'Black Dawn' Conspiracy Fuels 'Catalyst' Prequel

WebSerials.com just keeps making The Black Dawn more and more compelling.

We first covered The Black Dawn when the show premiered in February. Then, we were wowed by the production values, the performances, and the supplementary “integrated content” – in-character video blogs, director’s commentary clips, and even an online comic that all served to deepen the world of The Black Dawn.

With the sci-fi web series halfway through its 24-week run, WebSerials.com and the production team at New Renaissance Pictures has just launched Catalyst, a new web mini-series that serves as a prequel. Catalyst gives the newcomers to the show a convenient entry point, and the conspiracy-geek fans some additional material to play with.

Produced and directed by Joshua Sikora, Catalyst focuses on the story of Dr. Steven Wilkins (Skip Pipo), a character who was killed in the initial moments of The Black Dawn

but has recently caught viewers’ interest after one of the characters discovered that he had a list of all the names of the survivors in his office.

“The new show isn’t just about solving mysteries though,” Sikora explains. “This is a really good entry point for new viewers. You don’t have to have seen any of the rest of the show—Catalyst is a stand-alone story that sets up ‘The Black Dawn’ in a surprising and compelling way. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the web series, this is a great place to start.”

Episode one (above) of Catalyst premiered yesterday and will run for four episodes over the next month, after which the story will be further developed through an online comic.