Tubefilter News

The International Academy of Web Television will be celebrating it’s first birthday next month. Looking back over the past year in web television, it’s exciting to see how much the world of online entertainment has grown, and even more exciting to catch a glimpse into its very promising future. As a community driven membership organization, composed of the leaders and pioneers of the online entertainment industry, the IAWTV is an important piece of the web television ecosystem — but its work is only just beginning, and it’s looking to expand its ranks.

On October 19, at the Digital Hollywood conference in Los Angeles, the Academy held its inaugural membership meeting and hosted a broad-ranging conversation about the issues facing our emerging industry. A subsequent New York based meeting for prospective members will be held tomorrow, November 18th in Manhattan.

As Streamy Awards season edges closer, the IAWTV has formally launched its annual Membership application window, which extends through January 15. If you have considered applying for membership, now is the time to submit your application. As newly appointed IAWTV Chairman, Michael Wayne, said in his letter to the membership, the IAWTV “will only be as good as the collective efforts of its members. So, if you are truly interested in helping us build the IAWTV into a world-class organization, here is your opportunity.”

Today, I am happy to announce that Tubefilter, Inc. has agreed to acquire New York City based web television news and events business,Tilzy.TV, LLC. This is an important day for Tubefilter, and an important day for the web television community. This acquisition not only strengthens Tubefilter’s core competencies as a news and information business, but also positions us to capitalize on the impending period of growth in the online entertainment industry. As part of this transition, we have named appointed a new management team: Brady Brim-DeForest (CEO), Jamison Tilsner (COO), Drew Baldwin (SVP, Product), Joshua Cohen (CIO), and Marc Hustvedt (SVP, EIC Tubefilter News).

No one said monetizing web television in 2009 would be easy — after all, traditional television revenue models are falling flat in this down economy too. Whether it’s an advertising rev-share with a web television network, a product integration deal, or a flat out sponsorship, the truth is, web television shows still haven’t found their legs when it comes to braving the Sea of Monetization. Which is what makes the impending release of Felicia Days’ The Guild on DVD so fascinating.

Big brands have to make bold moves to defend their position in the market and McDonald’s, one of the biggest brands in the world, is no exception. In September the world’s largest fast food chain launched its first ever web series, The Reality House Show, an animated series following the goings-on at a fictional Real World-style beach house, populated by a tawdry cast of tried but true reality genre caricatures, and pumped full of integrated product (just like Vitamin Water in Ashton Kutcher’s BlahGirls). But now the show, which has racked up less than 1,400 views on YouTube at the time of publication, has all but disappeared from the net.

Back in 2007, McDonald’s and its interactive agency of record Tribal DDB Worldwide wanted to launch a new campaign focused on attracting the coveted 18-34 year old demographic to eat on the cheap from it’s Dollar Menu. So they created Paul, the Dollar Menunaire. Reminiscent of a character you would find on Cartoon Network’s late night Adult Swim, Paul lived in his parent’s basement, and sustained himself exclusively on, you guessed it, McDonald’s Dollar Menu items.

You Suck at Photoshop creators Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch have struck gold (literally) a second time with the launch of their newest series, Agency of Record, which can be found on both My Damn Channel and Adobe.tv. The series, which launched November 21st, stars Bledsoe andHitch, themselves veterans of the advertising world, in the roles of Dave and Rick, farcical caricatures of agency ACDs (Associate Creative Directors for those not in the know) who lead their team to near disaster in the show’s first episode. Chock-full of industry jargon, and co-starring comedian Briana Hansen in the role of starry-eyed interactive designer Sierra, Agency of Record plays up the ludicrous stereotypes associated with the cadre of characters that inhabit the hallowed halls of your typical agency.

While the show pays homage to industry luminary David Olgivy through the guise of WTF Worldwide’s Bernie Olglethorpe, a ridiculously out-of-touch boss who holds meetings in Second Life and enforces impossible deadlines (twenty concepts for a creative campaign by tomorrow morning!), it also pays him the ultimate compliment by heeding his best advice word-for-word: “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.” And that is precisely what Bledsoe and Hitch have done.

When Christopher Preksta set out to make a movie in 2003, I don’t think he ever would have imagined recutting it as a web series nearly three years after it’s initial release. Originally shot in and around Pittsburgh, PA for a modest budget of $7,000, Captain Blasto (the series) launched last June, a scant month-and-a-half before the sitebusting debut of Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible. Outside of the eerily familiar costuming (why do villain’s always have to wear lab coats?), and the fact that both shows fall smack dab into the middle of the popular super-hero genre, Captain Blasto and Dr. Horrible have very little in common, and unlike the doctor, Blasto never quite found its audience online (it pulled in a total of twelve-thousand cumulative views on YouTube), despite coverage in io9 and a whole slew of other outlets.

The series, whose finale went live on Nov. 10, follows the exploits of 18 year old Colin Carter (played by Preksta), student by day and super-hero (Captain Blasto!) by night. He pulls together a rag-tag group of janitors, stressed out computer programmers, electricians and other n’er do wells (played by Aaron Kleiber, Curt Wootton, Mark Tierno, Sam Nicotero, Christopher Hammel, Mike Dirocco), and launches a crime spree the likes of which his small Pennsylvanian town has never seen. The catch? Captain Blasto uses the heists as an excuse to publicly display his crime fighting prowess.

Getting a big break in the Hollywood is a dream come true for most aspiring young actors, directors and producers. Interns Anonymous profiles six such hopefuls in this cheerfully funky appropriation of the perennial coming-of-age story.

The pilot gets off on the right foot with a strong if somewhat goofy opening (in one scene an intern randomly has a cup of water thrown in her face by a passing motorist) – but it does little other than introduce the characters, and doesn’t hint at a larger story arc or plot line. The interns, Ronda, Mesha, Payton, Alex, Donnie, and Lee, appear one dimensional on screen – but the ensemble nature of the cast means that ultimately, this probably won’t matter. Played by a cadre of young talent led by Amy Lawhorn (Ronda), the multi-ethnic ensemble is obviously very green — but that doesn’t so much take away from the show as add to it’s charm.

The series is slated for 10 episodes in its first season, and is currently self-distributed on a variety of platforms including AOL Video, Funny of Die, Vimeo, and YouTube — although with luck, that won’t be the case for much longer. Sources close to the deal tell us that Creative Holiday Productions is in talks with ICN, and that release of further episodes will be delayed until a deal is finalized — most likely early in 2009.

I still remember the first time I saw George A. Romero’s Creepshow – it freaked the bejezzes out of me. The re-imagined adaptation, Creepshow: Raw, helmed by Wilmer Valderrama of That 70s Show fame, promises to do the same. Today’s release of the much anticipated trailer has only confirmed our best suspicions: it’s going to be bloody, disgusting, and oh so creepy.

The series has been been generating some serious buzz over the last couple of months, with exclusive footage captured on set back in August, as well as a very active rumor mill covering the latest in all things Creepshow crisscrossing the blogosphere. The series isn’t light on star power either. Wendi Mclendon-Covey (Reno 911!) plays opposite Michael Madsen (Resevoir Dogs) – neither of whom are strangers to web television. Mclendon-Covey launched her own series, GILF, on 60Frames last winter, and Madsen headlined WIMO’s heavily promoted Crackle series COMA early this summer. Outside of their apparent obsession with fully capitalized series titles, Madsen and Mclendon bring their very real acting chops to the table for Valderrama’s directorial debut.