Boys and Girls - a health care web series

Unhealthy lifestyles are widespread amongst teenagers. When I was a teenager, I was smoking and eating a lot of junk food. But as most teenagers I was rebellious and responded negatively to well intentioned advice by my parents, teachers, medical professionals, or from government campaigns.
Furthermore, teenagers are very difficult to reach through traditional communications means. Communication through the internet is probably the most effective way to reach teenagers nowadays and more and more teenagers are now watching web series instead of TV series.

That's why a group of experts, a production team, communication specialists and teenagers from eight European countries gathered in 201 to animate a “content workshop” and carry out a brainstorming on messages and formats of the web series. They decided to cover the topics Alcohol, Drugs, Sexual Behaviour, and Nutrition in their web series called Boys and Girls and targeted teenagers between 15 and 18 years old.

Here is the result:

The project involves international experts, teenagers and supporting organisations such as the Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement, Danish Centre for Sexual Health Promotion, and Poznan University of Medical Sciences and EU Commissioner Dalli mentioned the project "Boys and Girls" as the example of campaign aimed at encouraging healthy diet and physical activity among European young people.
For more information on this project and to watch more episodes, please visit: www.boysandgirlslabs.eu/

Tube Tube - a tube web series

Do you remember how being on the tube during the Olympics was a completely different experience? Strangers were talking to each other, helping each other, even laughing with each other.
By now, it's back to normal. Londoners concentrate on their free newspapers or gaze into space.
Sometimes you can overhear some awkward conversations, though:

Tube Tube is a continuing series of short films set on London's Underground. Within this series you can listen in on the lives of Londoners as they journey through the city. The episodes are all shot with a single camera. Furthermore, they are single take scenes, no edits and shot in public.

Tube Tube was created by Ben A Williams and is produced by Omar Kenawi. Episodes are directed by Ben A Williams or Omar Kenawi. For more awkward tube moments, please go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TubeTubeLondon?feature=watch

Vlogmas - a Christmas Vlog

One of the best things about Christmas time is the Advent Calender. I got a really nice one with delicious chocolate from Germany. On YouTube you can also find a lot of Advent Calenders. Here is one by Fleur de Force who is a very active British Vlogger.

Fleur runs a YouTube beauty channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FleurDeVlog and a blog called FleurDeForce: http://fleurdeforce.blogspot.co.uk/ where you can read/ watch Fleur's daily adventures and get some beauty tips. The videos range from 'how to' hair and make-up tutorials, to product reviews and fashion and style videos.

Until Christmas Fleur is vlogging every day and yesterday was all about secret Christmas shopping and date night with Mike. Have a look: 

How to be Dead - a Comedy about Life and Death

The last installment of the Twilight saga was just released. If you can't get enough of vampires, check out "How to be Dead". This new web comedy is about life, death and everything in between.

According to "How to be Dead", the undead are administrative errors. It’s up to Death and his office staff to protect humanity by fighting ghosts, zombies, vampires and medium-sized apocalypses. After a nice cup of tea.

In the Pilot Episode, Dave has a Near Death Experience and Death has a Near Dave Experience. Have a look: 

 

If you wanna find out more about this web show, please visit: http://howtobedead.com

Le Visiteur du Futur - the #1 French web series

Parlez-vous français? Si oui, c'est pour vous.
Le Visiteur du Futur is a cross-media series that combines comedy and science fiction. Since its launch in April 2009, it was viewed about 10 million times on the French web and also aired on the TV channel Nolife (http://www.nolife-tv.com/). According to French video-sharing website Dailymotion (http://www.dailymotion.com/gb), it's the #1 web series in France.

Le Visiteur du Futur is created by François Descraques and it is about a time traveller from the future who keeps warning an ordinary guy called Raph about the doom his actions will bring to humankind.
Have a look at Episode 1 of Season 1:

 

So far two seasons have been completed and a third is being shot. The first and second seasons have been subtitled into English, so it's not a problem if you don't speak French. Please visit their website to watch more episodes and get more information about this très bien web series: http://www.levisiteurdufutur.com/

Impact Stories - Finnish entrepreneurs web series

The third season of Young Apprentice has recently started in the UK and I'm very fascinated by these 16- and 17-year-old aspiring businessmen and businesswomen. Especially in our current economic situation it is important to support bright, young entrepreneurs and to share their ideas.

Hub Helsinki and Kinetic Pixel have produced a series of web videos highlighting small Finnish businesses and their young entrepreneurs, because small start-up businesses and their creative founders are at the forefront of Finnish business. Hub Helsinki is a co-working space for entrepreneurs and social innovators based in Helsinki and episodes of "Impact Stories" feature Hub members and their stories as entrepreneurs.

The first episode is about Tommaso De Benetti, Content Strategist at Writing Bold. Tommaso is a young enthusiast of technology, content creation, social media and games. He believes that you can't do a good job if you are not in love with what you are doing. Have a look:

If you are interested in watching more videos about young Finnish entrepreneurs, please visit: http://vimeo.com/album/1955004

Get inspired!

Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time - a Swedish cookery web series

You might know the Canadian YouTube cooking show "Epic Meal Time". But do you also know there is a parody of it called "Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time"?
While the original has outlandish foods being prepared with relatively ordinary preparation methods, the parody has relatively ordinary foods being prepared with the most batshit insane methods imaginable.
It looks a bit like Death Metal. Have a look: 

The videos have become quickly very popular. The official YouTube channel has almost 300.000 subscribers by now. If you wanna see more of these cooking Vikings, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/SwedishMealTime

Bravo 5 - a German military web series

Bravo 5 is a German military web series which tells the story of four soldiers of the Special Forces Command of the Bundeswehr. Due to their top secret missions, they get entangled in complexities and political consequences.

The synopsis of the 1st Episode is as follows:
28th of June 2012, Reichstag, Berlin. Three German special forces soldiers are summoned to appear before a secret congressional committee. They have to answer for a failed mission in Afghanistan, which left 17 civilians dead – but the reach of this inquiry goes much deeper, and soon, they find that the future of Germany’s entire special forces is at stake here…

YouTube episodes are in English, but if you would like to find out more and wanna check out their website, you need to speak German: http://www.bravo5.de/

The Lizzie Bennett Diaries - a multi-platform series

I have this button with "I heart Darcy" on it and everybody asks me, oh who is Darcy?
Err, Mr. Darcy? Pride & Prejudice? Jane Austen?
Well, I guess not everyone is familiar with the classic love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. But for all (future) fans here is an online modernized adaptation of Jane Austen's novel and it's called "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries".

Lizzie Bennet tells the classic tale from the point of view of an Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet who grew up in a world of cell phones, video cameras, and social media. The multi-platform series was created by popular YouTube personality Hank Green and Streamy Award winning web video writer Bernie Su. 

Within the first episode, Lizzie introduces herself as part of a class project. Have a look:

Main character Lizzie Bennet maintains in-character on social media destinations such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and of course YouTube. Her younger sister Lydia Bennett has her prime destinations on Tumblr and Twitter, while fashionista elder sister Jane Bennett incorporates Pinterest and Lookbook in addition to other social media sites. Fans and viewers are encouraged to interact with all characters on any media platform where they can find them.

If you wanna find out more about the Bennett Family, please visit: http://www.lizziebennet.com/

The Gap Year - First Interactive Web Reality Show

I know it's an oldie, but a lot of school graduates have probably just started or are about to start their Gap Year and that's why I would like to present today Endemol's web reality show 'The Gap Year' which was the world's first interactive online reality travel adventure.

In 2009 TV production company Endemol, best know for shows such as 'Big Brother' and 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", and online platform Bebo started an interactive audition process to look for extremely entertaining graduates who would like to go on a trip to New Zealand. The Bebo online community voted then for the following young people who went on the Gap Year of their wildest dreams:

To mirror Bebo's global reach, 'The Gap Year' contestants travelled the world for six months, including far flung destinations such as Iceland, Africa, Thailand, and Russia. They also ventured to high profile events like the Rio Carnival in Brazil, the Chinese New Year, Zen Week in Sri Lanka and the Full Moon Party Season in Thailand. Over the course of their travels, each contestant faced an array of challenges and surprises as they experienced different cultures, met new people, savoured exotic food, went in search of outdoor activities and entertainment and even hung out with local celebrities.

The new part about this project was that Bebo users could engage directly with the contestants, share travel tips with them and voted in weekly polls which had a direct influence on how the journeys unravelled. If you wanna see the whole series (again), go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGapYear

Trigger Point - Uncover the Conspiracy

And another UK web series. This action thriller is called 'Trigger Point" and is produced by Pure Grass Films one of the leading cross-platform entertainment producers. They launched it in partnership with break.com a male-skewing video site.

'Trigger Point' is an action thriller about a group of intelligence agents that combats government corruption. Have a look at the first episode:

UK-based Pure Grass Films is already well-known for 'Beyond the Rave' which was MySpace’s first original web series outside the US, and 'Kirill', an online drama coproduction with Endemol UK.
To get more information, go to: http://www.puregrassfilms.com/

Nordwest - a Swiss web series

I was actually looking for another German web series and stumbled upon this Swiss web series.
It's called Nordwest which is the name of a fictional neighbourhood in Bern.

It's about Samuel Schäfer (Fabian Guggisberg) who grew up in Nordwest and works now as a security assistant at a shopping centre in Nordwest.
About one year ago he was involved in a mysterious accident and was sent to prison. By being a part of this special programme, he is trying to become a part of society again.
But in order to be able to live in the present, Samuel has to deal with his past first. He has to remember what really happened back then. Sam goes on a journey to look for his identity....

Have a look at Episode 1:

Unfortunately, there have only been published two pilot episodes so far. If you are interested in knowing more, please visit their website: http://www.nordwest-webserie.ch
And if you can help financing the whole series.

YouTube cookery show soon on TV

And another web show got commissioned by a broadcaster!
The US channel ABC has picked up a cookery show which was funded by YouTube as part of their original channels push. A TV remake of Recipe Rehab will be aired in the US from next month.

The cookery show which is part of the Everyday Health channel on YouTube was created by TV producer Mark Koops (The Biggest Loser, Masterchef), the former MD of Reveille. Recipe Rehab shows chefs teaching viewers how to cook popular dishes in a healthy way.
Have a look at how to make dairy-free cupcakes:

Alex Carloss, YouTube’s global head of original programming, told Reuters: “Recipe Rehab is the latest example of creators harnessing the combined attributes of TV and the web to build scaled, engaged audiences.”

One Step Closer to Home - Live the Australian Dream

When you are in your late 20s, early 30s you might belong to the so-called "Nesters". It's this awkward stage after your fun times as a 20-something and before the settled domesticity of life with kids. One Step Closer to Home mocks exactly this "nesting phase".

Nat (Alyssa McClelland) and Paul (Ryan Johnson) have recently gotten married and bought their first home together. It's a busy phase of life. There are schedules to be sorted, short-term plans to be made and long-term goals to be achieved... But all the while the newlyweds are wondering what comes next?

Have a look at Episode #1:

The humour of One Step Closer to Home is quite subtle. But not only the awkward moments between the couple are hilarious, I also like the subtly lampooing of the visual language of Australian TV soap operas.

This web series - which is written and directed by Alyssa McClelland and also produced by her and Ryan Johnson - has 11 episodes which are between 2 and 5 minutes long.
If you want to watch more and to get further information, please visit:
http://www.onestepclosertohome.tv/

Othello - Shakespeare on YouTube

"O, beware , my lord, of jealousy! 

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on." 

Summer is over and I didn't have a chance to watch a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre. But luckily, we can all watch Othello now on YouTube. The Brooklyn based Ready Set Go Theatre Company is releasing a web series version on their YouTube channel. They are producing the famous tragedy in 12 episodes which are shot on locations all over NYC. 

Check out the 1st episode: 

The web series is intended as a tool for teachers who want to bring Shakespeare's work to a new generation.
If you are interested in knowing more, please visit:
http://www.readysetgotheatre.com/Ready_Set_Go_Theatre_Company/Home.html

Leaving - an exciting Italian web series

Ciao mio lettore italiano. This is a web series for you.

Leaving is the story of six young people on their way to Paris. Some unfortunate events occur, though, and they find themselves facing a mysterious enemy who has led them in the city of Mesa.
Have a look at the first episode - if you understand Italian. Episodio 1 - Leaving - Chi siamo, dove andiamo?



It's a no budget project and has been shot completely in Mesa. It's created, directed and stars Antonio Tocci.
If you would like to watch more episodes, go to: http://www.youtube.com/show/leavingwebseries

Hipsterhood - a web series, ironically

You can find them in Berlin Mitte, Shoreditch, Williamsburg, and Silver Lake, L.A. - Hipsters. These young, urban middle class adults who wear skinny jeans and nerd glasses and hang out at a coffee shop all day.

Hipsterhood is a comey web series about two hipsters who live in Silver Lake and keep running into each other around the neighbourhood. But since they are too cool to care, they can't get to the next step which would be talking to each other.
Watch them running into each other for the first time in a grocery-shop on a Friday night:

The series is 90% voice over as we hear the inner dialogue of each character while they are trying to figure out how they could start talking to each other. Hipsterhood is written and directed by Shilpi Roy and stars Kit Williamson and Elizabeth Ferraris. 

Episodes are released every Tuesday at 5pm and to gain even more Hipster wisdom, go to: http://www.hipsterhoodseries.com/

Almost a Turkish Soap Opera

Almost a Turkish Soap Opera is a comedy drama web series with family conflict and tension.

Adel is a young Turkish man whose family has lived in poverty while his grand uncle controls the inheritance money which righfully belongs to his father. He travels to the US with his best friend, works illegally, and is deported back to Istanbul. Since Adel will do anything to live in North America, he agrees to marry his rich grand uncle's spoiled obnoxious granddaughter in exchange for his permanent resident status in Canada. Unfortunately, he becomes infatuated with his English teacher and his life turns into a Turkish soap opera.
Have a look at the 1st episode:

Almost a Turkish Soap Opera is produced by Sababa Emporium Film Productions and AR&B Films. The producers of this web series showcased also a feature film in North America and European festivals, and in the Middle East the series is a Turkish soap opera dubbed in Turkish, Arabic and other languages.

If you would like to know more, visit: http://www.almostaturkishsoapopera.com/

Voyage Trekkers - a starship web series

I have a lot of friends who are still huge fans of the one and only sci-fi entertainment franchise, called Star Trek. Several decades later, I would like to present Voyage Trekkers. It's a sci-fi comedy web series about the worst starship crew in the Galactic Union. If you liked Star Trek and are a fan of comedies, watch that one!

Voyage Trekkers follows the starship G.S.V. which is lead by the impulsive Captain Sunstrike, the exasperated Doctor Rena, and the unphased Commander Powell. The first episode shows Captain Sunstrike being in the vile clutches of the evil Draudis lizard me and only his faithful crew can rescue him. But will they manage? Have a look:

To find out more about this sci-fi web series and to watch more episodes, go to:
http://squishystudios.com/voyage-trekkers-web-series/

Infamous - a comic book story

Web series are often inspired by movies, TV shows, computer games etc.
Infamous is a sci-fi web series which is highly influenced by the story structure, style and classic themes of comic books. It depicts the theme of the anti-hero, human beings with special powers but who are just as flawed as anyone else. Infamous is dark and gritty, and looks at the grey area between good and evil.

The main character John (played by co-creator Washington) wakes up in a strange tenement building. He has no memory of his life before this and is quickly discovering frighteningly powerful abilities that may be both clues to his past and the reason for his amnesia. Have a look at the first episode of Infamous: 

This web series is created and visualised by Joey Barto and Greg Washington. With little to no budget, it is shot and produced independently in Shreveport, L.A.
For more information on the show, please visit their website: http://www.infamouswebseries.com/

Learn English with Ricky Gervais

Are you trying to learn English, but you don't like your teacher or the way the teach you? Then I have an entertaining solution for you: Learn English with Ricky Gervais. 

Since his scandalous Golden Globe jokes, I think everybody knows British comedian Ricky Gervais. If you are a fan you might also know The Office (the original, British version), The Ricky Gervais Show, and Extras. This web series is his latest creative endeavour. Have a look at the pilot episode to catch a glimpse of how Gervais and Karl Pilkington break new pedagogical ground:

The really cool and interactive part about this web series is that Ricky Gervais wants you to make your own subtitled version and then post them to YouTube.

You can watch more episodes on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ricky-gervais-podcast/id135789411
It's gratis for now, but Gervais said that future episodes may involve either a small fee or advertising to cover the production costs.

Coco & Ruby - time travel web series

Do you like time travel series? Then this one is for you.

Coco and Ruby sing, dance and act. They live in Newark, NJ and the year is 1941. One day they make a wish to move to Hollywood, California to find a man and become stars. When they wake up from their wish-induced nap they find themselves under the Hollywood sign in 2012.

Watch them getting lost in the glory and confusion of it all. Here is episode 1: 

Coco and Ruby stars Courtney Freed and Rebecca Johnson. It's written by Rachel Roderman and directed by Steve Brian. New episodes are coming out every Tuesday and you can watch them all on: http://www.youtube.com/user/COCOandRUBY

To get further information on the adorable girls and their adventure of a lifetime, go to: cocoandruby.com

Burning Love - The most romantic web series that will ever be!

It's summer time and I have to admit for the past weeks I was rather outside in the sun than in front of my computer watching web series. But here is a romantic, comedy web series you shouldn't miss this summer.

It's called Burning Love and gives the viewer a front seat to champagne toasts, candles, heartbreak, bubble baths, chocolate, choreography, hair extensions, roller skating spray-tans, and rainbows.
You might have already guessed it. It's a send-up of The Bachelor-esque dating shows and follows fireman Mark Orlando (Ken Marino) as he searches for the perfect woman. Have a look at the trailer:

Burning Love is executive produced by Red Hour's Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld and Mike Rosenstein and Abominable Pictures' Jonathan Stern, Ken Marino and Erica Oyama. It's also written by Erica Oyama and directed by Ken Marino. The scripted comedy show features furthermore an impressive line up of comedic actors from film and television, including Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman and Adam Scott.

It launched on Yahoo Screen's comedy channel in June and new episodes go up on Mondays and Thursdays through the summer. To watch all episodes of the most romantic web series that will ever be, please go to: http://screen.yahoo.com/burning-love/

Extremity - a sports web show

Since we are celebrating London 2012, I was looking for more web series about sports. Unfortunately, I couldn't really find any good ones. If you know of any, please do let me know.

What I have found though, is Extremity. It is not a series, but if you are a fan of extreme sports, you should pay a visit to their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/extremityTV

From snowboarding over kitesurfing to BMX cycling, which is an olympic discipline by the way, you can watch some really cool videos about extreme sports there.
Please enjoy:

Switch - a Spy Thriller

If you have watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony last weekend, you saw the Queen giving Bond, James Bond a.k.a. Daniel Craig, his next mission: kicking off the Olympiad.
Who would have thought that a spy series becomes so world famous that the main character is featured in a historical event such as the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

An interesting spy web series I have just discovered is Switch which is about a plot by an Iranian sleeper cell to assassinate a foreign diplomat on American soil.

Dr. Aadil Tehrani is a very successful doctor of psychiatry and lives a life of suburban splendor. He has a nice home, a loving wife, a thriving practice and on Sunday he plays softball. But one day his uncle Saffiq from Iran pays him a visit and reminds him of a debt that has to be paid. Aadil is blackmailed and bullied into betraying his America. The American dreamer is about to wake up to his post 9-11 nightmare.

Check out the 1st episode of Switch: 

This spy web series is directed by Sila Agavale and written by Enesto Brosa.
If you would like to watch all episodes, go to their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/switchwebserie

Geek Speak

Did you watch The Avengers five times? Are you a fan of Halo? Would you love to attend ComicCon? Then you are probably a geek and should watch Geek Speak. This web series provides a funny view of all things current in popular culture. From movies over gaming and comics to TV shows.
Have a look here:

It's presented by Australian comedian Bryce McKeon and girlie-geek Amanda Bacchi and filmed in Toowoomba. It went to air in April on TVS Sydney with a season of 13 episodes locked in and has also a podcast on iTunes and a YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/geekspeakaustralia

For more information and to check out the schedule, go to: http://www.tvs.org.au/programs/Geek-Speak

My Drunk Kitchen

One of the most popular YouTube genres are tutorials: smokey-eye-tutorial, photoshop tutorial, guitar playing tutorial - even my Mandarin Chinese teacher sends us YouTube-tutorial links.
Some of them are with a twinkle in your eye. For example, the cooking show and comedy series My Drunk Kitchen by American 20-something Hannah "Harto" Hart.

My Drunk Kitchen features Hannah attempting to cook or bake various dishes while drinking lots of alcoholic beverages. Most episodes have their own recipe and sometimes corresponding drink.
Watch the 4th of July episode: "Adventures in Patriotism and Apple Pie - Baking for Freedom"

The series has been praised for its drunk humour, use of jump cut editing and hilarious catchphrases. 

If you wanna see more of Hannah, check her website: http://hartoandco.com/my-drunk-kitchen/

Deja View: Turkish Batman (Yarasa Adam)

The final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy will be released this week and every single superhero movie fan on this planet and beyond is bursting with excitement. But do you remember when Batman used guns, hung out in strip clubs, and didn't have to wear a mask if he didn't want to? Deja view helps us to remember Batman's biggest case - the murders of the famous fashionistas in Turkey:

If you like this remake, you should also check out the Bollywood version of The Matrix and a Korean remake of Tron: http://www.darkmaze.com/post/category/deja-view/
Deja View is an ward-winning series that explores foreign remakes of popular American films.

Fetching - a dog web series

Web series don't have to be about human beings, they can also be, for example, about our best friends - dogs. AOL's new web series Fetching is described as a "Doggie Day Care meets Sex in the City"- comedy. 


It's about a woman called Liza who gives up everything to follow her dreams and starts a dog boutique in New York. Liza ditches her successful fiancé and great law career in order to open up a doggy-dy-care. She must overcome the difficulties of running a small business while also searching for love. 
Here is a sneak peek:  

It's produced by the multiplatform studio Vuguru http://vuguru.com/ and stars famous TV actors such as Collette Wolfe (Next Caller, Cougar Town), Smith Cho (Ugly Betty), Sandra Vergara (Nip/ Tuck, CSI Miami) and Elaine Hendrix (90210).


You can watch the whole series on AOL:  http://on.aol.com/studio/fetching

Dreams to Reality - The Voice

Reality stars usually record an album, write a book, star in another reality show. Sometimes though, they create their own web series as The Situation did before. Now Moses Stone, a former contestant on Season 2 of The Voice, as a member of Team Xtina, has launched a new web series called Dreams to Reality.


Dreams To Reality is a documentary mini series which shows the depiction of Moses Stone's lifestyle and view of life. According to Stone himself, it's about the struggle, success, good and bad times that come with chasing a dream and goals. Check out the trailer:  

A new episode will premiere every other Tuesday online and for more information go to: www.iammosesstone.com

Seinfeld Web Series

Jerry Seinfeld is back with a new show which happens to be a web series. He will interview his friends while driving them around and it's called Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Great title, isn't it?!


He will  drive a range of vintage cars with different comedians sitting alongside him, including Larry David, Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais and Michael Richards.
Here's a 1-minute test drive:

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee will premiere on US online video platform http://www.crackle.com/ Thursday, July 19 @ 9pm EST. 

Hunger Games Web Series

I'm sure you have heard of the Hunger Games books, maybe even read them or watched the movie a few months ago. If you have read the second book, you probably remember Finnick Odair from District 4, the coastal district that specializes in fishing. This web series is about the love story of Finnick and Annie. Have a look:

This 6-part series is produced by MainStay Productions and apparently they continue being inspired by the Hunger Games and also produced a short films focussed on the Second Quarter Quell, The Hunger Games that Haymitch won. For further information, please visit:
http://www.myhungergames.com/the-hunger-games-movie-mainstay-project

BBC 3 Invests In Original Web Comedy

BBC 3 is releasing seven web-based comedies via bbc.co.uk/bbcthree

The "Feed My Funny" productions include sketch show formats like For The Win and Dawson Bros Funtime, hidden camera stunts in Impractical Jokers, a mockumentary about a pirate radio station in People Just Do Nothing, The Imran Yusuf Show which is a vehicle for new stand up Imran Yusuf, Alison Jackson’s spoof celebrity gossip show Celebrity Bitchslap News and surreal silent comedy from The TapeFace Tapes.

 

Here is a sneak peak of Dawson Bros Funtime:

 

 

Zai Bennet, BBC 3 controller, commented on the web comedies: 

“BBC 3 is the channel that nurtures new comedy. We already invest in loads of online comedy shorts for new talent, writers and directors. We are delighted to now commission seven full length comedies for the web.”

Stuck - the first Italian web series in English

These are the chronicles of David Rea, who is an emotional trainer, dealing with all kinds of people in an existential block. David is a cynic, a nihilist and his methods are brutal.
In every episode he tries to unstuck his clients while his personal life collapses all around him. He would define his work as "a kick in the ass to the rest of your life." Have a look at the prologue:

If you wanna see more of this Italian web series, go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/stuckwebseries

Louna Maroun - Queen of the Web

Red-haired Australian Louna Maroun aka Loopylady11 is one of the YouTube Next Vloggers and also reigning King, well Queen, of the Web.

She does everything from Vlogs to music parodies and is obsessed with the 80s. Have a look here:

But what's her secret of success?
Louna Maroun is charming, funny, distinctive, creative, nerdy, and most of all, she has a very strong relationship with her fans - and she has lots of them. Maybe she will even keep her title this year. In order to make her fans vote for her, she created this song called "All for Love":

You can still vote for her on http://kingofweb.com/ until 15th of July and if you wanna see more of Loopylady11, visit her website: http://lounamaroun.tumblr.com/

Le Rodri Show - animated chat show

We don't see a lot of web series in French around, but when I searched for one I stumbled upon Le Rodri Show and was immediately intrigued. This animated comedy web series is about a late night chat show with Rodrigo Tortillas as host. His guests include famous Canadians such as Céline Dion. 

Have a look at the teaser here: 

It's produced by TV5 Québec and you can watch the episodes on http://video.tv5.ca/collection/fonds-tv5

Beat Girl - Web Series and Pinterest

I have already mentioned transmedia production company BeActive a couple of times before. They are very innovative when it comes to online series and this time they have decided to use picture-sharing social network Pinterest to extend its most recent drama series.

Beat Girl The Web Diaries debuted on YouTube earlier this month.
Here is the 1st episode "Music is Everything":

Beat Girl presents also selected DJ interviews which you can watch every Friday on http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4447B95EACF7AAEC

What's interesting about this 18-35 female-skewing web series is that BeActive decided to launch a string of prequel photos and short videos on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/beatgirlworld/

Furthermore, they are hoping to secure broadcast partners in order to transfer Beat Girl from the web to TV, like one of their first web series Sofia’s Diary was transferred from Bebo to Channel 5 in the UK.

Laps - an iPhone web series

Nowadays it's so easy to create your own web series. All you need is an idea and a camera phone.
Laps, for example, is a new, original series which was shot entirely with an iPhone. It's created and produced by Chad Diez and distributed by 20/20 Productions that also distributes the very successful web series Orange Juice in Bishop's Garden. 

Laps is about Nathan who is desperate for a change in his life and therefore, returns to his high school track to get back in shape. He's ready to kick his bad habits, but the cigar smoking over-eater's eyes are bigger than his stomach. Check out the trailer:

Laps was selected for the L.A.Web Series Festival in 2012 and won Best Web Series at New York International Film Festival in 2011. So, this is definitely one not to miss.

If you would like to watch all episodes and find out more about the production company behind, please go  to http://www.twentytwentyproductions.com/

Preview brand new mobile for online ad campaign

This is actually a personal request.

Are you tech savvy and do you like to keep up with the latest trends in mobile phones?  Do you have an interesting life that is enhanced in some way by using mobile apps or features? Are you between 18 and 40?  Then I want to hear from you! 


A market-leading mobile manufacturer is looking for ‚real’ people (no acting) to try out their new handset. We want you to integrate it into your daily routine – use it, take it with you whereever you go, experience the new features it has and tell us about how it made your mobile user experience better in some way. 

We would need you to be available for a couple of days of filming, between the 9th and 21st July. 

We are looking for people from7  different territories:

UK

France

Germany

Benelux

Middle East

Nordics

Russia 

To find out more and about the incentives on offer please get in touch with me asap!

Sports Talk Radio

Euro Cup 2012, the Olympics, Wimbledon - it's THE sports summer, so why not introduce a web series which is about sports, well a sports talk radio.

Sports Talk Radio goes behind the scenes of JOCK 700 AM - a station devoted to sports in British Columbia. The comedy web series delves into the lives of the on-air personalities. From Bunt and Frank, the two polar-opposites who host the popular drive-home show, to the sexy-traffic-and-weather-together-girl to the station manager who's trying to keep everything running smoothly.
Have a look here:

Writer and producer of Sports Talk Radio, Jason Bryden plays also Frank, the sports talk guy who has a desire to make his Vancouver sports show more than interviews with sportsmen and obscene references to chicks.

Jason's other two web series are The Staff Room and The Acting Class. Each of those are 12 episodes while Sports Talk Radio is only six. Episodes run from 5-7 minutes, geared for the speedy nature of the internet. If you wanna see more go to Jason's YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJasonBryden

Make my Series

Do you have a unique idea for a web series? But no money to actually produce it?
Well, here could be your solution:
Make my Series are looking to fund cool new web series.

Just submit a pilot episode for a series you would like to make. The team with the pilot that gets the most likes on http://makemyseries.com will win a prize of at least $10,000 to go off and make their series.

Entries close on October, 1st. So take advantage of the summer holidays and produce a pilot! 

Blue - feat. Julia Stiles

Julia Stiles is known for playing difficult characters and having a go at different genres. This time it is a web series called Blue.

Blue just premiered on the YouTube Channel WIGS, which is a digital channel producing high-end, original, scripted drama series and short films about the lives of women. In the series, Julia Stiles stars as the title character, a single mom who is trying to protect her son from the consequences of her secret career as an escort. It is written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia.

Check out the first episode in which Blue’s client, Cooper, turns out to be a friend from her youth and her carefully separated worlds begin to collide:

The first 12 episodes of the series will become available over the next weeks, with new episodes premiering on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Episodes are available in English and Spanish.

Blue is the third piece of original, scripted content on WIGS. The first series Jan which was written and directed by Jon Avnet, and starring Caitlin Gerard, Virginia Madsen, and Stephen Moyer, and the first short film called Serena, written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, and starring Jennifer Garner and Alfred Molina, premiered both in May.

Be sure to catch new WIGS episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6am PT / 9am ET on watchwigs.com

Viva Berlin! - a German zombie web series

Here is a bloody, brilliant web series from Germany!
Zombie - web series Viva Berlin! is produced by German students as their final project at "Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg" (film academy). Directed by Moritz Mohr and produced by Benjamin Munz, it's Germany's first serious attempt at a zombie project - and I would say a successful one.

The story of the 5 mini-episodes-series reads as follows: 
An unknown plague is rapidly spreading in Berlin. All its carriers turn into blood-thirsty zombies who feed off the uninfected. After a short time, ninety five percent of the population is dead or undead; Berlin’s face has changed entirely....

This is an ultimate genre experience. If you like horror stories and you are a true zombie fan, you shouldn't miss this delicacy! For further information, please go to: http://www.vivaberlin.net/

Fail - a Hip-Hop web series

The comedy web series Fail is an urban Internet version of Glee.
It depicts a group of co-educational students who are on the verge of academic probation as a result of the random misadventures they embark on after class. Contrary to the title, though, Fail is meant to inspire young people to stay in school.

Take a look at Episode #1 in which Alicia discovers that college might be tougher than she thought. But her big cousin HOPE comes to the rescue with an invitation to her study group: 

  
The second season of Fail began airing exclusively on AllHipHop.com on May 31. The show, which is produced by Hip-Hop legend Christopher “Play” Martin, Vanessa Baden, and James Bland is geared towards an underserved demographic in Hip-Hop – students in middle, high school, and early college. The team behind the online urban comedy has also just released their official first single, "Superficial Girl" by O'Hene Savant, from their upcoming album Fail Mixtape Vol. 1 which is set to be released in July.
Don't forget to tune in tonight for Episode #6!

Plan V La Serie

I thought it was about time again to write about a web series that's not from the US or UK and I chose the Argentinian web series Plan V La Serie. Es una comedia romántica protagonizada por chicas. 

Plan V (V as in Vagina) is described as the Argentinian L Word, but with gay-straight love triangles on top of that. It explores the life of Ana, a 30-year-old lesbian with a rocky relationship record. One day on the subway, she stumbles over a cute girl, called Laura, and falls head over heels in love. The catch? Laura turns out to be Ana’s brother’s girlfriend. Ana is “helped” by her friends: couple Mara and Pato, aka Duck, and party girl Flor.
Check out the 1st episode:

It does look a bit cheesy, but it's very well done and also funny and with lots of drama. The really interesting part about this web series is, though, that creators and leading actresses Lorena Romanin (Ana) and Sofia Wilhelmi (Laura), are actually in a relationship. And, the realisation that lesbian visibility is an important step towards equality was a driving force behind the series.

You can watch the 11-episode first season of Plan V here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/planvlaserie and for further information, please visit http://planv.com.ar/

Nights in UltraViolet - Teamwork

Films and TV shows are teamwork and networking is very essential in order to become successful in this business. So, winners from the 2011 New York Television Festival teamed up with some comedy regulars of the "Upright Citizens Brigade" and created this 10-episode web series called Nights in UltraViolet.

It is described as Twin Peaks meets Seinfeld and feels just like a hilarious suspense soap opera. The web series is about a shut-in author of legal thrillers and a pizza-loving wanderer trying to answer the big question on everyone's mind: What Does It Mean?
Here is the trailer:

The series was independently produced by creators of Cafe Bloodbath (Best Animation, NYTVF 2011), The Cheap Thriller, and Brooklyn-based artist collective, "Goddamn Cobras". It was shot over a period of 7 months in 20 different locations, and features almost 100 NYC actors.

If you wanna watch the first 8 episodes please go to www.nightsinuv.com and don't miss the 9th episode on Thursday!

Collider - A multi-platform sci-fi adventure

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a "documentary in the making" called 350 South - An American Journey. It's produced by crossmedia production company BeActive and this particular company has a new project now.

The story of multi-platform sci-fi adventure Collider is being told through an 8-part web and TV series, but also comic books, a website and a mobile game are involved. A feature film will be filmed this autumn and be released in 2013.

You can watch the web series on YouTube and find out more information on colliderworld.com and Facebook.

The story runs as follows:
Mysteriously transported to a post-apocalyptic future, six people find themselves involved in a race against time to find a way to get back to the present and save mankind - and their own lives.
Here is episode #1:

Watch the series. Read the comics. Play the game.

Pan Am may fly on the Web

In the world of television, "cancelled" doesn’t mean what it used to mean. There are other possibilities for cancelled TV shows nowadays.

The four major U.S. networks have just unveiled 31 new shows for 2012-2013, which means that many won’t be back. For instance, CSI Miami, A Gifted Man, and Desperate Housewives won't return for another season.
But a few shows, like Pan Am may live on, thanks to new outlets for original programming.Online video platforms such as Netflix and DirecTV which offer studios a chance to keep shows going. With detailed data on viewing, they can better tell which programmes can survive on smaller budgets with fewer, dedicated fans.

As already mentioned, one of these shows will probably be Sony Picture Television's airline drama Pan Am that has been aired on ABC:

Allegedly Netflix is also talking to CBS about resurrecting the drama Jericho and to Fox regarding ordering more episodes of Terra Nova. Platforms like Netflix benefit by picking up cancelled shows because they already have been heavily marketed and come with a built-in audience.
Google, Yahoo, Apple and YouTube might also start looking for cancelled TV shows.

Behind the Launch

If you are interested in social media, online video and web development, you probably know mashable.com
It's an internet news blog founded by Pete Cashmore with a reported 50+ million monthly pageviews and over 20 million unique monthly visitors.

After reporting about new web series since 2005, Mashable decided to team up with some highly esteemed partners to produce at least one original web series. In April, Mashable’s SVP of Content & Executive Editor Adam Ostrow said the site would also start distributing programming from selected third-party content creators, including Leap Year, What's Trending, TechStars, The Valley Girl Show. 

The first original series Mashable released is called Behind the Launch, and was created and produced by Portal A (who online video watchers will know as the team behind White Collar Brawler). It is a documentary-style programme that lifts up the curtain covering tech and new media entrepreneurship in order to give viewers a look at the idiosyncrasies of the individuals running the industry’s latest and greatest machines.
The particular curtain lifted in Behind the Launch covered a company called Vungle which is a San Francisco-based company that purveys mobile video ads to promote apps. Just recently it was announced that Vungle had raised $2 million from big Silicon Valley and Alley names: Google Ventures, AOL Ventures, Crosslink Capital etc. It is definitely an interesting company and topic. Here is the first episode:

New three to four-minute episodes of Behind the Launch will air every Monday and Wednesday at 12PM Eastern on Mashable. If you’re into technology, new media, or starting your own business, you should definitely tune in today!

The Webby Awards 2012

A week ago the best of the internet was celebrated in New York. The Webby Awards is the Internet's most respected symbol of success. Past winners have been included industry leaders such as Twitter, Google, iTunes, BBC News, The New York Times, Funny or Die, Wikipedia....

The 16th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. Webby Awards are awarded in over 100 categories. The winners are selected for recognition based on excellence in the following criteria:

• Websites & Mobile: Content, Structure and Navigation, Visual Design, Functionality, Interactivity and Overall Experience
•  Interactive Advertising: Creativity, Integration, Overall Experience
•  Film & Video: Concept & Writing, Quality of Craft, Integration, Overall Experience 

Winners are chosen by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences which is a global organization of industry experts and technology innovaters, such as musician David Bowie, Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, Martha Stewart, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom, Arianna Huffington, Flickr cofounder Caterina Fake, R/GA chairman Bob Greenberg, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. And the Webby People’s Voice Award, which is chosen by the public in an online voting system. A record 1.5 million people voted online this year.

Some of this year’s notable wins were Pinterest, Spotify and Google+, as well as Facebook, which beat out Twitter and YouTube in the category of “People’s Special Achievement Webby for Social Change.” Another 2012 Webby highlight was Instagram which was honored as the “Webby Breakout of the Year” in light of its billion dollar acquisition by Facebook.
Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork received recognition for her album Biophilia, which incorporated touchscreen technology  in a multi-dimensional, digital album, and Juliette Lewis and Graydon Sheppard who received special “Best Actresses” awards for their wildly popular YouTube series "Sh*t Girls Say".

But it wasn’t all about fun and glamour, President Obama, former Vice President Gore, and U2 singer Bono were among those featured on a video tribute to late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs: 

World's Greatest Web Stars’ First (and Worst) Works – Fred Figglehorn

I have mentioned Fred Figglehorn a couple of times before and I find him quite annoying. But fact is that Lucas Cruikshank a.k.a. Fred Figglehorn won Choice Web Star at the Teen Choice Awards, had apppearances on Hannah Montana and iCarly and the third Fred Film is coming out this year.You have got to give him credit for that.

My friend Frank Chindamo writes a column on Tubefilter now called the First Draft Series. It highlights and critiques the first online video work of the world's greatest online video stars. So, if you want to find out how and why Fred became such a great success, please read the full article:
http://www.tubefilter.com/2012/05/10/fred-figglehorn-first-drafts-series-web-stars-first-worst-works/

Here is a little teaser: Lucas was Kelly: The girl with a bladder infection before he became Fred.

Frank teaches also webisode production at USC and Chapman University. His students have included Streamy Award-winner Bernie Su and half-a-billion-hitter Freddie Wong. If you are interested in his USC Webiosode class, it's open to the public and starts June 25th: www.GreenlightYourself.com

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