So why not lean on the sponsors for that extra push? After all, shooting a web
series is the easy part. Breaking through from the sea of episodic video content out there is not so easy. Giving away free things still works for attention online—see #squarespace and their Twitter iPhone giveaway.Trying to stir up some buzz around the premiere, MWG has tapped its sponsors for a viewer sweepstakes with a $1,000 Pier 1 gift card, several iRobot Roomba vacuums, and some Tyler Candles. Reading the fine print, it’s only one entry per email address throughout the entire 10-week run (ends Aug 17th), which probably won’t work as well at viewer loyalty as say, one per day or one per new episode.
I went to a launch screening of the series last week in Hollywood, which was well attended with about 300 or so of mostly cast, crew and friends of the series. The MWG folks screened three full episodes along with a number of short faux interview segments. Each episode clocks in at about four minutes, making them feel a bit short considering the more than ample on-screen talent.
Worth noting about this series is its ability to hook some actual sponsor dollars for a narrative web series. There’s been no shortage of naysayers lately about brands nervous about short-form narrative projects, so this has to be considered a win (so far) for independent web studios looking to shake the sponsor money tree.
“A mockumentary about an engaged couple is a great premise for Pier 1. Pier 1 is the perfect place for young couples getting married and decorating their first home,” said Kelly Keenum, public relations manager for Pier 1.
One distributor of the series, KoldCast TV, attended the premiere and interviewed White, Lukowski and Weber and others (above). Other online distributors of Altar include Joost, Sling, YouTube and Zillion TV. MWG plans to monetize the series through through sponsorship and brand integration as well as further worldwide distribution.
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