Jane Austen scholars know “Sanditon” as a posthumously-published unfinished novel, but for Lizzie Bennet Diaries fans, it’s the springboard for a new bridge series that promises unprecedented audience interactivity. Read more at paidContent »
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has launched a year-long web series, 82nd & Fifth. In 100 two-minute videos, which will be posted two at a time every Wednesday through December 25, curators talk about “art that changed the way they see the world.” Read more at paidContent »
It’s been common for web series to never make it past a first season. But this year, there are four notable examples of shows continuing their runs, from independent teen dramedies to Jerry Seinfeld chatting with comics. Read more at paidContent »
The web series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn got nominated for 8 Streamy Awards today. It’s a big-budget-looking production that could provide insight into what the future of multi-platform video entertainment looks like. In this podcast we talk with the show’s executive producers. Read more »
Creator Scotty Iseri describes his new educational interactive web series and app experience as “gamified narrative” — he also approaches it as a start-up. The Digits, available on Android and iOS, frames math concepts for the elementary school set. Read more »
Thanks to public access television, comedian Chris Gethard has found a way to bring the New York alt comedy scene to the web with The Chris Gethard Show, one of the strangest and funniest interactive talk shows you’ll ever see. Read more »
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries might be one of the most important web content stories of 2012: The YouTube adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has not only secured its financial future thanks to DECA, but has built an intense fanbase for future literary adaptations. Read more »
Quality production value and a star-studded cast have propelled the YouTube channel WIGS to the top of the scripted content charts in a short period of time — and proven that there is an audience for adult drama online. Read more »
Crowdfunding isn’t just a way for big names to raise cash directly from their fans. Here are some samples of the lower profile projects currently seeking funds on the Kickstarter scene, including a video game/fiction hybrid, a documentary about Calvin & Hobbes and a Soviet satire. Read more »
The Fine Brothers have a long-established reputation for trying new things with web content, and this year, they’re using YouTube’s money to create not just a show, but a fully immersive social media experience and a full line-up of shows surrounding it. Read more »
Hot off the heals of his Kickstarter success, video blogging pioneer Ze Frank has raised an additional $756,000 from Marc Andreessen and others. His declared goal: To build “a new kind of media company” with a number of shows and active audience engagement. Read more »
Blip is geting rid of more than half of its distribution partners, including a number of Smart TV platforms like Boxee, TiVo, Samsung and Vizio. Blip explained its video producers that it simply didn’t make any revenue with any of these platforms. Read more »
The YouTube talent companies that have sprung up over recent years are no stranger to innovation. What was once called The Cloud Media has been transformed into Big Frame, a hybrid production/management company focused on helping creators find their voices and build their audiences. Read more »
TaskRabbit is launching a series of video interviews with “founders, entrepreneurs, executives, journalists and consumers” who are authorities in the Collaborative Consumption space. The series, called Collaboratively Speaking, kicks off with a conversation between TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque and RelayRides founder Shelby Clark. Read more »
JTS.tv is launching a subscription video service for independent web series. That will bring ad-free versions of a number popular web series online for the first time ever, with plans to make them available on multiple mobile and other connected device platforms. Read more »
The IAWTV hit a major milestone in its evolution this week with the announcement of the first-ever nominees for the IAWTV Awards, honoring excellence in web video content and representing the web series world with a strong mix of independent and professionally-produced content. Read more »
As long as there have been web series, people have debated whether the term is inaccurate and derogatory. But when you talk to those working in the industry, it becomes clear that the term is here to stay — and that it’s a good thing. Read more »
Premiering this week, Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen is an online-only series in which chefs eliminated from the TV show get a chance to return to the competition. But as a case study in integrating web content into a series, it’s a potential disaster. Read more »
Last Tuesday marked the premiere of two very different web series — a teen-skewing action comedy produced by a major studio and an independent sci-fi thriller — with one major similarity: They both chose to debut exclusively on Facebook. Could this be the new normal for web content? Read more »
Once upon a time, “The Guild” made fun of merchandising — but this year, to support ambitious plans for the show’s fifth season, a number of product placement deals were struck. And some of those deals have transformed into a wide assortment of merchandise available to fans. Read more »
Yahoo is doubling down on quality video, relaunching its video site as Yahoo Screen, a hub for original programming including eight new shows aimed at women along with a host of licensed content from Hulu, Discovery, Fox News and others. Read more »
AOL has seen a ton of growth in its video properties over the last year, and is looking to bolster that part of its business even more, with a slate of web original content designed to capture viewer attention and steal TV ad dollars. Read more »
Since Kickstarter’s launch in 2009, 3,500 film and video projects have been funded by donors — over $35 million has been raised for documentaries, independent features and web series. But what is it about Kickstarter that works, and what should creators know before seeking out funds? Read more »
There is a subtle genius to the latest iteration of Lucas Cruikshank’s popular (in some circles) manic online personality. While FRED evolves as a cross-platform property, the new series Figgle Chat, directed by Bobby Miller, gives his haters someone to cheer for. Read more »
Vuguru is one of those rarities in the web content world — a company that has been actively financing and producing web content since 2007 without going out of business, thanks to Rogers Media funding and an approach to creating truly multiplatform content with an international focus. Read more »
Over the past few years, a lot has been made of “crowdsourcing” trends. It seem like everything — from graphic design and logos to funding — can be made better, faster, or cheaper thanks to crowd. But can crowdsourcing work for creative content? Read more »
If you’ve made one of the most popular films of all time on Hulu, what’s your next move? For writer Stevie Long and director/producer Joel Viertel, the answer was simple: Keep a good thing going. They’re making a series out of hit movie Strictly Sexual. Read more »
For Solo creator Jonathan Nail, producing his own web series was an opportunity to create a showcase for his acting. But after two years of hard work and thousands of dollars, he found that the rewards of independent production are not universal. Read more »
The Streamy Awards are returning for a third round sometime in 2012, thanks to a partnership with Dick Clark Productions, which wants to build the show into a franchise honoring web content. But after the failure of the 2010 awards, will the Streamys be welcomed back? Read more »
While this year’s Emmy nominees once again neglected to recognize any web originals, that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from enlisting Internet-originating content for adaptation. But is Rhett and Link hopping to IFC and Lisa Kudrow moving Web Therapy to Showtime good or bad for web series? Read more »
While canceled on broadcast TV, daytime soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live will continue to live on online. The strategy of distribution hasn’t been made clear yet, but the bigger question is: Will TV audiences follow those soaps online? Read more »
In what might be a first in the digital space, Break Media has signed web actress/writer/producer Taryn Southern to an overall first-look deal, and will work to not just strengthen her brand, but push it out on other platforms beyond the web. Read more »
Five years ago today, the first ever video of lonelygirl15 was published on YouTube. Back then, many YouTube users thought lonelygirl15 was just an average teenager — but the character was part of a scripted show, which eventually became the first major web series success story. Read more »
What happens in Vegas… may lead to new alliances between web series producers and CE makers: The IAWTV will be hosting its first awards show for web content makers conjunction with the 2012 Consumer Electronics show. It’s also the first post-Streamys awards show for IAWTV. Read more »
In the web series world, creators often rely on brands to get their content funded. But why do brands sign up for these series? And how do they measure their return on investment? We set out to find out. Read more »
Blip.tv has launched a redesigned site, seeking to become the destination for independent web series. While others host a mix of professional, semi-pro and UGC content, with the redesign Blip.tv is focusing solely on bringing out only the best series content made strictly for the web. Read more »
Suprnova.org used to be the Internet’s biggest torrent site, and it inspired countless others to start sites like The Pirate Bay and Mininova.org. We sat down with the site’s founder to talk about lessons learned from the past and his plans for Suprnova’s future. Read more »
In the web series world, success can be tough to define — for every Guild there’s the series that did help its creator land a more prominent gig, or led to a bigger deal. So what are some wins for the space? Read more »
A behind-the-scenes book detailing the production of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog has just been released, a few months shy of the seminal web series’ three-year anniversary. But looking back at the last few years, what did Joss Whedon’s “lark” really do for the web video world? Read more »
Revision3 published the first episode of its new weekly Lifehacker web series today, produced in cooperation with the popular Gawker blog. The show is just one attempt to tap new audiences, and Revision3′s Ryan Vance said shows targeting sports or car geeks could be next. Read more »
