Netflix is open to the idea of making even more Wet Hot American Summer episodes. According to Deadline, Michael Showalter, co-writer and co-star of Netflix’s upcoming original series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, said a second season of the show is definitely possible.

Netflix originally announced it would make a prequel series to the cult 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer in December 2014. Since then, the SVOD service has rounded up original cast members, hired some new faces, and produced eight episodes of the new original series from original showrunners Showalter and David Wain, who directed the 2001 feature as well as the Netflix series.

As for producing a second season after this first one debuts, Showalter told reporters at the Television Critics Association, “If everyone wants to do it, we’ll do it.” The actor and writer added, “The time commit for this cast is quite accommodating. The feeling is we are interested in creating an environment that is easy for people being able to say yes.”

“I always thought of the characters from Wet Hot American Summer as comic book characters and there is no shortage of stories we could tell about them,” Showalter explained. “If you want to do something do it, if there is a will there is a way.”

Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed a second season of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. The show’s upcoming eight episodes will premiere on the streaming platform in just a few days on July 31, 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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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: Carbon Dating

Asking For: $20,000 on Indiegogo

Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $17,431

Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 3

Description: The web series industry is not just a young person’s game. By pitching her concept on Indiegogo, Amanda Serra is hoping she can bring viewers “Golden Girls 2.0.” Serra is the creator of Carbon Dating, a web series about “the misadventures of two Baby-Boomer women awkwardly aging in a youth-oriented society.”

Carbon Dating will follow its two leads as they fight the foibles of old age across a series of silly situations. Based on a plot description, there will be online dating and pole dancing involved, but also “brittle bones and public incontinence.”

In order to make her web series a reality, Serra has recruited a slew of age-appropriate cast members, who all have plenty of experience in the entertainment industry. Her co-star, Marcie Barkin, appears alongside her in the project’s pitch video.

Creator Bio: Serra has put together a decades-long career in TV, film, and theater. As she explains on her personal website, she also “grew up on the Mississippi River on a steamboat.”

Best Perk: Backers who give $100 to Carbon Dating will receive a 15-minute conversation with its creators. If you’re not sure what topics to discuss, I think this would be a fun one.

Why You Should Fund It: There are enough web series out there created by young people who are trying to find their place in a crazy world; it’s time to give some older folks a go. By approaching a well-weathered web series genre from an atypical perspective, Carbon Dating can offer something different from what we usually see. It has a strong foundation, a talented team, and, if its attentive pitch video is any indication, solid production values. Serra and her colleagues are close to reaching their goal, but they only have three more days to accomplish it. Wouldn’t you like to be the one who puts them over the top?

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, Indiegogo, News by Sam Gutelle
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Todrick Hall has no plans to leave YouTube anytime soon. The digital star told reporters during the Television Critics Association summer press tour he won’t “come off” YouTube just because he has his upcoming show Todrick for MTV in the works.

According to Deadline, Hall, who appeared on season nine of American Idol back in 2010, told reporters the reason he didn’t make it on that show was because he was too afraid to be himself. Hall assumed the best singer would win, but the show’s executives told him, “It’s not a talent competition, it’s a television show and people have to fall in love with you as a person.”

Hall left the reality series realizing he could “put a lot of the fight in me to come back and re-represent myself… to let audiences see the real me” by making YouTube videos. And viewers certainly did see and have come to like the real Todrick Hall. The singer and entertainer currently boasts over 1.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

“I really don’t want to come off YouTube,” Hall explained to reporters, clarifying how doing so would “make me lose my street cred.” The former American Idol contestant said he brands himself as a YouTuber, and so his fans need to see him on the digital video platform. Overall, though, Hall said MTV has been very understanding of this positioning, and the performer hopes his digital life can weave into whatever other projects he works on in TV or radio in the future.

Produced by Brian Graden Media, the first season of MTV’s documentary series Todrick will boast eight episodes and will follow Hall and his team as they create and produce weekly music videos. Hall’s manager Scooter Braun will executive produce the linear TV show alongside Hall and Danny Rose. Danny Salles, Louis Curren, Gauray Misra, and former MTV programming president Brian Graden also serve as executive producers.

The first episode of Todrick debuts on MTV on August 31, 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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Amazon Studios has set the release dates for two of its original series’ pilots. The debut episodes of Sneaky Pete and Casanova will drop on the Instant Video streaming platform on August 7, 2015.

On that date, both the Sneaky Pete and Casanova pilots will be available to all Amazon Prime Instant Video subscribers in the U.S., UK, and Germany. Soon afterwards, the pilots will be joined by others in Amazon’s recent round of its pilot program. Prime users will then be able to vote on their favorite pilots, which Amazon will greenlight as full series orders.

Sneaky Pete, which Amazon was reportedly courting back in June 2015, comes from executive producers Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and David Shore (House M.D.). The Amazon original series’ story centers around a released-from-prison conman, played by Giovanni Ribisi, who takes his old cellmate Pete’s identity and gets sucked into his family’s bail bond business. Sneaky Pete is directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses), and James Degus and Erin Gunn executive produce the series alongside Cranston and Shore, who also penned the series’ pilot.

Casanova was announced back in January 2015; the drama series about the famous Italian womanizer cast Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights) in the titular lead role a few months later in April. Directed by Amelie’s Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Casanova’s pilot was written by The Americans scribe Stu Zicherman. Jeunet, Zicherman, and Electus founder Ben Silverman will all co-executive produce.

“We’re delighted to bring one of history’s most fascinating periods to life in Casanova and a world-class performance by Giovanni Ribisi in Sneaky Pete,” said Amazon Studios chief Roy Price, as reported by Variety.

You can catch the pilots from Casanova and Sneaky Pete on Amazon Instant Video on August 7.

Filed under: Amazon Studios, Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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Fullscreen Live is bringing digital stars in front of thousands of their fans. The touring and events division of the YouTube multi-channel network, owned by AT&T and Chernin Group’s Otter Media, will feature YouTube celebrities like MyLifeAsEva (real name Eva Gutowski) and Meredith Foster in an upcoming live tour dubbed “Girls Night In.”

Lifestyle and fashion vloggers Meghan Rienks, Alisha Marie, Mia Stammer, and musician Andie Case will join Gutowski and Rienks on stage during the live event. Fans will experience performances and musical sets during “Girls Night In,” and will also be able to meet the six female YouTubers. The tour will be organized by industry veteran and Fullscreen Live lead Vito Iaia.

“These young women are entertainment powerhouses who each have incredible and unique connections with a passionate fanbase of over 23 million followers,” said Fullscreen President Ezra Cooperstein in a release. “Through tours and live events like this, we’re well positioned to enhance real-life connections between creator and audience.”

Fullscreen has previously hosted the live event INTOUR, which featured such YouTube and digital stars as Jack & Jack, Connor Franta, and JennxPenn. And Fullscreen isn’t the only new media entity bringing digital stars in front of live audiences at not-insignificant venues. DigiTour is an events company dedicated solely to live events with digital celebrities and with buy-in from investors Ryan Seacrest and Advance Publications, it’s doubled the amount of shows it will hold in 2015 over 2014.

Tickets for “Girls Night In” go on pre-sale at the various tour venues on July 30, 2015. The general public can purchase tickets starting the next day. “Girls Night In” kicks off September 22 at Anaheim’s House of Blues and ends 20 shows and a month later on October 22 in Dallas, Texas.

Filed under: Articles, Fullscreen, News by Bree Brouwer
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Tig Notaro will be the focus of a new series for Amazon Instant Video. The streaming video-on-demand company has ordered a pilot for an unnamed comedy show starring the stand-up comedian and written by Notaro and Oscar-winning Juno scribe Diablo Cody.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, who originally broke the story, the upcoming Amazon pilot will be a semi-autobiographical piece based on Notaro’s life, her struggles with breast cancer, and her comedic career. Amazon released a description of the series: “Tig Notaro has just recovered from an abdominal disease that has left her gaunt, wasted, exhausted, and pretty much stripped of everything except her finely honed sense of the absurd. Abruptly summoned home to Pass Christian, Miss., to take her ailing mother off life support, Tig finds herself dealing with her clingy girlfriend, her dysfunctional Gulf Coast family and the loss of the one person who held everything together.”

Notaro’s comedy was originally a deal with FX, but moved to Amazon who ordered the pilot. Comedian Louis C.K. will executive produce the series alongside Notaro, who originally used C.K.’s website to release a stand-up special in 2012 (just like C.K. himself does on a regular basis). Cody, Dave Becky of 3 Arts, and Blair Breard of Louie are also set as executive producers. The Notaro-starring comedy will be produced by C.K.’s Pig Newton production house.

No release date has been announced for the upcoming Amazon pilot as of yet.

Filed under: Amazon Studios, Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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Verizon Communications is pushing forward with plans for its upcoming mobile-video subscription service. The telco giant has announced its service, now officially dubbed Go90, will offer HBO content to subscribers.

On July 24, 2015, Variety reported Verizon had named its mobile-video service Go90, and accidentally leaked a pre-launch website for the service (which has now been taken down). The site revealed information like how users would be able to watch “live music, exclusive events, best of web content, sports, prime time,… full length shows and short highlights, all for free.”

Some of that content will now include HBO programming, which Verizon is adding to its already-established content partners. Back in March 2015, the telecommunications company announced the addition of AwesomenessTV and DreamWorksTV fare. More recently, Verizon brought on board Vice to contribute original series to Go90 from the media brand’s slate of digital properties, like food-based Munchies and Vice Sports.

On top of adding HBO content to its upcoming mobile-video OTT offering, Verizon will also sell the cable network’s own streaming service HBO Now to broadband subscribers for $15 a month. HBO Now launched back in April 2015 exclusively on Apple and Cablevision’s Optimum Online devices before broadening into the Android and Amazon markets. HBO Now will be available to all Verizon consumers who have FiOS and DSL wired broadband, as well as to over 100 million Wireless mobile customers.

“Our customers want choice in accessing premium content when and where they choose, on a variety of devices,” said Ben Grad, Verizon’s executive director of content strategy and acquisition, as reported by Variety. “HBO Now brings compelling content and choice to Verizon broadband customers today – and exciting possibilities for HBO content within Verizon’s pending mobile-video service.”

“This agreement with Verizon represents the commitment our companies share to respond to changing consumer behavior through innovation, bringing audiences the best in entertainment the way they want it,” said Jeff Dallesandro, HBO’s SVP of worldwide digital distribution and business development. “We’re excited to evolve our partnership with Verizon and bring HBO programming to a new generation of broadband-only customers.”

Verizon said Go90 will be available sometime in the late summer of 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, HBO, News by Bree Brouwer
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YouTube has welcomed a new team member to its product division. Google’s online video site has hired Christian Oestlien as the company’s new Director of Product Management.

In his new position at YouTube, Oestlien’s duties will, according to a rep, “focus on building the platform and tools for the next generation of ​video ​creators on YouTube.” Oestlien will report to YouTube’s Vice President of Product Management Matthew Glotzbach, who recently unveiled at VidCon the Diamond YouTube Play Button for creators with over ten million subscribers.

Oestlien comes to YouTube from Twitter, where the executive served for a year as the social media site’s Senior Director of Product Management. Oestlien is already a well-known face to the Google family, as previous to Twitter, the new YouTube director worked as Product Management Director for Google’s AdWords. Oestlien also brings product management experience from positions with Yahoo, Vivendi Universal, and WorldWinner.

On Twitter, Oestlien expressed his appreciation for working at Twitter for the last two years. YouTube’s Head of Content and Business Operations Robert Kyncl responded with a welcome message; Oestlien said he’s looking forward to working with Kyncl in the future.

@rkyncl Thanks Robert! Really looking forward to working with you.

— Christian Oestlien (@christianism) July 28, 2015

Oestlien starts his new position with YouTube in mid-August of 2015.

Filed under: Articles, News, YouTube by Bree Brouwer
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For the second year in a row, =3 has a new host. The clip show, which vaulted creator Ray William Johnson to YouTube stardom, is now led by Kaja Martin, who is known for her frequent collaborations with Johnson.

With more than 10.8 million subscribers, Johnson’s channel is one of the most popular destinations on YouTube, and =3 is the channel’s best-known program. In recent months, Johnson has looked to expand with a full slate of shows produced by his Equals Three Studios, and Martin has taken a leading role in this programming push by serving as executive producer for four new series. She has also appeared in front of the camera in two of those series: Booze Lightyear and Comedians On.

By taking over hosting duties on =3 (which a press release refers to as The Equals Three Show), Martin is taking on her biggest role yet. The clip show, hosted by Johnson for the first five years of its existence, was handed off to a college student named Robby Motz in 2014. A year later, Motz departed his post, and Martin replaced him as the program’s new frontwoman.

Martin’s first video has been met with a lot of dislikes, but she has also received some support from viewers in the comments. In the video’s description, Martin responds to her critics. “Not phased by the negativity,” she writes. “Everyone was negative about Robby at first and then everyone complained when he left. It’s part of the normal process of adapting to change. No hard feelings. See you on Friday!”

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Ray William Johnson, RayWilliamJohnson by Sam Gutelle
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Netflix’s Ted Sarandos had plenty to say about his company’s original programs at the Television Critics Association press tour. The streaming platform’s Chief Content Officer discussed several of his company’s upcoming projects, including originals like Fuller House and Daredevil, during an interview on July 28, 2015.

For starters, Sarandos made sure to address the rumors surrounding Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen returning to Fuller House, Netflix’s sequel series to the popular 1987-1995 show Full House. Other cast members from the original show have already been on board for a while, including John Stamos, Candice Cameron-Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, and Dave Coulier. Sarandos said the fashion-mogul Olsen twins are “teetering” on whether or not to join the series as guests.

Similar to the vague information about the Olsen twins, Sarandos didn’t have anything concrete to report in terms of a new season of Arrested Development. Though executive producer Brian Grazer confirmed another 17 episode are coming, Sarandos said talent schedules and deals with the show’s original owner 20th Century Fox TV are slowing down the production process. “Our intent is to have another season of Arrested,” Sarandos said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “All of the negotiations are underway.”

As for Netflix’s upcoming slate of original programs based on Marvel properties, Sarandos laid out the platform’s release plans for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. “Ideally there will be a rhythm of about every six months you’ll get a new season or a new series from the Defender group,” he said, “and then they’ll cross over and do a combined season once we’ve launched the first season of each of the four characters.”

Sarandos also made sure to voice his support for Adam Sandler, who made a four-movie deal with the streaming platform and who has recently received negative feedback from the media for his supposed flop of a film Pixels. The Netflix CCO, however, doesn’t see the Sandler feature as a failure. “The movie did $24 million domestically, $25 million internationally, and a third of our subscribers are outside of the U.S.,” Sarandos said. “That’s why we made a deal with Adam Sandler because he’s an enormous international movie star. That $25 million opening for Pixels is pretty respectable and I think it will continue to grow. We are more encouraged than ever.”

Overall, Sarandos reiterated his confidence in Netflix’s slate of original programming. As usual, the CCO withheld ratings data but noted the massive popularity of House of Cards, Daredevil, and Orange Is the New Black with the platform’s subscribers (which was unofficially confirmed in an independent study by Luth Research). And Netflix already credited its originals as the main factor in the company’s strong Q2 growth in a shareholder report.

For Sarandos, and certainly many others in the digital entertainment industry, it seems Netflix can do almost no wrong when it comes to creating original content its subscribers rave about.

Filed under: Articles, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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In their most typical videos, YouTube stars Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach and Jordan “CaptainSparklez” Maron share their screens with their viewers as they play through video games like Five Nights At Freddy’s and Minecraft. In a new video, though, Markiplier and CaptainSparklez show off their acting abilities. They are the two guest stars in “Pixel Cops,” the newest short film from the special effects wizards at RocketJump.

At the beginning of “Pixel Cops,” Markiplier’s character takes a bullet for his partner, played by Chase Williamson. After a flash forward, Williamson’s character and his new partner (played by Tamara Bruketta) must investigate a series of murders perpetrated by classic video game characters. CaptainSparklez does not appear in the video himself, but he instead provides the voice of a Tetris block who serves as the precinct’s police commissioner.

As the title and 8-bit theme of “Pixel Cops” suggest, the short (which was shot at YouTube Space LA) is tied into the release of Pixels, which arrived in theaters on July 24th. While I haven’t seen the movie, I’m willing to bet that RocketJump’s take on the story is probably the only one worth watching. Freddie Wong and his band of inventive, genre-bending filmmakers are currently in fine form, and that bodes well for their upcoming Hulu series, which will feature plenty more exciting short films.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News, RocketJump by Sam Gutelle
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Forget book deals and Hollywood films: YouTube stars are getting their own wax figures nowadays, too. And the next digital phenomenon to join the figurine crowd is Jenna Marbles. The 28-year-old YouTube vlogger will get her own likeness made from wax courtesy of Madame Tussauds New York.

Marbles made the announcement of her upcoming statue via her Instagram account. The digital star, who boasts over 15 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, also included a short behind-the-scenes video of her model creation process. Marbles said she is “so beyond honored” her wax figure will be on display at Madame Tussauds, whose Instagram account noted Marbles’ wax likeness will be its first-ever selfie-taking statue.

I’m so beyond honored and excited that @nycwax is making me into a wax figure!! In October at their Times Square location you can come take selfies with wax me and grope da butt all you want. The grope zoo will officially be open 😂 jk but seriously this is probably the coolest thing that has ever happened I’m just so completely floored by this and thank you so much @nycwax

A video posted by Jenna Mourey/Marbles (@jennamarbles) on Jul 23, 2015 at 9:15am PDT

Marbles isn’t the first YouTube star to obtain wax figure status. Back in April 2015, British vloggers Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella) and Alfie Deyes announced they would have their own wax statues made for Madame Tussauds in London. Additionally, Smosh started working with Madame Tussauds San Francisco in May 2015 to create their wax figures; these likenesses recently debuted at VidCon 2015 in Anaheim.

If you’re a native of the northeast U.S., you can check out the Jenna Marbles wax figure at Madame Tussauds’ Times Square location starting in October 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Jenna Marbles, News by Bree Brouwer
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