A New Project: Bridesmaid #3

Stuart and I just got on board helping out with producing and assistant directing a romantic comedy short film called Bridesmaid #3. It’s been a while since I last ADed and even longer since I’ve worked on an independent film. In fact, I don’t think I’ve worked on a short film since September 12th, which was several years ago. But really, producing for low-budget film is very similar to producing for web series.

What’s really special about this project isn’t just that it’s well-written with a simple yet engaging story, though it always helps to enjoy the material you are working on, but how it is going about trying to put together funding for the project. Jessica Noboa, who is not only on the producing team but will also star in the film, has put together some fundraising events that are not only enjoyable but that take advantage of talents at her disposal and fit in with the theme of the film.

The first of two events is a Massage and Mimosa day. Jessica is a massuse and she is using those skills to provide a relaxing afternoon of inexpensive massages and free mimosas. I know I’ll be there and boy will my aching muscles thank me for it! And 100 percent of the proceeds go straight back into making the film.

The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) and My Family

My younger sister Kimberly is a member of the The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC). The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) supports women and family members battling the personal issues related to HPV and cervical cancer. HPV has affected my family and so my sister’s involvement in the organization is something I am extremely proud of and I try to support her in any way that I can.

Now is one of those times and you can help. The NCCC is holding an online auction to try to raise funds for their organization in order to broaden their abilities to be able to help even more individuals effected by this disease. Ninety percent of cervical cancer instances are caused by the HPV virus and THERE IS A VACCINE FOR IT. We have the capability to wipe out this virus and yet so many people are still so undereducated about it.

Celebrate the Web 2: A New Direction

I wanted to give everyone an update on how things are progressing with Celebrate the Web 2. An exciting new opportunity was brought to us for a fun new direction we can take the event to give us an exciting new way to celebrate at the same time keeping our core vision of opening up the celebration to as many people as possible.

Due to our extremely busy production schedules (we do after all not only love web content, Kim Evey and I are producers of it!) it became clear that we’d need to bring on some additional partners who were just as passionate (if not moreso) about the web community as we were to continue to take this event in the direction we’d envisioned it and keep the spirit of it fresh and exciting to the community. I had been approached several months ago by the fabulous and talented web community multi-hyphenates Stephanie Thorpe (Hurtling Through Space at an Alarming Rate, After Judgement, GOLD: Night of the Zombie King) and Taryn O’Neill (Hurtling Through Space at an Alarming Rate, After Judgement, Compulsions, Continuum) about helping to produce an event during the weekend of Comic Con in San Diego that would help fill the demand for more of a web series presence during the Con. Over the course of trying to plan both events, it became clear that we all had the same vision: one of giving fans and non-fans alike a chance to be exposed to and to celebrate the awesome web content that is being created by extremely talented individuals.

It became clear that the best way to make a truly unique and quality event would be to merge these two events into one, while keeping the strengths of what worked with Celebrate the Web (a relaxed atmosphere where fans and creators can come together, whether in person or online through livestreaming) while also celebrating the unique energy that exists during Comic Con and making a strong web presence there.

Celebrate the Web 2: How Do YOU Want Us To Celebrate?

The night of and day after the first Celebrate the Web event last April, Kim Evey and I faced a very obvious question: is that it? I don’t know who asked it to the other first or if it was ever actually vocalized…but the clear answer we both had was: heck no!

The next step was deciding when to do the next installment of the event. We didn’t want to do it too often and have it only become another mixer. Don’t get us wrong, we love a big mixer, but the networking and hanging out was just a small element of what we want this event to be. Celebrations are special occasions, that should be met with a sense of anticipation. At the same time, we also wanted to keep the amazing momentum of camaraderie and inspiration the first event generated. We all wanted to feel that good again!

So Kim and I came up with a compromise: we’d like to do the event quarterly, with our next event coming up on July 15th (more details to come!). Four events a year would allow us to feature even more Streamy Award winners and nominees leading up to next year’s award season. Our second event will feature 2009 in addition to 2010 Streamy Award winners.

IAWTV Town Hall Meeting – A Summary and Thoughts

The impetus for this blog entry was the fact that several IAWTV members had expressed disappointment at not being able to attend Wednesday night’s LA IAWTV Town Hall meeting. I quipped to Mercury Men and Captain Blasto creator Chris Preska that I would be his secretary and take notes for him (did you get your bagel yet, Chris?). During the actual meeting, I would periodically check my Twitter feed, just to see if there were any thoughts being posted about the meeting…and overwhelmingly, I saw members of the web entertainment community with a desire for information about what was being discussed. Some responded with comedy (yes, Milowent, it indeed WAS announced that you will be the next host of the Streamy Awards), some came with honest and important questions that they hoped someone in the room would read and get addressed by the Board.

This proved to me that there is a great need for the discussions and issues brought up in these meetings to make their way out into the internet community at large. It is not enough that we call for transparency within the IAWTV itself, but it needs to flow outward and beyond us. Michael Wayne, current Chairman of the IAWTV, was very clear in saying that the Board of Directors of the IAWTV is only there to serve the IAWTV as a whole. I think it is equally important to distinguish that the IAWTV in turn serves the entire internet community as a whole and we have a responsibility to them, just as the Board of Directors does to the IAWTV.

Definitions of Rebuilding

I have been contemplating this post since I went to lunch today and came back to find things had seemed to go topsy-turvy for the umpteenth time in the last several weeks. Mostly I was contemplating if I would put something up at all. If anyone has noticed, my style isn’t normally to [...]

Post-Streamy Winners Get-Together and Celebration: Additional Details

Additional details about the Post-Streamy Celebration happening Thursday night.

Post-Streamy Winners Get Together and Celebration Thursday, April 15th

In response to a Streamy Awards ceremony that felt like it didn’t serve to fully honor the very deserving winners in all areas of web entertainment, Kim Evey (producer of The Guild) and myself have decided to put together an informal gathering of as many of the winners as are available this Thursday, April 15th for an evening of celebration. We have asked each winner to speak for 1 – 2 minutes on their creation and what working in web video means to them, why they love working in web video, as well as sharing thoughts on the issue of net neutrality, which effects our industry as a whole.

This is not about airing out greviences about the Streamy Awards ceremony, it is about celebrating those who were chosen by their peers as the best representations of web video in a variety of categories.

Musings on FYC, OR: Battle Royale – Streamys Edition

I have the ultimate solution to this problem: each web series nominated should select a representative who will fight in a battle royale. Last one left alive wins.

Jenni Bumps in the Night

There is nothing quite like a sexually suggestive title, is there? I assure you, for the most part, this entry with stay PG…or at the most PG-13.
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of picking up producing duties on the web series Bumps in the Night, which on our Facebook Page is listed as [...]