Travel Time: 4 Webseries From The Road

Happy Father’s Day! This picture of my Dad and I is a sneak peak of a future Big Bother episode (Though it’s quite a ways off). We’re on a brief Mid-Season 2 hiatus right now, but we'll be returning with new episodes in July. In June, the BB trailer was screened at the Stay Tuned TV awards. We didn’t win, but saw some great webseries. For this month’s BBlog, we’re kicking off vacation season with a tour of WebTV’s travel shows. We’re leaving scripted shows behind, for the first time, and traveling through Los Angeles, California, across the globe and beyond (You’ll see).

My Way or the Highway

You may be able to enjoy the first travel series with out even leaving your city. In My Way or the Highway, car enthusiast Joe Neuburger attempts to cross a different town every episode using only the highways. Green traveler Chad Rock attempts the same feat using only, you guessed it – public transportation. Producers Neuburger and Rock, along with producer Joe Stockman, are planning trips to New York, Seattle, Chicago and maybe even your town. Check out the first episode to see who will win – the green guy or the gas guzzler – as they take on their first challenge – Los Angeles.

Gettin Outta Town

When you’re ready to breach the L.A. city limits, you’re ready for Gettin Outta Town. "Daycations" are the travel topic for creator Venetia Pristavec, who co-hosts the show with Matthew Anderson. Join them for a day in Solvang, a Danish community where you can take a tandem bike ride and visit the Hans Christian Anderson Museum. Their Julian tour includes a gold hunt, a horseback ride and homemade apple pie. Or, accompany them to Santa Ynez for wine tasting, berry-picking and a mini-horse ranch. Associate Producers Michael Siegel and Corina Garcia help assure that every destination is a delight.

The Peregrine Dame

When you’re ready to go abroad, you just might be ready for The Peregrine Dame. Creator, producer and host Rachel Parsons is a one-woman travel documentarian. In Australia, she hikes Uluru (Ayers Rock), takes in a Sydney opera and camps in the Outback. In India, she explores the Gandhi Memorial and the Red Fort, but is also unafraid of visiting the not-so-scenic side of town. In Israel, she visits a Jerusalem bazaar, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western (Wailing) Wall (As well as the catacombs beneath it). Other destinations include Italy, California and a soon-to-be-taken African safari.

SOLO

If traveling around the globe isn’t enough for you, then you’re ready for the ultimate destination … Mars. OK, this last selection is a joke, as travel shows go. But it’s legit for web comedy. SOLO is the tale of Scott Drizhal (creator, writer and star Jonathan Nail), who is on his way to Mars as a reality TV show star. He leaves behind wife Becks (Michelle Boyd from The Guild) for the sole company of his ship’s computer, PHAL9000 (Jason Burns). Everything is going according to plan for the solo explorer … until his TV show is cancelled.

Women of WebTV: 4 Webseries From Female Filmmakers

Big Bother: Season 2 is in full swing -- six housemates down, nine to go. May marked the half-way point for our webseries. Fifteen of the thirty episodes are now online for your viewing enjoyment. Also this month, the BB trailer was nominated for a Stay Tuned TV award (Winners will be revealed in June) and we released the BB Cinco de Mayo special. May also brings us Mother's Day. To honor the feminine holiday, this edition of the BBlog features four female-created webseries. Though they aren't necessarily mothers, these ladies have each created their own babies in WebTV.

Life With Kat & McKay

We begin with creator Sandra J. Payne’s romantic comedy about a struggling actor who falls in love with a successful young woman. When McKay (Paul Haitkin) proposes to Kat (Jenna Finley), it looks like they'll live happily ever after ... until we meet their families. Kat's power broker Dad (Jim Garrity) is less than thrilled with McKay’s chances of success. The only person less happy with the relationship is McKay's Mom (Belinda Dunn), who sees no use for a woman who can't cook. Payne wrote, directed and produced KoldCast's Life With Kat & McKay and also directs and produces The Web Files.

Private High Musical

Creator Taryn Southern (from Sorority Forever) wrote our next selection, Private High Musical (Think High School Musical with sex, drugs and talent). Southern plays Sandra Smith, the awkward new girl joining the class of Mr. Johnson (Dennis Haskins from Saved By The Bell). Her classmates include WebTV regulars Craig Frank and Angie Cole (Both from The Crew and A Good Knight’s Quest) as well as several faces from Southern’s upcoming project, Taken: Among the Stars, including Lauren C. Mayhew, Mark Hapka, Jeff D’Agostino, Brett A. Newton and Katy Stoll (Look for BB’s Justin Marchert in Taken as well J).

Damsels & Dragons

The 2010 Streamy Awards brought a night of surprises – some of them were even planned. You may recall the two beauties who opened the show by trying to kill each other. That was just a taste of the feminine fighting in Damsels & Dragons. Creators/producers April Wade and America Young, along with writer Eric Campbell, bring the RPG webseries to new heights with Live Action Role Playing. Every episode, the Game Master (Wade) leads the femme fatales into a fantasy adventure. The group includes a Cleric (Mirai Booth-Ong), Warrior (Kelly Lloyd), Wizard (Shaifali Ratti), Thief (May Zayan) and of course a Monster (Young).

Groupthink

Ever participate in a market research study? Did that study require you to rub yourself down with a product that caused scratching, scarring, bruising and mild constipation? If so, you may be a victim of Groupthink (I mean a “productitioner” of Groupthink). This office comedy is created, written, directed, produced by and stars Angela Espinosa and Wendy Rosoff (both from Goodnight Burbank). Market research partners Cynthia (Espinosa) and Pilar (Rosoff) are less concerned with their work and more concerned with where to get highlights afterward. The duo reprise their roles for The Temp Life: Season 4 episode, Cynthia and Pilar.

Streamy Winners: 4 Webseries That Took the Trophy

At long last, we’re thrilled to announce the release of Big Bother: Season 2. The first episodes are already live at www.BigBotherShow.com. Look for a new one every Thursday this spring. If you’ve been watching, you know that blood is shed in the first five minutes. Season 2 will bring more violence, more love affairs, and of course, more laughs. In the afterglow of this month’s Streamy Awards (WebTV awards) this month’s BBlog is dedicated to a selection of Streamy Winners (See past BBlog posts for many winners and nominees who have already been covered (The Guild, Blue Movies, Valemont, GOLD, Compulsions, etc.).

The Bannen Way

The biggest winner of the night was SONY/Crackle’s The Bannen Way, which took awards for best drama, director, editing and male in a drama series. The film-like style of Bannen has been redefining what webseries are capable of offering since its release last year. Writers Mark Gantt and Jesse Warren (also the director) draw us into a slick underworld of fast cars and dangerous dealings. Neil Bannen (Gantt) is prepared to leave the criminal lifestyle … after one last job, of course. Rounding out the cast are veteran actors Vanessa Marcil, Michael Ironside, Robert Forster and Michael Lerner.

Between Two Ferns With Zack Galifianakis

Do you remember the worst public access show you ever saw? It was probably very close to Between Two Ferns. Don’t think this is a rip on creator and Streamy best comedic male actor winner Zack Galifianakis. The Hangover actor successfully portrays the worst local cable host ever. He knows exactly what questions his guests are tired of hearing … and then asks them. Some guests who have had the misery of joining him include Charlize Theron, Jimmy Kimmel and a very disgruntled Ben Stiller. Between Two Ferns is written by Galifianakis and Scott Aukerman, directed by Auckerman and Ruben Fleischer and won the Streamy for Best Comedy Series.

Odd Jobs

The Streamy award for best new webseries (A coveted category when the majority of webseries are new) went to OddJobNation's Odd Jobs. Creator/writer/director Jeremy Redleaf plays Nate Brooks, a recently fired New York yuppy. To make matters worse, his fiancee Cassie (Alex Daddario from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) is planning the wedding of the century. Enter roommate Joe (Devin Ratray from Surrogates) who introduces Neil to the lucrative world of -- you guessed it -- odd jobs. The show goes beyond entertainment by providing viewers with recession news, career advice and even job postings at OddJobNation.com.

Agents of Cracked

Possibly the biggest surprise of the evening went to Cracked.com's Agents of Cracked -- not surprising because Agents is undeserving, but because it was up against some of the oldest and most successful webseries out there -- The Legend of Neil, Dorm Life, Elevator, etc. Agents is a look at what life is like for the editors of a comedy website -- but in buddy cop show form. Agent Michael (Swain) is coping with the tragic loss of his (8th) partner when he's paired up with Agent Dan (O'Brien). Agents is Cracked.com's first original webseries and was created by Swain, O'Brien and Abe Epperson.

College Shows: 4 Webseries That Make the Grade

Who has great hair, a winning personality, and is willing to take on any other project rather than complete the editing of Big Bother: Season 2? Justin Marchert – that’s who. For my latest project, I created a demo interview reel (with the help of Carly Jones, Jeff Williams and Max Glick) for my submission in the Red Carpet Host the Streamy Awards contest. Check it out and vote daily through April 2nd at http://www.gotcast.com/Marchert . BTW, the release of BB season 2 will be … soon (If we announce a timeline, the terrorists win). And now, the March Bblog category: College shows.

Dorm Life

Our college edition begins on the notorious dorm floor – 5 South. With the exception of writer Mark Stewart Iverson, Dorm Life’s creators are all regulars in the show: Chris W. Smith and Jordan Riggs play college students Mike and Daniel, Jim Brandon and Jack DeSena play party animals “Gopher” and Shane, and Brian Singleton and Jessie Gaskell take charge of the floor in a good cop/bad cop relationship as Marshall and Steph (Steph’s floor-bonding ideas include “Temporary Tattoo-sday”). Dorm Life is also up for an audience choice Streamy Award. Cast your vote here.

Sorority Forever

We move from college comedy to the darker side of campus in the WB's Sorority Forever. Directors Doug Cheney, Chris Hampel, Chris McCaleb and Ryan Wise (Collectively known as Big Fantastic) and executive producer McG bring us the exclusive sorority, Phi Chi Kappa. Here, freshman Julie (Jessica Rose from Lonelygirl15) tries to fit in with seemingly confident sorority girls like Taryn (Taryn Southern from Private High Musical), Naomi (Angie Cole from The Crew) and Rachel (Annemarie Pazmino from Compulsions). But with the help of the mysterious Joaquin (Joaquin Pastor), Julie soon learns that Phi Chi Kappa holds secrets she could never imagine.

Valemont

If the secrets and scandals of Phi Chi Kappa aren’t enough for you, then perhaps you’re seeking MTV’s gothic horror, Valemont. Creators Christian Taylor and Brent Friedman introduce us to Sophie Gracen (Kristen Hager), who enrolls at Valemont University in hopes of learning how her brother Eric (Eric Balfour from 24) was brutally killed. Things quickly get creepy when she sneaks into the fraternity house of horror. Sophie’s crazy new roommate, Poppy (Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray) turns out to be the sanest one on this campus of supernatural surprises. Valemont was nominated for six Streamy Awards, including best drama and best writing.

Sex Ed

We return to college comedy/drama with Koldcast’s Sex Ed. Professor Alison Trevase (Joanna Cassidy, whose extensive credits include Blade Runner) has decided to teach her students a thing or two about sex – without the textbook. Creator Ernie Vecchione and director Tamela D’Amico bring us a class of students whose sexual experience varies … greatly. Dean (Matt Barr) knows “a lot about lovin’ but little ‘bout love.” Kate (Andrea Lui) must learn to overcome her self-consciousness. Al (Andra Fuller) seems the most out of place, with no intention of having sex before marriage. Cassidy is nominated for a Streamy for best actor.

Vloggers: 4 Webseries From the Feminine POV

Happy (Early) Valentine’s Day! The big news this month is Big Bother’s IMDb acceptance. Check it out at IMDb.com. Note: most of the cast and crew members aren't posted yet, but will be appearing in good time. Also, big thank-you's to all of the fans who submitted us for Streamy nominations in January. Keep your fingers crossed. For Valentine’s month, we originally intended to BBlog about “Romance Webseries.” But it turns out there just aren’t enough of them (yet). So we decided to cover the next best thing – lonely girls looking for love – the vlog shows.

Lonelygirl15

The granddaddy of all webseries, Lonelygirl15 launched in 2006 and acquired an immediate and loyal following. Lead character Bree (Jessica Rose from Sorority Forever) was believed to be a real teen vlogger. When the truth was revealed, fans were forgiving. The “reveal” also gave creators Mesh Flinders, Miles Beckett, Greg Goodfried and Amanda Goodfried the opportunity to shift the show into much more exciting directions. Bree turned out to possess a biological trait which put her on the run with characters like Daniel (Yousef Abu-Taleb), Jonas (Jackson Davis) and Spencer (Maxwell Glick). International “LG15 Spinoffs” include KateModern, N1ckola and the latest, Outbreak.

With the Angels

Our next selection is Strike.tv’s more down-to-earth vlog show, With the Angels. Taffy (Jamie Tisdale) has just moved from Arkansas to California with dreams of filmmaking. Creator Mary Feuer shows us that Taffy is not an instant match with the Hollywood lifestyle. She feels much safer with the camera between her and Venice residents like Andy (Rene Alvarado), Clay (Timothy Lee DePriest) and Miranda (Kay Ostrenko). Two of her new friends, Trey and Ashley, are Lonelygirl15 alums, Sean Vincent Biggins and Carly Jones. Listen to Jones as the voice of Kiki Bonjour this spring in Big Bother: Season 2.

Oz Girl

We head across the Pacific from California to Australia for our next selection, Oz Girl. Sadie (Sophie Tilson) has just moved from the countryside to the big city of Melbourne (Sound familiar?). There, she reunites with cousin and fashionista Megan (Shanrah Wakefield, who guest starred in The Guild). But their friendship is soon splintered by a love triangle with Aussie barrista George (Richard Askin). Creator/director Nicholas Carlton and writers Tilson and Lisa Bedwell prove that love, betrayal, ambition and other elements of the American soap story are just as prevalent in the land down under.

Abigail’s Teen Diary

And now for something completely different. Abigail Hoffman is our final vlogger girl. She discusses many of the same topics as the rest – love, sex, K-Fed. The difference is that this 13-year old web chick looks like a 40-year-old, overweight, bearded man. Hayden Black plays the digital debutante who is suffering from the fictitious “Bloomberg’s Disease,” which caused her to age approximately 25 years between the 7th and 8th grades. Abigail even has plans for a book, DVD and TV series. BBlog followers will recall Black’s many other webseries, including Goodnight Burbank, The Occulterers and the upcoming The Cabonauts.

Cosmic Comedy: 4 Webseries With Universal Appeal

Happy New Year! While 2009 saw the release of Big Bother, 2010 will bring (God willing) the completion of our webseries. Also in 2010, the second annual Streamy Awards will be held. These are the honors for the best in WebTV. Here’s how you can help: All categories select one nominee by viewers’ choice. So please go to Streamys.org and vote for Big Bother in any categories you like – Best Comedy, Best New Show, Best Ensemble Cast, etc. You can even vote for a specific cast/crew member. Learn more at BigBotherShow.com or The BB FB Page. And now, this month’s WebTV category – Cosmic Comedy.

The Crew

Deep beneath the important decks of the Starship Azarius, The Crew of the engine room is hard at work ... or something. Through a bureaucratic mix-up, the incompetent Captain Tom (Philip Bache) runs the show, much to the chagrin of experienced crewmen Tim (Show creator Brett Register) and Patrick (Craig Frank from Compulsions (Compulsions creator Bernie Su co-produces The Crew as well)). Other crewmembers include Mike Hart (The voice of Big Bother’s Boticelli) and Ariel Lazarus (from A Guy And His Beaver). The Crew had several WebTV guest stars in Season 2, including Jessica Rose (from Lonelygirl15), Robin Thorsen (from The Guild) and Taryn O’Neil from…

Hurtling Through Space At An Alarming Rate

The cast of our next selection are also Hurtling Through Space (At An Alarming Rate), but without a ship. HTSAAAR takes place in the apartment of Mike (Davies, show creator) and Stuart (Paap, from Live From The Future With Stuart Paap). For reasons not entirely clear, their apartment is on a cosmic journey, visiting such otherworldly realms as the Planet of Dirty Laundry. Also for reasons unknown, the boys can receive visits from neighbors Stephanie (Thorpe) and Taryn (O’Neil, both of whom are from Davies’ After Judgement). The season finale also gets a visit from Casey McKinnon (from Galacticast and A Comicbook Orange).

Zerks Log

We move from Babelgum.com (Where The Crew and HTSAAAR can be found) to Koldcast.tv for our next spacely selection, Zerks Log. “Three time fragments ago, Captain Zerks Ganymedewski (Ben Alpi from Star Trek: New Voyages), and his ship, the Venturi 553, disappeared without a trace. What happened to Zerks and his ship? No-one knew -- until the recent discovery of the Venturi’s log capsule” (From the Zerks Log website). Other crewmen include Abel Farnspet (Dave Condon), Lt. Suva (Sarah Babb) and Cilanjoe (Rob King). King is also a show creator, along with Steve Lettieri and Chris Conway.

The Cabonauts

The final selection, for the first time on the BBlog, is a webseries that hasn’t been released yet – Daily Motion’s The Cabonauts. But creator Hayden Black (from The Occulterers and Abigail’s Teen Diary) has a great track record, so we’re confident it will be a hit in 2010 (And who knows when we’ll feature space comedy again). Black and Norm Thoeming play galactic cabbies in a sci-fi musical Black calls “Hichhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Flight of the Conchords.” The cast is completed by Monica Young (from Black's Goodnight Burbank) and sci-fi legend Nichelle Nichols (From the original Star Trek).

December Drama: 4 Webseries That Put a Chill in the Air

Happy Holidays! We’re excited to announce the release of our seasonal special, “I’m Dreaming of a Big Bother.” This musical romp features the BB cast playing Santa’s elves and dancing to hip-hop, country, disco and more. It also contains previews from BB’s upcoming weeks 3 and 4. Look for the return of new episodes in January. You also may have noticed the mini-redesign our website has undergone. We’re doing our part to be green. And now for our latest selection of webseries to see. We may not like it among our friends, but on the small screen, we love Drama!

Compulsions

Today marks the premiere of DailyMotion's new thriller, Compulsions. Creator Bernie Su draws us into a world where everyone has a secret. Justine (Janna Bossier) is the girl next door, except for her need to hunt -- people. This is handy for Mark (Craig Frank from The Crew), who has an insatiable need to hurt people. The compulsive trio is completed by Cassandra (Annemarie Pazmino from Sorority Forever), whose need remains a mystery. Director Nathan Atkinson and company were all on-hand for Monday night’s premiere event, complete with interviews by WebTV personalities Kristyn Burtt (The Web Files) and Cricket Lee (Fangirl's Guide).

After Judgement

Our next selections can all be viewed at KoldCast.tv, beginning with the post-apocalyptic drama, After Judgement, which garnered six Streamy nominations. Writer/director Michael Davies Jr. (from HTSAAAR) offers a grim picture of the future. The sun never sets, the oceans are poisonous and the world’s population is quickly dwindling. But one day, survivors Steven (Joel Bryant from Hillers), an ex-priest, Michelle (Taryn O’Neill, also from HTSAAAR), an ex?-prostitute and a cop (Jim McMahon) learn that things may be changing when they see a child for the first time in 100 years. Has humanity been forgiven?

The Darkness Descending

Deep beneath the streets of New York, a network of dark tunnels, hundreds of miles long, provide shelter for the homeless, escape routes for criminals and, possibly, answers for the rest of its inhabitants. In The Darkness Descending, some of these inhabitants, like ex-cop Jake Armstrong (webseries creator Frank Krueger), addict Skeeter (Michael Walton) and artist Harmony (Wylie Small), will soon learn there’s more to be afraid of here than the dark. “The Chosen,” a cult of sorts, have now laid claim to the tunnels. Director Mark Clebanoff and company have already begun developing the webseries into a feature film.

The Fall of Kaden

We travel from beneath the streets of New York to the mean streets of Chicago in our final dramatic selection – The Fall of Kaden. Loan shark Kaden (co-creator Adam Leiphart) has enough to deal with in his ne’er-do-well brother Danny (Joe Andaloro). Loose cannon Burke (Brian Troyan) has his own problems with unstable wife Nerissa (Diane Hren). But when Burke gambles away Kaden’s last $10,000, the fall truly begins. Director and co-creator Matt Doubler shot the series on location in Chicago. Wilson Cleveland (From the last Bblog post’s The Temp Life) associate produced (Perhaps during his 33-week vacation).