Indie Spotlight: ‘L.A. Beer’ Will Be First Web Series Filmed In Front Of Live Audience

We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now.  Read previous installments here. 

Filming sitcoms in front of live audiences isn’t a new phenomenon for the world of television. But until now, this same production method has been rare on the web. Enter L.A. Beer, an upcoming comedy web series from executive producer Sam Miller that is filmed in front of a live studio audience.

L.A. Beer is set in the fictional Los Angeles Silver Screen Brewery, and follows the establishment’s employees as they navigate the ever-competitive microbrewing industry. L.A. Beer stars up-and-coming names such as Sam Daly (of The Office fame), Arianna Ortiz (Jane the Virgin), Kevin High (How I Met Your Mother), Alicia Ying (The Young and the Restless), and stand-up comedian James Lontayao.

Miller, a staff writer for the CBS comedy Mom, said in a release he wanted to create a web series of the same quality as a traditional studio show. The L.A. Beer executive producer pooled together a team from a public email group for television writers. “Fortunately, I found an amazing group of dedicated people who believed our combined industry contacts and resources could produce a show that was just as good as something on television,” Miller explained. “Making web series history and getting free beer was just a bonus.”

L.A. Beer will premiere on the series’ dedicated YouTube channel on May 11, 2015, during the official American Craft Beer Week. Until then, you can watch the series’ teasers, which are reminiscent of classic TV shows like Friends and Cheers, whose laugh-tracks weren’t faked, but came directly from the real-life fans watching the entire production. You can also learn more about the series on its official website at labeer.tv.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Fairy Tale Therapy. Classic fairy tale characters must confront some harsh truths in therapy sessions.
• Under Covers. Two amateur private investigators try to find happiness as they deal with crimes of the heart.
• The wHOLE. A fictional drama series which aims to draw awareness to the often torturous practice of putting prison inmates in solitary confinement.
• TRAILING. This satire series highlights the ridiculous and often insane nature of political consulting and campaigns.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.