Welcome to the Fund This column! Each week, we’ll look at a planned web series or other online video project currently in search of funding on crowdfunding sites. We’ll tell you what the series is all about and explain why it is worth your money. Do you have a project that’s currently being crowdfunded? Contact us to let us know and we may feature it in upcoming installments and check out previous installments right here.

Project Name: Black Cop, White Cop

Asking For: $7,000 on Kickstarter

Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $880

Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 17

Description: There’s trouble on the streets, but luckily for us, an interracial tag team plans to sort everything out. Cody Theilman and Jayson Watson are the creators and stars of Black Cop, White Cop, a parody of 70s exploitation films that hopes to raise the funds it needs on Kickstarter.

The premise of Black Cop, White Cop is simple: Theilman (who is white) and Watson (who is black) play a pair of law enforcers who get paired together after they both burn out of their respective careers as martial arts experts. In tandem, they will traipse around town, taking out bad guys wherever they pop up. There will be plenty of banter between the two of them, and their combined incompetence will place the series squarely within the action-comedy genre.

Theilman and Watson share clips from Black Cop, White Cop in their pitch video. The series openly mocks the exploitation films that inspired it, and that’s all according to plan. “There’s a lack of good ol’ fashion low brow filthy comedy these days,” reads the Kickstarter page, “and we’re excited to fill that void.”

Creator Bio: Theilman and Watson’s production company is called Reelax Photography. Under that banner, they’ve created a number of web series and commercials, most of which feature the same 70s hue as Black Cop, White Cop.

Best Perk: For $200, Theilman and Watson will cast you in an episode of Black Cop, White Cop. You will be an extra, and you will be killed on-screen. Rough life, I know.

Why You Should Fund It: As fans of the movie Black Dynamite will be quick to tell you, the world of exploitation films is ripe for satire. The music is so funky, the haircuts so ridiculous, and the plotting so ludicrous that the jokes practically write themselves.

On the other hand, you don’t need to have seen any of the films Theilman and Watson are mocking in order to appreciate the series they’re trying to make. Black Cop, White Cop will be silly, it will be goofy, and from the looks of its pitch video, it will be great fun. If you want to see it come to life in all its 70s-tinted glory, consider helping out its creators.

Got a crowdfunding campaign you’d like to see featured in Fund This? Be sure to contact us here.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Fund This, Kickstarter, News by Sam Gutelle
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Whistle Sports has a new deal that will help expand its brand to more online video viewers. The sports-focused multi-channel network has teamed with online video site Dailymotion to produce original content for distribution across more than 26 of the video sharing site’s digital channels.

Under the Dailymotion deal, Whistle Sports will work with over 20 creators to provide original content for their channels. The sports-based YouTube stars Whistle is slated to work with includes Air Japes, Baller Bootcamp, OfficialBarstarzz, Daniel Cutting, Dirty Mike, DoubleAVideo, f0rtress, Freestyle Factory, Harlem Globetrotters, ILoveBasketball TV, ImPossible Training, Indi Cowie, Me and My Golf, Norwegian Crab Pots, ProTips4U, PWG Freestyle, Stronger Team, Team Flight Brothers, The Courooons, The Hockey Movement, theFC, The Lacrosse Network, Top Speed Tennis, Venom Trickshots, and Whistle Sports’ own brand.

On Dailymotion’s end, the deal with Whistle Sports will help the online video platform expand its reach in the sports and athletic communities, as well as have the added benefit of showing the industry the French online video site is working with a high-profile YouTube creator stateside. Dailymotion’s COO Martin Rogard said in a release, as reported by StreamDaily, the content deal with Whistle will also attract more viewers to the online video site. Dailymotion currently distributes content from sports brands and organizations like the NBA, Tour de France, and FC Barcelona.

“Asking people under 30 to spend hours sitting back on a couch and be broadcast to, in a one-way format, seemed a huge stretch so that’s why we created this community,” said Whistle Sports founder and CEO John West. “Now, we are excited to partner with Dailymotion and share our content with more millennials through their platform.”

Whistle Sports’ deal with Dailymotion is just one of the MCN’s most recent projects. In October 2015, Whistle debuted the linear TV show Top Ten Trick Shots on Nickelodeon. The MCN also released verticals specifically dedicated to its fitness and soccer communities.

Whistle Sports currently boasts more than 29 million subscribers and five billion total video views across 343 partner channels.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News, The Whistle Network by Bree Brouwer
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Since September, video marketing platform Epoxy has released a series of videos called Creator Spotlight, which features various YouTube creators from all walks of life. For its most recent Spotlight, the video marketing company went charitable, just in time for Thanksgiving. Epoxy interviewed Big Frame co-founder and Head of AwesomenessTV’s Awestruck network Sarah Penna, who’s working with the food education non-profit Groceryships to raise money for needy Los Angeles families.

The first few minutes of Epoxy’s Creator Spotlight covers Penna’s history with online video and her video-making endeavors with her husband and fellow YouTuber MysteryGuitarMan. The former Big Frame CCO and mother of baby Jonah believes YouTube creators have a responsibility to use their channels for good, “whether that’s making somebody smile or that’s a cause you’re passionate about.” Penna then says Groceryships, a cause she’s passionate about, is working to end the problem of food deserts, which are areas where there’s limited or no access to healthy, affordable food options.

“People that live ten miles away from me don’t have access to the same food,” Penna explained. “Their life expectancy is ten years lower. And so Sam [Polk, Groceryships’ founder] has created these groups where they meet for six months, once a week, and they’re all moms living in south central [LA]. They have a nutritionist there to teach them about how to eat healthy.”

As part of its overall goals, Groceryships wants to turn its plain meeting space into its local Los Angeles headquarters to educate even more needy families on how to eat healthy based on available resources. If funded, Groceryships’ site would turn into a destination for education resources, program meetings, offices, and more. Penna says the goal is to raise $10,000 to renovate the space and make it “feel like a safe place that these moms can come to and meet.”

If you’d like to help Groceryships with its Los Angeles building cause, you can visit the campaign’s official donation page. And be sure to check out more of Epoxy’s Creator Spotlight series on the brand’s YouTube channel.

Filed under: Articles, Epoxy, News by Bree Brouwer
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For the second time in as many years, JJ Abrams is using charity platform Omaze to rally Star Wars fans. The Force Awakens director has launched a campaign that will bring two lucky fans to the upcoming premiere of the Star Wars sequel, while also raising money for multiple charities along the way.

The Omaze campaign supports Star Wars: Force For Change, an initiative based around the Star Wars films that has already raised more than $7 million for UNICEF to date. By offering up tickets to the Force Awakens premiere, Abrams and his team will drive even more charitable donations. The proceeds generated by the new Omaze campaign will be split among a number of different organizations chosen by the members of the Star Wars cast. Most of the film’s actors have chosen their own charities, with the notable exception of Mark Hamill. In his introductory video for the campaign, Abrams wonders where Hamill is, making reference to Luke Skywalker’s notable absence from the Force Awakens trailers.

“With the film premiere just weeks away,” says Abrams in the video, “I just want to take a minute to thank you, the Star Wars community, for supporting the mission of Star Wars: Force for Change.”

For its backers, the Omaze campaign is also offering up a ton of Star Wars swag. The main attraction, though, is the chance to attend the Force Awakens premiere. For every dollar you spend on the campaign, you’ll earn ten chances to win that grand prize. Good luck, and may the force be with you.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Omaze by Sam Gutelle
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Mobile video advertising spend will reportedly hit $159 billion across the globe by 2018. And a new survey by AOL Platforms found ad buyers are already shifting more dollars to the mobile video format. In its “Crossing the Programmatic Buyer-Seller Divide” survey, AOL Platforms discovered 20% of ad buyers increased what they spent on mobile video advertising in 2015.

AOL polled 31 of the media company’s top publisher clients, as well as 18 partners who run demand-side platforms (which are systems to help ad buyers manage their ad exchange accounts). A solid 20% of these respondents increased mobile video spend in 2015. This figure ties in to previous AOL findings in its recent “State of the Video industry” report, which found mobile video spending had increased 18% across roughly 300 advertisers since 2014.

AOL’s survey respondents also said they considered viewability as the most important factor in the success of a video ad, with audience targeting coming in second. In its 2015 “State of the Video Industry” report, AOL found most ad buyers across the industry create video advertising campaigns with 50-100% viewability. In its “Buyer-Seller Divide” survey, AOL discovered the most common viewability rate seen by the media brand’s ad buyers and publishing partners was an average of 65-74%.

You can learn more about AOL Platforms by visiting the brand’s official website.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Industry, News by Bree Brouwer
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Since its launch in October, Verizon’s Go90 video service has turned heads by striking a number of exclusive content deals. It has unveiled series from Vice, Astronauts Wanted, New Form Digital, and several other notable production studios. Its latest partner is CollegeHumor, which has premiered a 52-episode series called Fatal Decision exclusively on Go90.

Fatal Decision comes from CollegeHumor’s Big Breakfast studio and relates to a previous series released on the CollegeHumor YouTube channel in 2008. In both versions, the hero is an office worker (played by UCB vet Zach Reino) who bugs his coworkers by living out a double life as a secret agent. As evidenced by the first episode of the original series, Fatal Decision wears its action-comedy label loudly and proudly.

“Fatal Decision, which is loosely based on the CollegeHumor web series of the same name, is the ultimate movie within a movie,” said Sam Reich, President of Big Breakfast and Head of Video at CollegeHumor, in a press release. “We hope that audiences get invested both in the story—that of Josh Mullen, trying to make an action series—and the story within the story—that of Jack Maxwell, unstoppable action hero.”

In updating the series for its revival on Go90, CollegeHumor has announced some guest stars. Familiar faces who will show up in Fatal Decision include Christina Hendricks, Jack Busey, and Tom Sizemore. Look for them in new episodes of the series, which will arrive each Wednesday for the next year. To view the series, you’ll need to download Go90, which is available on iOS and Android.

Filed under: Articles, CollegeHumor, Featured, Go90, News by Sam Gutelle
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Netflix will soon have another series to add to its ever-expanding list of originals. The streaming giant will remake the classic 1960’s sci-fi TV show Lost in Space.

Created by renowned film and TV producer Irwin Allen, Lost in Space originally aired on CBS from 1965 to 1968. The series follows the challenges and adventures of the Robinsons, a family of Earth explorers charged with colonizing deep space but lost in alien territory. The Netflix remake of Lost in Space will follow a similar plot line written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (of Dracula Untold fame). The series will be produced by Sazama and Sharpless, alongside Synthesis Entertainment’s Kevin Burns and Neil Marshall and Marc Helwig of Legendary TV’s Applebox banner.

Lost in Space is the most recent series Netflix has picked up for its streaming platform. The SVOD ordered the six-part adventure series Frontier, starring Jason Momoa, in mid-November 2015. Netflix also greenlit a series adaptation of the book 13 Reasons Why, with Selena Gomez set to produce.

Deadline, who originally reported the Lost in Space remake news, notes Netflix is planning on giving a straight-to-series order for the show. No release date has been announced as of yet.

Filed under: Articles, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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On November 18th, Sony uploaded a new ad to YouTube. The video, which promotes the electronics company’s Xperia family of tablets and smartphones, at first glance appears to be a fairly standard spot. Pay close attention at the four-second mark, however, and you’ll find the ad’s special gimmick. At that time stamp, a one-frame message pops up, and the viewer who first noticed it ended up winning an Xperia Z5.

The message, which displays for only a brief moment before the ad resumes its normal playback, reads “The new Sony Xperia Z5 has an autofocus of just 0.03 seconds. That’s the exact length of time this frame is visible. You could win a brand new Xperia Z5 if you’re the first one to find this message.” An email address listed below the message directed viewers to the proper place for them to share their discovery.

Sure enough, Sony made good on its promise to deliver a smartphone to one lucky winner. At the same time, it devised a clever way to advertise its product. “We know we have creative and curious consumers who would like to engage with content like this,” Martina Johansson, Nordic brand and communications manager at Sony Mobile, told Digiday. “We wanted to show the new features in an interesting way.”

The ad, which Sony created in partnership with ad agency CP+B Scandinavia, is reminiscent of several other videos that tinker with individual frames to communicate with consumers. A memorable ad from BBDO Russia, for example, presented a hidden message to viewers who chose to quickly skip through it. CP + B’s concept is a bit simpler–but it’s very clever in its own right.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Sony by Sam Gutelle
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DigiTour, which organizes live events the feature social media stars, has a diverse lineup planned for its next set of gigs. More than a dozen performers will take to stages across North America as part of Slay Bells Fire & Ice, a pair of nationwide tours operated by DigiTour.

Fire & Ice refers not to a single entity, but rather two distinct shows that feature completely different lineups and touring schedules. Creators who will participate in the Fire tour include YouTube star Sam Pottorff as well as several performers–including Maddie Welborn, Diegosaurs, and Andrew Fontenot–who entertain fans on the live streaming social network YouNow.

Ice, on the other hand, will feature performances from musicians who have built up strong followings on platforms like YouTube. Rebecca Black will be there, as will Dylan Dauzat.

The first Slay Bells tour took place in 2014. Headliners on that circuit included social media stars Andrea Russett, Trevor Moran, and Lohanthony.

One similarity between Fire and Ice is their price. Tickets to both legs of the Slay Bells tour cost $25 and can be purchased from the DigiTour website. Fire will begin in Las Vegas on November 28th and will end in Tampa on December 20th, while Ice will start in Birmingham on the 3rd and finish up in Minneapolis on December 23rd.

Filed under: Articles, DigiTour, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Netflix has always been one of the top streaming video selections among consumers. But now the streaming service’s dominance in the market has reached a new milestone. According to RBC Capital Markets, 51% of Americans have used Netflix at least once in the past 12 months to watch movies and TV.

RBC Capital surveyed 1,077 internet users, more than half of which indicated they had picked Netflix to meet some of their streaming video needs in the last year. This 51% figure marks the highest level RBC has tracked since the bank and investment firm started polling U.S. audiences back in 2011. RBC’s last stat for Netflix consumption comes from a May 2015 survey, which found 50% of American respondents had used Netflix.

Netflix’s popularity puts the streaming service firmly ahead of competitors. YouTube briefly surpassed Netflix in September 2014 in a Frank N. Magid Associates study, as well as in RBC’s August 2015 survey. At that time, Netflix landed just one point behind Google’s online video site. Now, however, Netflix’s 51% usage rating was three points ahead of YouTube’s 48%. Netflix also has Amazon and Hulu beat out by a fair percentage. Only 26% of RBC’s respondents said they turned to Amazon in November for streaming purposes. An even smaller percentage (23%) chose Hulu, whose popularity dropped a good 5 points from a high of 28% in RBC’s May 2014 study.

RBC analyst Mark Mahaney credits Netflix’s rise in popularity to the streaming service’s increased production on original content. “We believe that Netflix has achieved a level of sustainable scale, growth, and profitability that isn’t currently reflected in its stock price,” Mahaney wrote in the study, as reported by Quartz. Netflix’s stock is currently sitting around $120 per share, but RBC believes that number should be more in the $140 range.

Despite Netflix missing its Q3 earnings goals this year, RBC Capital believes the streaming service will continue to grow in the U.S. market thanks to its originals and an increase in streaming adoption. Netflix currently boasts around 70 million global subscribers.

Filed under: Articles, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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When the web series format burst on the scene in the early days of Youtube, it brought with it a great deal of promise for young creatives looking to break into the competitive entertainment industry. The shorter format and smaller budget requirements allowed DIY film-makers the opportunity to create, free of interference from studio gatekeepers, while the democratized distribution ensured that every series, good or bad (Oh, so many bad ones), had the ability to find an audience. Those series that did manage to cut through the clutter, gave the creative individuals involved opportunities they might not have had otherwise.

As the tenth anniversary of the web series draws near, now is the perfect time to see what impact they have had on careers. First up, Sophie Tilson.

In 2009, Sophie Tilson starred in the Streamy award winning, Australian web series, OzGirl, which Tilson also co-created and produced. The story centered on Sophie’s character, Sadie Brown, a small town girl who moves to the big city of Melbourne where wackiness and lots of drama inevitably ensues. Tilson a native of Melbourne, Victoria studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and the Swinburne University of Technology where she received a degree in Media, Communication, and Literature won several awards for her work on OzGirl including best actor at the 2009 ITV Fest held in Los Angeles.

When I asked Sophie how web series impacted her career the first thing she stated was that doing OzGirl directly led to her being cast on the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours, which has been responsible for so many Aussies coming to LA. She also, stated that the series allowed her to secure a U.S.-based manager and thanks, in part, to the many awards she won for the series, she was able to get her U.S. Visa, allowing her to finally move to LA, like every other Australian actor. Seriously, you can’t throw a boomerang in LA without hitting an Aussie.

Furthermore, she stated that working on the series helped her become a better actress. Since the series was largely improvised, she says it improved her improv skills greatly. Also, since she was one of the series producers sitting in on the editing sessions helped her to see what she was excelling at and what needed work. Lastly, she stated, “[a]s I was also producing the show it gave me a much greater understanding of the filmmaking process in general and all of the various elements that are involved from casting to sound to advertising.” In fact, she states that working on the behind the scenes elements reveled that she had both a passion and a talent for producing and writing.

According to Sophie, the best thing to come out of her time on OzGirl is her relationship with her former co-star and current writing partner, Shanrah Wakefield. “Not only has she become my writing partner, but is also like a big sister to me. I ask her for advice on pretty much every aspect of my life and she is such a supportive friend – definitely the polar opposite to her character in OzGirl.” The former Oz girls have already sold one screenplay that has been produced and have been commissioned to write several others. Sophie also continues to act, having recently appeared in a Christmas movie starring Dean Cain.

Filed under: Articles, News, Web Series, YouTube by Mathieas McNaughton
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Talent agencies are racing to link up with online video notables, and the latest content creator to sign up with one of them is John Boswell. Boswell, who is best known for the mashup videos he creates on his melodysheep YouTube channel, has joined forces with WME.

Boswell first rose to digital prominence in 2009, when he created “A Glorious Dawn,” which auto-tunes famous astrophysicists like Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking to create an oddly catchy musical number. “A Glorious Dawn,” along with the other chapters in Boswell’s Symphony of Science series, has become an unlikely tool for educators.

In recent years, Boswell has also teamed up with a number of media companies to produce memorable tracks. He promoted a National Geographic TV special with a track called “Window on the Universe,” turned Disney Channel shows into music in a series of “DJ Melodies,” and, most successfully, scored tens of millions of views with an assortment of remixes created in partnership with PBS. Here’s the most popular one, which puts a new spin of Mister Rogers Neighborhood:

Through his partnership with WME, Boswell will be able to find more brand partners to work with while also exploring additional opportunities across multiple platforms. He will continue to be represented by SMGSB.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Melodysheep, News, WME by Sam Gutelle
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