MSN is jumping on board the latest trend in original web series—reality TV-style shows—with its new hosted competition series The Tastemaker which launched today. The series features six social media influencers battling it out for a $10,000 prize as “The Tastemaker.”

In the running for the top spot are web series host Jesse Draper (The Valley Girl Show), along with Christine Esther, Jonathan Nafarrete, Brett Gursky, Raymond Roker and Morgan KcKean. The show makes no excuses for the fact that this is essentially an online popularity contest, even titling its first fan voting as “The Official Tastemaker Popularity Contest!” on Sodahead.

Judging the competition are some recognizable faces in the web video world all with their own social media followings including Shira Lazar, Kelly Perdew (Season 2 winner of The Apprentice) and “adventuregirl” Stefanie Michaels. Each episode is laid out as a “challenge” where, in typical reality show fashion, contestants face elimination. A rotating roster of guest judges, like Episode 1 guest Jason Pollock.

“I think this show was an obvious next step in programming for the social media world,” Lazar told us. “I can’t tell you how many times people have wondered why there’s not a competition show around this community. Someone was going to do it and I’m proud to be part of a first.”

With Hulu’s Simon Fuller-backed web series If I Can Dream serving as the web’s Big Brother, and Seth Green’s upcoming subservient chicken experiment ControlTV, it seems that reality TV is in fact invading the web in full march. It was bound to happen eventually.

“Using the internet for a reality show is an obvious fit,” added Lazar. “It is in of itself an interactive platform, so I definitely think we’ll see more content in that vain where creators are taking advantage of engagement both online and offline to make the experience more unique, accessible and fun for viewers.”

Unlike many web series to come out of MSN, The Tastemaker isn’t a standard branded entertainment setup, with product placement and overlays. Other than the mandatory Microsoft Silverlight install needed to watch the show, it’s remains fairly brand-free.

Agility Studios, most notably know for their dance epic The LXD, developed the series in what they call a “fairly traditional network-studio relationship with our friends at MSN.” Agility CEO Scott Ehrlich tells us that the first run of the series will be the main focus, but future seasons could be in store. “We’ve had some international interest in the format, and future seasons have certainly been discussed,” said Ehrlich, “but first things first, our focus is on making this six week adventure fun and engaging for our audience, contestants, judges and of course our beautiful host.”

“I’ve always wanted to host a reality competition, so I couldn’t think of a more fun and suitable project to do so,” added Lazar.

The series will run for six weeks, in three two-week task cycles, with the finale airing on October 21st.

Filed under: Agility Studios, Articles, Channels, Hosted, News, Reality, Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
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The New York Television Festival just announced its lineup for Digital Day.

Presented by MSN, the afternoon’s events are completely free to the public (though reservations are strongly suggested) and will feature a series of discusions covering topics beneficial to both amateurs and online video pros. Those include panels on writing for the web, producing transmedia projects, and case studies in branded entertainment.

But the biggest draw out of all the online-oriented events (aside from the Digital Happy Hour with free Stella) will certainly be Ben Silverman‘s keynote. The Founder and CEO of Electus is slated to be on stage for a “wide ranging exploration of the current digital entertainment landscape.” In less than a year since it’s launch, Electus has already engaged top brands and Hollywood talent for a number of digital properties. Hearing Silverman talk about where Electus, and the industry is headed, should make for an interesting presentation.

NYTVF’s Digital Day will take place on Friday, September 24 at the newly renovated SVA Theater. Check out the full schedule and all the details here.

And if you want to see some prime examples of the type of digital entertainment all the speakers will be discussing, be sure to attend a few screenings of official selections from the NYTVF Independent Pilot Competition. Find out which ones catch your eye by watching the trailers here.

Filed under: Electus, News by Joshua Cohen
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It was only a matter of time before YouTube added live streaming. While all eyes are on the horse race between live streaming sites like UStream, Livestream, Justin.tv and Stickam.com, the gorilla that might end up winning the live game is none other than YouTube itself. Until now, YouTube had shyed away from live streaming aside from a handful of concert events like U2 and Alicia Keyes.

But this morning at 11 AM (PT), long-running news and tech web series Rocketboom fired up its first live streaming show from its YouTube channel, as part of YouTube’s live streaming alpha launch. The live show ran like an internet version of The Today Show, bringing out the full Rocketboom cast of mememolly, Kenyatta Cheese and Elspeth Jane who handed off segments back and forth from different setups. mememolly even had her own weather and cooking segments.

So far the live player is not embeddable so that means heading directly to Rocketboom’s YouTube channel. The social stream to the right of the video player allows for live commenting directly on the YouTube page.

UPDATE: We’re also hearing from Howcast that they are participating in the live streaming aplha test today and are set to go live at 9 AM (PT) on their YouTube channel. Also Next New Networks is part of the live streaming alpha test as well with The Key of Awesome, Indy Mogul and JRSportsBrief all streaming today and tomorrow. Celebrity-focused Young Hollywood rounds out the group of 4 channels in the alpha test.

These are all part of the alpha test of the live streaming product over the next two days that YouTube will be evaluating before rolling it out to the rest of its partners. The live streams are currently available globally.

“Our hosts are all eager to test the live capabilities to make the shows come alive for viewers in a new way that explores this important next step in Web entertainment,” said Vanessa Pappas, VP, audience & strategic partnerships at Next New Networks.

Next New Networks Live Alpha Programming

The Key of Awesome — The celebrated music comedy Web series will join the live stream Monday, September 13 at 3:30 – 4:00 PM EDT to bring hilarious music parody series live! Viewers can interact with stars of hit parodies such as Eminem and Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie” and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.”
Indy Mogul — The original do-it-yourself filmmaking how-to series will stream live Monday, September 13 at 4:45 – 5:30 PM EDT, giving fans a new way to experience the show. “Indy Mogul” live viewers will be given the chance to interact with hosts and other viewers to ask questions and share feedback on special effects know how.
JRSportBrief — Sports news Web series “JRSportBrief” joins YouTube live streaming on Tuesday, September 14 at 4:00 – 4:30 PM EDT to give live viewers up-to-the-minute sports news.

Rocketboom PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

Rocketboom Live
Monday, 9/13, 11am-12pm ET
Broadcast at http://youtube.com/rocketboom

Rocketboom Live is an hour-long variety show, featuring all Rocketboom network shows: Rocketboom NYC, RocketboomTech, Know Your Meme and anchored by Molly of Rocketboom Daily. This broadcast is our web-friendly take on the TV morning show format, featuring a cooking segment, weather reports, and special guests the Universal Record Database (who will be setting records on air) and New York Times technology writer Nick Bilton (talking about his new book, I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works).

Know Your Meme: DO IT LIVE!
Monday, 9/13, 9pm-10pm ET
Broadcast at http://youtube.com/knowyourmeme

Know Your Meme: DO IT LIVE! offers an hour of Internet culture for both meme savants and n00bs, inviting the YouTube audience to spend an hour touring the Institute for Internet Studies, the fictitious setting of the popular web series Know Your Meme. Our four hosts, Internet scientists Yatta, Elspeth Jane, Mike & Patrick, will give an introduction to memes and conduct experiments that answer important questions like, “How much auto-tune is too much auto-tune?” and “What happens when you try to copy pasta?” The audience will be excited by the launch of the new Know Your Meme Dispatch Series, which crowdsources informative videos from our most dedicated viewers.

Rocketboom Live
Tuesday, 9/14, 10pm-11pm ET
Broadcast at http://youtube.com/rocketboom

Tuesday’s broadcast of the Rocketboom Live variety show spoofs the late-night talk show genre, with internet experts competing in a Know Your Meme trivia competition, guest Seth Porges of Popular Mechanics (showing us the world’s most useless gadgets) and live performances from juggling mogul Brian Dubé and a surprise musical act.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Hosted, Live Streaming, News, News-Current Events, Rocketboom, YouTube by Marc Hustvedt
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Wong Fu Productions has been a rising force in the YouTube landscape lately, bringing their distinctive filmmaking polish to the mat with the breezy comedy vibe of YouTube’s top stars. Rumors had been circling of a ‘secret’ 45-minute movie project with YouTube’s current #1 most subscribed user, NigaHiga (Ryan Higa). Finally Wong Fu released the teaser trailer (below) confirming the project and giving a glimpse at their high school action-comedy.

Wong Fu’s Philip Wang co-wrote and produced the project with Higa, with Wang and his Wong Fu partners Wesley Chan and Ted Fu sharing the directing duties. Casting the project, like many of Wong Fu’s originals, meant tapping a number of YouTube notables as the leads, including Kassem G, SMOSH, and Rawn. Higa stars as a covert agent or “A.S.S.” (Agent of Secret Stuff) sent on assignment to high school to protect Taylor from assassins. (Think a lighter spin on Jon M. Chu’s The LXD)

Their early 2009 project Up in Da Club scored raves—and over 1 million views—for the four-part comedy series. Then their 11-episode Funemployed series (see below) starring top YouTuber KevJumba broke through the 7 million view mark. Not bad for a web series.

The film is set to release on NigaHiga’s YouTube channel, with its 2.6 million subscribers later this fall.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, NigaHiga, Production Companies, YouTube by Marc Hustvedt
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Jackass star Johnny Knoxville explores Motor City’s little-known cultural rebirth in the documentary web series Detroit Lives, which launched yesterday on the website for Palladium Boots.

The European urban boot manufacturer teamed up with Virtue, the creative agency for Vice Magazine, to produce a series of visually compelling and thought-provoking documentary web series along the theme of exploration—”we put our boots on and went exploring” is the brand’s newest marketing slogan—that investigates urban centers with series such as The Ruins of New York, Centralia, Missile Silo Homes, Oil Of L.A., Listen In: Berlin, London Pirate Radio, and the most recent Detroit Lives.

Unlike Wieden+Kennedy‘s controversial “Go Forth” campaign for Levi’s, which romanticizes the post-apocalyptic imagery of Braddock, PA, Palladium’s exploration of Detroit focuses attention away from the burnt-out abandoned buildings and towards the people and projects that are forming the foundation for the city’s inspired renaissance. “We came to Detroit to see what else is going on besides all the bad stuff you hear about in the news,” said Knoxville.

Knoxville meets with many of the city’s creatives—young and old—from restauranteurs and developers to fashion designers and musicians, who feel empowered to take this abandoned city into their own hands and effect positive change. As one Detroit resident commented in the series, “Detroit doesn’t need any saviors. We need entrepreneurs, artists, do-it-yourselfers, thinkers.”

Filed under: Articles, Documentary, News, Web Series by Drew Baldwin
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When you’ve run through a good portion of the gamut of popular it girls who look good in bikinis (Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge, Kim Kardashian, Padma Lakshmi) to hawk your latest fast food concoctions, who do you get to star in your next commercial? If you’re Carl’s Jr., you tap toy blocks.

The fast food chain known for its racy ad campaigns (though BK is trying to steal some of its libidinous thunder) partnered with online video sharing site, blip.tv for a set of stop-motion animation commercials promoting the Carl’s Jr. Philly Cheesesteak Cheeseburger. LEGO-like characters reenact Philadelphia-centric events of history and fiction with an irreverent comedic wit. There’s the one about Rocky, the one about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the one about that time Godzilla attacked Independence Hall and started ringing the Liberty Bell.

Shot by LA-based content creator, Karni Baghdikian in conjunction with Initiative Media, the commercials are great stand-alone pieces of promotion. But to give the ads a wider audience, blip.tv will also be running the spots across its network. Fans of shows hosted by blip will see the commercials as pre-roll advertisements before other videos begin.

I called up Pat’s and Geno’s to find out if either had seen the Carl’s Jr. commercials and what they thought of the creative online campaign. Representatives at both Philly cheesesteak institutions were unavailable for comment.

Filed under: Articles, blip.tv, Branded Entertainment, Featured, News by Joshua Cohen
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The crib notes for this one: YouTube stars + Trivia + Gambling = Gold?

Hasbro is trying to drum up some new players this week as it launches its latest edition of its 30 year-old popular board game Trivial Pursuit —Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It. The You vs. YouTube campaign taps about a dozen of the most recognizable stars on YouTube—some viral wonders and some of the more prolific vloggers. There’s Gary Brolsma (you know him as the ‘Numa Numa’ guy), Michael Buckley (What the Buck?!), Tay Zonday (Chocolate Rain), Matt Rach, WillWoosh, leeparis, and even HDCYT (Charlie Bit My Finger) amongst others.

The interactive flash game on the Trivial Pursuit YouTube channel pits fans against the top YouTube stars by ‘betting’ whether or not the star will know the answers to selected trivia questions. The scoreboard at the top of the page keeps track of the worldwide—yes this is an international campaign—score of the fans versus the YouTubers themselves. The intro videos are distributed across the YouTubers main channels to insure decent reach aside from the paid display ads running on the YouTube homepage.

So far the top view count from the YouTubers for their You vs. YouTube video comes from Italian vlogger willwoosh with 113,041 views (see below).

More than 100 million copies of Trivial Pursuit have been sold, grossing over $1 billion in sales. But with video games and the internet cutting into families’ precious game nights, Hasbro knew it needed to go after a younger demographic through this heavily integrated campaign with YouTube stars.

All of the YouTubers in the videos were paid, in what effectively is their version of a commercial. It’s another example of the increasingly diversified revenue streams that top YouTubers are developing beyond their traditional revenue sharing from the YouTube Partner Program. Several of the top stars are reportedly earning well into the six figures when adding up all of their earnings throughout the year, with a few of them approaching the vaunted $1 million mark.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Featured, Game Show, News, Web Series, YouTube by Marc Hustvedt
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For Chuck fans unable to wait until September 20 for the series to return, Warner Bros. Television Group and Microsoft have teamed up to release a companion series Chuck Presents – Buy Hard: The Jeff and Lester Story which launched earlier this week. The series was created and produced in partnership between Warner Bros. TV Group’s Worldwide Television Marketing unit, the Chuck creative team and Microsoft.

The series focuses on Jeff Barnes (Scott Krinsky) and Lester Patel (Vik Sahay), the zany duo from Buy More, who in the last season finale went on the lam after they thought they burned down the Burbank store. And even as fugitives presumably pursued by the authorities, the team won’t stray from the greater mission to track down a copy of the new video game Halo: Reach. Risking freedom and health, Jeff and Lester travel all the way to the Encino Buy More, and come face to face with their old boss Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence).

Five episodes will be release weekdays with the final episode airing on Monday, September 13—just before the Halo: Reach release the following day. The series is currently on theWB.com and a number of select Chuck fan sites across the internet, and is also planned to be distributed on Xbox and Xbox Live in the near future.

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, NBC, News, TheWB.com, Web Series by Drew Baldwin
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Apple’s recent announcement about the re-launching and re-branding of its video on demand set-top box sent shock waves through the web series community. That is to say, the announcement would have sent shock waves, had so many involved persons not been arguing over who gets to be in the web series club. Web series and web TV are to different animals. One is a new story-telling mechanism unique to its medium; the other is a content distribution system that encompasses all original online video. The question, “What is a web series?” is an interesting one if only for academic reasons; however, it pales in comparison to the larger questions, “What makes online video unique?” and “How can it compete with existing television?” Very soon, web TV will find itself in a fight, a fight for the family living room.

With a major player like Apple stepping into the arena, greater awareness among the consumer buying public will follow. Greater awareness will lead to an increase in demand and an opportunity for other companies to enter the market with competing products that, by necessity, must differentiate themselves from the established players. Offering access to a library of web series could and will be one way to do so. The technology already exists. You can already purchase a low profile PC equipped with a large hard drive, Wi-Fi, and an HDMI output for around $300 dollars. Software such as Boxee, which works on numerous third party systems and computers, is capable of accessing web video. In addition, the company is set to release a stand-alone set-top device made by D-Link. Once developers realize that there is a market for such devices, in other words, that they can make money, competing products will emerge.

Very soon, web series will have to compete directly with broadcast and cable television. The good news is that they can compete. Consumer level video equipment rivals professional models. Furthermore, YouTube and other video hosting sites already allow uses to upload HD quality video. It is even possible to achieve broadcast-quality live streaming video. The result is that a person with relatively inexpensive consumer level equipment and free online services can rival the quality of major television networks. Pick up season three of The Guild and compare the production values to the average network sitcom; the series looks as good as any network show. In fact, I gave one of my OzGirl DVDs to a friend, who after viewing thought it was a movie. When I explained it was a web series, she was surprised that it was “one of those YouTube things.”

If web series are to survive the coming paradigm shift and transmedia convergence, I do so love a good buzzword, quality is paramount. The reason The Guild looks professional is that it is made by professionals. Within 10 to 20 seconds of watching a new web series, one can tell if it is a professionally made series or a slapped-together amateur production. Anyone can stand in front of a camera for three minutes and give you their opinion, or record their buddies cracking jokes on a couch. Making something that has quality, requires a certain degree of talent, training, and experience. The story, character development, performance, and such must be up to television standards. Fortunately, TV has set the bar so low that the goal is more than attainable.

Like Lindsay Lohan’s next bust for possession, convergence is coming. I predict within the next five years, web series that is to say video content from the web will be largely available and watched on regular television. This does not mean that individuals will stop watching video on their computer or ‘web enabled devise,’ it simply means that web TV will join the ranks of broadcast and cable television and as such directly compete with them for viewership.

(Top photo by Federì)

Filed under: Articles, Devices, Guest Editorial by Mathieas McNaughton
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The Canadians can finally stop their whining. Well, at least curb it. Sony’s Crackle is now available in Canada, Sony Pictures Television’s Senior Vice President of Digital Networks Eric Berger announced today. Canadian-based Rogers Media will be handling ad sales across its online distribution channels as the exclusive agent in Canada.

“The partnership with Crackle.com enables Rogers Media to expand its video offering to consumers and offer advertisers high-quality branded environments,” said Claude Galipeau, SVP & GM, Digital Media at Rogers Media. “Rogers Digital Media is quickly becoming the go-to place for premium online video ad sales. We are thrilled to add this high-quality content to our already impressive stable of trusted brands.”

In addition to Canada-only premium video entertainment portal Rogers On Demand Online (imagine if Hulu were invented by Comcast), Crackle shows will also be distributed on YouTube, Boxee, Dailymotion, Metacafe and a slew of other partners.

“Through our expansion into Canada, Crackle continues to build upon its successful distribution and ad network,” said Berger. “We deliver the best content, from acclaimed originals to movie favorites that is selected and programmed with the seasoned viewer in mind.”

Sony has always looked to international markets for distribution, but until only recently it has kept its digital distribution domestic. Even on YouTube, Crackle programming is served through its proprietary Crackle player, “which provides content protection and consolidated, dynamic ad serving, available across all of its distributors.” The strategy with Urban Wolf, Angel of Death and The Bannen Way was to build interest online in the United States through a free ad-supported platform, and then shop the properties for foreign DVD and TV deals. Now it seems that Crackle is finding a way to expand its markets online.

Now if Hulu would only open its doors to the world.

Filed under: Articles, Crackle, Industry, News by Drew Baldwin
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Subservient Chicken first hit the internet in April 2004. Conceived by advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the promotion for Burger King’s TenderCrisp chicken sandwich depicts a guy in a chicken suit in an Ikea furnished apartment that does whatever you want him to do. It was an instant success, garnering over 20 million views in its first week online, and forever earning a place in the internet’s pantheon of viral phenomena.

Six years later, Tipp-Ex (Europe’s version of White-Out) and French advertising agency, Buzzman debuted a Subservient Chicken for the YouTube generation.

Dubbed A hunter shoots a bear, the video depicts a frantic woodsman with a rifle in hand, contemplating what exactly to do next. Tipp-Ex then demonstrates the power of its correctional fluid by whiting out the “Shoots” in the video’s title and letting you, the viewer, decide what to write in its place. Be warned before you watch, it’s a time suck. The possibilities are many and watching a guy in a bear costume get rambunctious with a guy in a raccoon wilderness cap does not easily get old. (Feel free to try out my personal favorites, “tickles” and “pwns”.)

The interactive Tipp-Ex page is the latest example of advertisers utilizing a YouTube takeover to market their products. In recent months, The Expendables, Samsung, and Cadbury have all remixed their respect YouTube pages to great effect. It’s an appealing alternative to traditional online advertising, and the end products get play among both consumers and the press. More brands should take note.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Comedy, Featured, News, YouTube by Joshua Cohen
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Greg & Donny have discovered Farmville. It was only a matter of time. Today the hick comedy web series returns for its second season with “Greg the Farmer,” proving that no internet phenomenon is out of reach of these knuckleheads.

Together the duo of Jeff Skowron and Matt Yeager, the creators and stars of the series, make up Puddinhead Brothers on YouTube. Skowron stars as Greg and Yeager as Donny, two Western Pennsylvania yokels discovering the wonders of the internet. Pittsburgh accents FTW.

Yeager’s also part of the team at Dinosaur Diorama, which brought some of the early NY-based web comedies to national spotlight, like hipster-loving The Burg, RenFaire moc-doc All’s Faire and Vuguru’s branded indie rock road trip The All-For-Nots. Not surprisingly, fellow Burg creator Thom Woodley directs Greg & Donny. UPDATE: While Woodley directs many episodes, this new episode (above) is directed by the third Dinosaur Diorama partner, Johnny North.

The series is an official selection at the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) later this month, which means some big screen action for our favorite web hicks.

And until episode two drops, here’s one of our favorites from Season 1:

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, Web Series, YouTube by Marc Hustvedt
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