The Great Cupcake Caper

I received a knock on my door today to find half a dozen cupcakes greeting me from Crumbs Bake Shop.  Anyone that hangs out with me or follows me around the internet knows that I love cupcakes.  The note read "Get Well Soon, Matthew".  Hmmmm, no last name and no indication of which Matt in my life it was from.  I sent a text to my co-host of Toyota Live, called my Paris pal, Crabby, and I started to formulate an email to my cousin in Chicago.  I put a photo and tweet out on Twitter and on Facebook and the culprit was found!  A big thanks to Mathieas AKA Matthew for my Crumbs Cupcakes.  I already feel better after downing a ginormous Red Velvet cupcake.  As you can see, the cupcake never stood a chance:

Behind the Scenes of The Web Files Buzz, Episode 6

In this episode of The Web Files, it's all about TheWB.com.  We were lucky enough to spend the morning there interviewing both Jace Hall with his new show, Chadam, and the cast and creator of EXPOSED.  Even though I have lived in LA for ten years, I still get giddy when I pull up onto any studio lot.  I never had designs on an acting career, but I love the allure of a studio lot where all of the Hollywood magic occurs.  We pulled up and unloaded the gear onto the requisite studio golf cart and off to Jace Hall's HD Films we go!

If you haven't met Jace before, he is tall-not like kind of tall, like super tall. We had to balance out the height difference on the chairs by stuffing pillows under and behind the cushions I was sitting on.  Once we established a normal eye line for the interview, we were off and running to talk about Chadam, a fantastical animated series with the classic tale of good versus evil.  With an impressive list of voice actors like Katey Sagal, Carl Weathers, and Jeffrey Coombs, bringing the characters to life, Chadam offers a new perspective to animation on the web.  Be sure to follow Jace on his blog because he has a robust slate of web and television projects from his production company, HD Films. (Especially for you V fans, he's the Executive Producer.)

Next up, a long awaited series and interview with Streamy Award winning director, Blake Calhoun about his new series, EXPOSED.  This was our first interview on The Web Files via Skype.  Technically, the Skype interview worked well, but I am still waiting for even more resolution on a Skype connection.  If it looks a bit muddy on Oprah's show, well, it's definitely going to on our end too, but I think it worked out with our two-camera shot on the Skype interview.  In the interview, Blake made some great points about working with local actors and creating work outside of the "LA web series bubble".  It can be done and with success, it is just a matter of creating a piece that has tight writing, high production value, and the momentum to get noticed.  I know it isn't easy, but Blake is a great example of working outside the Hollywood structure.      
                                           
We also had a chance to talk to Chase Jeffrey and Kimberly Matula about their experiences in working with Blake.  They each are a part of Calhoun's stable of actors, so you will see them in other series like Pink and in his upcoming film, Spilt Milk.  Poor Kimberly got stuck in massive LA traffic when an oil rig overturned on the 134, but like a trooper she plowed through and gave us a great interview about EXPOSED.  And if you are a soap fan, you can catch Kimberly playing Hope Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful.  

For more information on this episode, check out the article written by Mathieas McNaughton:  Tubefilter

To catch this episode of The Web Files Buzz, watch below:

The Web Files in the News: October

There has been some fantastic news in the web series world and we are so excited by the leaps and bounds content producers are making in the industry. It thrills me when I hear that shows we have interviewed are gaining the recognition they deserve. So, we are happy to throw our continued support to:

1. The cast and creators of The Crew for not only launching Season 2 yesterday, but for securing an exclusive deal with Babelgum.. I truly appreciate this cast and the show's creator, Brett Register, because they were one of our first interviews when we were launching The Web Files. Be sure to check out our interview with them and our behind the scenes look: Interview and Behind the Scenes.

2. More good news abounds with the cast of Oz Girl. Nick Carlton just inked a distribution deal with Virgin's V Australia as a part of their on-demand in-flight entertainment for Oz Girl. Nick also launched his own digital media/entertainment studio in Melbourne called
Carlton Digital. This 19-year-old truly is a forced to be reckoned with. You can find our Web Files interview here and the behind the scenes of the shoot here. Many thanks to Marc Hustvedt at Tubefilter for linking to our interview in his feature piece on Nick's breaking news:
Tubefilter.

3. One of my favorite people, Mathieas McNaughton, continues to be one of our greatest champions. He featured our episode with the amazing Tim Street on his blog:
LG15 Today.

4. Finally, a new friend to The Web Files is Larry Kless who kindly picked our Tim Street interview as his "Web Video Pick of the Week". I think Tim's interview has resonated with many web series producers and new media creators, so I am thrilled that this episode of The Web Files is gaining attention. Thanks, Larry. Check out the article here: Kless Blog.

Thank you for all of your support. We will continue to bring you the latest in-depth interviews with established and up-and-coming talent in the web series world. Get ready for Wednesday, we have Hayden Black with his upcoming series, The Cabonauts!

Our supporters!

Just a quick update while I catch up on the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy and wonder who will be in or out on Project Runway. (By the way, do you not love Models of the Runway this season? Genius idea, Lifetime, genius!) All I have to say is, "Go, Christopher Straub"! He was a colleague of mine when I worked as a network host for ShopNBC. Oh, you didn't know I was a home shopping host in my former life, did you? :)

I cannot thank Mathieas McNaughton enough. His unparalleled support of The Web Files is beyond appreciated. His comments on the episodes make me laugh--whether it is a couch that is too small or his appreciation for my hat obsession. (By the way, Mathieas, I have another hat coming for you in our Cabonauts episode.) So, to support him and his daily features on the web series community, bookmark his blog: LG15 Today

Also, I wish there was a way to show my appreciation for Blip.tv. They consistently support our show and you can often find the latest episode of The Web Files on their home page as a part of their "Featured Episodes". Tom Reynolds was an early cheerleader for The Web Files and the exposure we have gained on their site is immeasurable. So, take the time to visit our friends over at Blip.tv and stop by The Web Files while you are at it: The Web Files.

The Web Files in the News.......

I love featuring new and veteran shows for The Web Files because I know how important it is to get the word in the cluttered interwebs. Happily, I know we heard from viewers that they have discovered new shows and websites because of the content we are presenting. So, it is always nice when the tables are turned and we are featured. Here are two articles that recently talked about The Web Files:

1. Mathieas McNaughton is doing a great service to all web series with interviews, articles, scoop, and previews of upcoming shows with his blog, LG15 Today. You will find highlights of Episode 11 of The Web Files with eGuiders' CEO, Marc Ostrick on Mathieas' site: LG15 Today

2. Casting Director, Bonnie Gillespie, continues to write for Showfax in a column called "The Actors Voice". She kindly showcased The Web Files as a part of the "Self-Produced Clip of the Week" in this week's column and our editor, Perry Payne, received a nice mention on his editing work for the show. Check it out here: The Actors Voice.

Thanks to Mathieas and Bonnie for helping us get the word out about The Web Files. We appreciate it!

The Web Files Weekly Update

Hanging with Hayden before the interview......

A very Barbra Walters set-up. Did I make Marc cry? Find out soon.......

Shhh....What's behind the Psychic Bunny door? You'll find out on Wednesday!

The Web Files team was incredibly busy with interviews with some top web movers and shakers. Part of the reason for the craziness is my travel schedule....Atlanta, Vegas, and Dallas all in the next 5 weeks. Phew! We want to make sure we continue to bring new episodes to you each Wednesday, so we are banking a few interviews in The Web Files vault.

The week started out with the Psychic Bunny crew on the eve of their web series launch for Coma, Period on Strike.tv. It was a hot day, but it was even hotter two days later with the cast of The Cabonauts. Hayden Black hosted us in the secret location of Salford Studios where The Cabonauts was filmed. I sat in the cab, so I feel kind of like the cool kid for being allowed to do that. Finally, Friday brought us to the world headquarters of eGuiders with Co-Founder, Marc Ostrick, a fellow NYU grad. Go Violets! We are taking this week off from shooting, but we will come back with a vengeance the following week with Showbizzle, Dirty Bomb Diaries, This Week in YouTube, and Compulsions. Exciting line-up, right?

In other news, we have had a terrific response to this week's episode including write-ups from Mathieas McNaughton over at LG15 Today and Michelle Denise Norton from Lonelypond. Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it!

Only two more days before we show you a behind the scenes look at the offices of Psychic Bunny, so catch up with The Web Files and Episode 9 and then head on over to MYMHM with Juan, Lee, and me as we discuss one of my favorite Oscar-winning performances, Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce. See their show here: MYMHM. Happy viewing, we will see all of you on Wednesday!

The Web Files interview: Episode 9

The Buzz

Here we are 8 weeks into The Web Files and the show has grown quicker than we ever imagined. We appreciate all of the support from the web series community. We hope to serve you well in our upcoming shows. Here's some of the buzz on The Web Files:

1. Named a "Web Series to Watch" by Jeff Elwell: Web Series 2 Watch.

2. One of my favorite Web Files supporters, Mathieas McNaughton, who kindly posts our show on his blog each week. Find out about short couches and a Christina Applegate reference: LG15 Today.

3. There's nothing like a happy talent, so thank you to Shanrah Wakefield for our shout out in her blog this week: Shanrah Wakefield.

4. Finally, we wouldn't have an Episode 8 without the show, Oz Girl. I'm telling you now, this cast and crew are going places. Make sure you are following the careers of Sophie Tilson, Shaun Crawford, Shanrah Wakefield, and Nicholas Carlton. You can find all of their Oz Girl work here: Oz Girl.

So, if you have had fun with us the past 8 weeks, I think you will truly enjoy our Fall offerings. We have some big names and series coming your way.