2009 in Review: September

Darn, back to 10 photos for September 2009's review. That's okay, a few of you have asked for more photos, so you are definitely accommodated in this entry. I bit off more than I could chew for September. Take a closer look.......

So, I know I have a month long gig in Dallas ahead of me, so we decide to renovate our home. Most of the renovations happen while I am out of town, but packing in this mess wasn't easy.

So while the renovations are driving everyone at home nuts, I spend my days on an outdoor entertainment stage with a JumboTron at the State Fair of Texas. Turns out to be the wettest fair they have ever had.

Before I left though, we had to shoot The Web Files episodes. In fact, we had to stockpile the episodes in order to get through 6 weeks due to my travel schedule. Here is the cast and crew of one of 2009's most anticipated web series, Compulsions. Episode: Compulsions.

Ah, Tim Street. We freaked people out when he took his glasses off for the interview. This episode remains one of the most informative for the web community that we have ever shot for The Web Files. If you missed the episode, check it out here: Tim Street.

I really enjoyed shooting this episode with Dirty Bomb Diaries in a utility closet at an emergency supply company. Seriously, have you ever shot an episode in a closet? Sandra did a great job with set dressing this one. Rumor has it that there is a Season 2 coming your way in 2010. Episode: Dirty Bomb Diaries.

Showbizzle creators, Charles and Lindsey Rosin. A father/daughter team in the web space, but I have to admit, I was a bit excited to hear the 90210 gossip from the Brenda years. Charles kindly answered my questions off-camera and he delivered with some juicy stories. Episode: Showbizzle.

Somewhere in between all of this madness of Dallas and The Web Files, I found time to fly to Atlanta and work with one of my regular corporate clients, LG Electronics, at the CEDIA convention.

Two NYU alums get into a room to discuss Web TV! Go Violets! Marc Ostrick of eGuiders and I had a good time reminiscing about the old days in the Village when NY was truly dirty and delicious. Episode: eGuiders.

Another one of the most anticipated shows of 2009, The Cabonauts. With a cast including Nichelle Nichols and Hayden Black, I must carryover my anticipation to 2010. Episode: The Cabonauts.

On the set with Asa Shumskas-Tait and Rick Castañeda for the show Coma, Period. We had a blast running through the halls on their little go-karts and a rematch is set for 2010. Episode: Coma,Period.
So, there you go, September in 10 photos. October will be filled with lots of rain, mud, and some more rain and a side of mud. See you tomorrow!

The Web Files: Psychic Bunny

Phew! Quick turnaround on this episode. We usually have more episodes banked, so I often have to think really hard about all of the details of what went on behind the scenes. Not here though! It was only a week ago that we sat with the creators of Coma, Period, Rick Castañeda and Asa Shumskas-Tait. It was one of the hottest days in LA since the city was recovering from a weekend of fires in the San Gabriel Valley. The tough thing about any set is not being able to run the air conditioner, add the high temperatures, and you have an on set oven. So, temperature aside, I was really curious to find out about a web series that had tremendous buzz beginning back in April 2009 thanks to Tubefilter.
What's behind the door at Psychic Bunny? A lot of creativity. The four founders of Psychic Bunny met at USC and they do it all from start to finish, pre to post-production. Recently launched within the production company is their creative content banner, Lead Balloon. Lead Balloon is also the division that launched the web series, Coma, Period, and after looking at their production board, there is a lot more to come. You can actually catch a glimpse of that board in the interview. We didn't zoom in on in too closely....lots of secrets up there. Sssshhhhhh.......

I think the one thing that stands out in my mind with this episode is how methodical they were in creating this series. From the inception of the idea to the execution of the series to the distribution deal, Rick and Asa really made careful and smart decisions. Even when creating that stark, white background look for the series, they researched other shows that had done something similar. They knew what worked and they what didn't work. They knew they wanted to shoot it on green screen and create the stark, white look versus shooting on a white background which created more of a glowing background. I really enjoyed hearing how they went through this process because it is a call to web content creators to plan with the same detail that you would with a film or TV series. Web series may be a more affordable format, but it requires the same attention to production values. This won't be the last time I mention attention to detail. The quality of writing a web series comes up in my interview with Hayden Black/The Cabonauts and he also has some strong (and helpful) opinions on this topic.

Finally, those little go-karts (I have no idea what they are really called) are a blast! They are used in Coma, Period, but I was thrilled I was able to race Rick down the hallway despite my poor wardrobe choice. A dress and a go-kart are not the best idea. He did let me win, but if I had worn something more appropriate, I would have won anyway. Ha! I think that is a challenge for a rematch, I like the competitive spirit.

So keep your eye on Psychic Bunny, we will be hearing more from this talented group in the future....web series, movies, and more! Check out Coma, Period here: Strike.tv

PS Thank you to Rick for having a Tilde on his last name. It gave me a new computer skill, I know how to work the Tilde on a Mac now!

Check out the Psychic Bunny episode here: Coma, Period.

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