'OzGirl' Takes Off With Virgin Australia, Launches Carlton Digital

We’ve said it before, but this whole web series movement isn’t just an American thing. Sure, it’s quite the rage here in the states and especially in our own backyard of Los Angeles. But still, there are web series created daily all over the world, some of which we can’t understand what’s being said, and we do our best to keep you fine readers up to speed on these foreign gems.

News out of Australian web series scene today is twofold—first, that indie drama OzGirl has inked a deal with Virgin’s V Australia to be on the seatback screens of all its flights (and trust us, those are really long flights) starting in Novemeber for a one year run of its 23 episodes through its free on demand video service.

The low-budget indie series, which was shot for a reported $7000 (AUS),  is no stranger to US web series fans however since it launched last fall, with its production team and stars making the trip out to LA this summer for ITVFest where it scored best web series and best acting honors.

The young filmmaker behind OzGirl, Nicholas Carlton, who was just 18 when the series launched last year, is taking his online momentum to the next step, forming Carlton Digital, a Melbourne-based digital media and entertainment studio. The outfit will be what he calls, “a disruptive business in a disruptive time—a digital media and entertainment studio that truly understands young people.” Carlton also recently signed with United Talent Agency, who will presumably help facilitate some studio and brand deals in the States.

We asked Carlton about the new distro deal and his new venture. Carlton said he found out that the airline was looking for web series during their long flight to LA. “Another great web series, Imaginary Bitches plays on V Australia,” he told us. “On the plane ride to Los Angeles we got hooked to the show. It just so happened we met Andrew Miller, the creator in LA and he introduced us to the team at Virgin. They had, coincidentally, already heard of our show when we launched but were not aware that it had concluded.”

Looking forward, Carlton has plans for a handful of web series including OzGirl season 2 which is already in the works, along with a thriller web series Stitch, that is planning to shoot in Cambodia. “There are a number of projects which are really different to anything that is out there at the moment—all aimed at the youth market,” said Carlton.

The Web Files interviewed OzGirl creator Nicholas Carlton, his DP Shaun Crawford and stars Sophie Tilson (“Sadie”) and Shanrah Wakefield (“Megan”) during their recent LA trip (below).