Team—which begs the question: was the series supposed to launch last month, to coincide with CS4’s October 15 release date?
Either way, the particular style of contextual advertising employed in Agency of Record, which pairs content directly with brands, is not only unintrusive (if done well), but in this case has the double effect of reinforcing Adobe’s dominant position in the creative software market by showcasing its products at use in their native environment.
The integration goes a step further by engaging the show’s audience to interact directly with the characters, and Adobe’s software, via the DaveandRick.com website, which features CS4 specific tips and tricks as well as an invitation to submit creative in reaction to briefs from WTFWorldwide’s own clients.
The show, produced by Amy Austin, is slated to run for 5 episodes, but as Hitch let on, will also include additional video content released on DaveandRick.com as well as parody videos mirroring content from Adobe.tv’s Agency Profiles channel. I have a haunch that if David Ogilvy were still with us, he’d be impressed with what Bledsoe and Hitch have created. But the question remains: will the show be able to maintain the delicate balance of advertising while entertaining?
Director Bryan Singer (Superman Returns) and Warner Premiere are teaming up for a new sci-fi thriller series, H+, according to reports today. Produced through Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions, H+ will be the first live-action web series out of Warner Premiere, the studio’s digital production arm. Up until now Premiere has focused on bringing a number of motion comics to the web including Superman, Batman: Mad Love and Watchmen. Earlier this month, they rolled out Peanuts, the studio’s first fully animated comic web series.
H+ is another future-based semi-apocalyptic sci-fi story, delving into what has been a hot plot line of late with the likes of MSN’s Kirill, NBCU’s Gemini Division and indie series After Judgment. This one picks up after a cyber-terrorist attack wipes out a large chunk of the world — a chunk that chose to have their brains directly wired into the internet.
John Cabrera (Gilmore Girls) and Cosimo De Tommaso will be writing the series and serving as executive producers. The pair initially pitched H+ as a traditional TV series, but were apparently persuaded by Warner Premiere’s Head of Digital Content, Lydia Antonini, to instead develop it as an original web series. Under Antonini, Warner Premiere has rebranded itself as more than just a direct-to-DVD arm of the well known studio. Some 20 original web series projects are on the docket for the next year, with some of those most likely heading to the studio’s web-only portal, TheWB.com.
The series is still in the early stages of development and has yet to be cast or attach a director, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It looks like Singer’s role will mostly be in a overseeing capacity similar to director McG’s limited note-giving on TheWB’s college web series, Sorority Forever. Best guess for release at this point is around mid 2009.
This morning Crackle, Sony Pictures Television’s web arm, announced a “season” of original web series programming which includes a slate of brand new shows as well as a few returning series all set to premiere beginning December 1, with weekly programming planned for every day of the week. Highlights of the 13-week season include a talk show with Emmy nominated writer Bob Kushell (featuring guests including Jennifer Esposito, Neil Patrick Harris, John Stamos and Christina Applegate), new seasons of Owen Benjamin Presents and The Jace Hall Show, and the debut of David Faustino‘s new comedy series Star-ving (premiering January 16, 2009).
Crackle has come a long way since its $65 million acquisition of video sharing site Grouper in 2006, partnering with content creators including The Guild producer and Hollywood Web Television Meetuppresenter Kim Evey’s Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show, and acquiring worldwide distribution rights to Rocketboom. “Delivering on our promise to debut high-quality original content on a daily basis, Crackle’s next programming slate combines new episodes of some of our most popular series with fresh new shows,” said Eric Berger, Senior Vice President, Sony Digital Networks. “From series like David Faustino’s Star-ving to the new feature titles we’re adding regularly, we’re a one-stop entertainment destination.”
It’s surprising that the web studios, many of which are attached or affiliated with network television studios, have taken this long to discover the value of programmed content. We have been championing shows that commit to regular release with the Tubefilter Web Television Schedule. This migration from the haphazard, viral, word-of-mouth driven distribution strategies that evolved out of the YouTube revolution to a more professional, strategic distribution model that requires both commitment and risk marks another victory for web television. We look forward to seeing other studios follow suit.
As for the lineup itself, Crackle’s risky programming move is offset by safe bets on content—most of the new shows are star driven reality shows or returns of proven series, which I find discouraging. I hope Crackle will still make room for brilliant and daring shows like Crackle Originals The Rascal, Mr. Deity, and The Line.
The lineup:
Mondays The Jace Hall Show: Film, television, and videogame producer Jason “Jace” Hall hosts this lifestyle series that mixes Hollywood glitz and gamer geekdom.
The Hustler: Does this mysterious man (Law & Order’sMark Fuerstein) hustle children, the elderly and other vulnerables just to make a quick buck—or is there something more elusive going on?
Tuesdays The Groundlings Season 2: The venerable Hollywood improv group is back with more signature sketches and short series.
Wednesdays Owen Benjamin Presents: The House Bunny’sOwen Benjamin returns with a new season of how-to segments, music videos, and online vignettes.
Thursdays Anytime with Bob Kushell: The Emmy-nominated writer brings you everything you expect from a late-night talk show: short monologue, comedy bits, full in-studio band, and celebrity interviews, al in a comically compact five minute package filmed in a garage.
Fridays Star-ving: David Faustino and Parker Lewis Can’t Lose’sCorin Nemec star in a comedy series about a broke out of work actor (Faustino) who reinvigorates an inherited porn shop with the help of his Hollywood friends.
It’s great that the former Museum of Television and Radio and Musuem of Brodacasting is taking an interest in the “internet’s role as a legitimate purveyor of entertainment,” and I expect this to be one of the Center’s first of many similarly-themed discussions.
Crackle.com, Sony’s internet studio/portal, announced a new slate of shows today for a “season” which will begin on December 1st.
The new season includes some new shows: Anytime with Bob Kushell, an online talk show hosted by the Emmy-nominated television writer and producer Bob Kushell, filmed in a garage, with a studio band and guests including Jennifer Esposito, Neil Patrick Harris, John Stamos and Christina Applegate.
This Saturday, San Francisco’s Herbst Pavillion was tranformed into a veritable Who’s Who of internet stars during (the first annual?) YouTube Live. The two-hour extravaganza was streamed live to as many as 700,000 concurrent viewers (that’s better than Oprah) and was YouTube’s first foray into live video.
The event was exactly what you’d expect if you imagined YouTube coming to life for the evening: some spectacle, some celebrities, plenty of annoyances, an abundance of tiny cameras, and a thing of awe when you take a step back and really think about it.
I spent the day at the show, camera in hand, and got the chance to speak with some people whose lives have forever been changed thanks to YouTube.
Upfronts are a long standing television convention. Networks have traditionally setup these big events to woo advertisers with an upcoming season lineup and a swank party. But new technology and an ever-shifting entertainment landscape have vastly changed this institution; its become less an opportunity to showcase new programs — which, I’m told, are now often sent direct to advertisers — and instead a ceremonial party. Last February, YouTube also got into the game with an event set to prove that they’re not just dogs on skateboards.
For Your Imagination, the always innovative internet-television studio, is the first of its kind to regularly host upfronts. Do they work? Why aren’t other internet studios hosting similar events?
I had a chance to to talk to CEO Paul Kontonis about FYI, their upfronts event, their distinctive value proposition and his plan for what looks to be a difficult ad market.
But first, check out this preview of their continued and upcoming lineup…
Microsoft has locked up Felicia Day’s hit gamer web series The Guild for an exclusive run of the show’s highly anticipated second season which debuts this Tuesday. In what’s essentially a Microsoft three-way, new episodes will be distributed worldwide exclusively on Xbox 360’s Live Marketplace, MSN and the Zune mobile player.
The Guild will be one part of the inaugural crop of original web series on Xbox’s new channel, Independent Video, which will feature only original content. Other web series announced on the slate include The Jace Hall Show, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog(also starring Felicia), Horror Meets Comedy and machinima legend Red vs. Blue, which was shot entirely onXbox’s Halo game platform.
Sprint has also signed on to sponsor the 12-episode second season, both via pre-roll ad displays and yes, even product placement of the new Sprint Instinct phone in the hands of the characters. New episodes will get a four-week exclusive airing on the three Microsoft distribution points before being available on The Guild‘s newly redesigned web site via MSN’s embeddable player.
It’s been no secret in the web series world that Felicia Day’s self-produced series was one of the hottest properties out there this past year. Most notably in this whole deal is the fact that Felicia retains the rights to The Guild, with Microsoft paying an “unspecified” license fee upfront. Sometime in February, when all episodes of season two have been released, the show is free to sign a new nonexclusive distribution deal should they choose to do so.
UPDATE: From Felicia’s recent blog post on The Guild site:
For those who know and love our indie production, you know it’s been tough to keep the cameras rolling. For Season 1 we were funded by our donors, and we are eternally grateful for that. It’s only because of you, the fans, that we finished the season at all. But with donations, we were only able to release one episode a month. For Season 2 we decided to look for a production partner to help us release episodes quicker and be able to pay our cast and crew in advance.
I don’t exaggerate when we say that we had DOZENS of offers for the show. But I was adamant that we be able to retain ownership of the show and have the creative freedom to keep the show close to its roots and to our fans. We started filming Season 2 on DVD proceeds and my own money, but in the middle of filming the first few episodes, Scott Nocas from Xbox Live approached us and they proved the perfect fit. They will be helping us reach out to new audience, as well as allowing the show, through the Microsoft network, to be seen by anyone across the globe who wants to: Still for free!
UPDATE 2: Added embeddable Season 2 trailer above.
UPDATE 3: Release times for Season 2: 11/25/08: 12:01AM PST on Xbox LIVE and Zune. For MSN ~9AM PST
Felicia Day will be one of the speakers at our December Hollywood Web Television Meetup on December 3rd. Make sure to RSVP if you’re in LA and would like to attend.
Here’s the premise: Dave and Rick are aging creatives (who are nothing like Don Draper). They’re basically your over-the-hill, embarrassing uncles who try way to hard too look like they still hang out with the ambivalently popular crowd at RISD.
They work at an advertising agency called WTF Worldwide, (which is nothing like Sterling Cooper – sorry, my only exposure to ad agencies is through Mad Men), and have a boss that holds virtual meetings in Second Life.
Sierra’s the new girl. She’s your aunt who’s more mature than anyone else in the family (like Peggy!). For the purpose of her career and emotional stability, she tries to set Dave and Rick straight.
Inane office hi-jinks, Adobe product name drops, and traditional print campaigns for Brawndo-like brands ensue:
GOLD, the new RPG gamer-themed web series premieres today, offering a comical tribute to “the geekily wonderful world of traditional, pen-and-paper style role playing gaming.” Not everyone could imagine spending their bachelor party rolling their multi-sided dice and casting spells, but for GOLD lead character, Jonathan Drake (David Nett), that’s exactly where he’d want to be — living the life of a Professional Tabletop Role Playing Gamer. The only problem is, his fiancée would rather have him focused on the wedding while his gaming team want him focused on the game.
These are the stakes in the first episode (above)“Prologue: Dark Clouds Gather” created by indie producers Nett, Andrew R. Deutsch, Shannon Nelson and Chad Schnaible under the production banners Brown Corduroy Jacket, and Punisher77. The show focuses on the journey of an American “Goblins and Gold” team as they attempt to win gold in the World G&G Championship, defeating long-time rivals the “juggernaut” British G&G team.
Clocking in at a healthy eight minutes, the episode feels a bit long, but the characters are endearing and genuine enough, that you’re willing to play along. There’s no doubt the actors involved are genuine gamers bringing authenticity to the fictional game created for the sake of the series. Written by Nett and Deutsch the GOLD stars Nett alongside Rick Robinson, James Paul Xavier, Gary Karp, Nathan Mobley, Robert J. Brewer, Alan Loayza, Shannon Nelson, Shannon Ivey, Jeremy Guskin and Angela Schnaible. [Check out our recent interview with star and creator David Nett.]
Watching the show, it’s always difficult not to draw the comparison to internet gamer hit The Guild, but so far, the show has solid legs of it’s own. While the social issues facing the guys (specifically Drake’s impending nuptials) are given due weight, it’s clear these guys will devote some good time nerding-out with the details of the game, giving RPG’s their due in the spotlight. Drake’s buddies say it best themselves, “they do this for a living.”
But like with any good RPG scenario, the show promises drama. “Can you take the hits?” is the tag of the show, hinting playing G&G will have a price. This early in the game it’s hard to tell if that price will be Drake’s marriage, but so far, I’ve got a hunch that in life, love, and gaming, these guys would pick gaming every time.
New episodes will be posted monthly at www.goldtheseries.com as well as through iTunes and their YouTube and Vimeo channels.
How can you tell if a person is “smart”? Do they use big words? Do they talk in abstracts? Do they make frequent reference to their IQ and intellectual achievements? Are they awesome at Dektop Tower Defense? Are they more interesting and engaging than most people?
The crew of geniuses in IQ-145 have the first few down (except the DTD part), but in twelve episodes, the latter continues to escape them.
In the tradition of so many other sci-fi series, the plot of IQ-145 is intentionally obscured throughout the first several episodes. Essentially, the series follows a team of secret agents working for a shadowy organization called MIQUIN, who are bound together by the fact that they’re all geniuses, aka have scored above 145 on IQ tests. (The merit of this qualification is a debate for another article.)
They use Minority Report-esque computer technology and their super-genius skills to solve crimes, including the murder of MIQUIN’s founder, a man whose son, Nate happens to be their newest recruit.
Hitch, themselves 
Agency of Record is sponsored entirely by software-industry heavyweight Adobe, but the sponsorship doesn’t come in the form of huge display banners, or the Adobe logo popping up in pre or post-roll ads. Instead, the team at 
characters, and Adobe’s software, via the 
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Watching the show, it’s always difficult not to draw the comparison to internet gamer hit 
