• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 16, 2009

In hopes of getting its first big break in an online video series sponsorship, AT&T is helping a small Seattle rock band get its next big break. The two-man band, Head Like A Kite, is the star of a new eight-part Web video series "On The Brink" being sponsored by AT&T and being distributed by Broadband Enterprises Inc. across some 2,000 affiliated sites, including www.onthebrinkshow.com.

The reality show follows band members Dave Einmo and Trent Moorman on stage, back stage and on the road, and that's where the AT&T connection really comes in via a series of product integration deals that help Einmo and Moorman stay connected with friends, family and the rest of the world while playing college towns, local bars and larger venues in search of stardom.

"One minute you're in front of thousands of people and they love you and you feel it. The next minute, you're offstage, on the road-and the road gets pretty lonely," confides Einmo. "We needed a way to connect with the people we love."

AT&T was happy to provide that connectivity and reap some product integration bonus points in the process. Einmo and Moorman are seen relying on AT&T's Samsung Propel and Pantech Matrix over the course of the eight-part series.

"What's cool about this, is they are not celebrities - yet," says Heather Buffington, a spokesperson for AT&T who worked on the project. "What you've got is a couple of guys who have a group, who are ascending, but you don't know if they're actually going to make it. You're peeking in and watching as they try."

The sponsorship, which also includes conventional pre-roll ads for AT&T products, is the first ongoing Web series advertising buy of its kind by AT&T.

Buffington declined to disclose the size of AT&T's advertising commitment to the series, but she indicated it is part of a broader online video outreach designed to reach young, mobile adults with relevant online content.

"On The Brink" runs through the end of February.