• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 10, 2008

Bebo on Monday announced that the social network's next original series will revolve around a Universal Music employee who secretly founds his own record label out of the company mail room.

Debuting in the coming months, "The Secret World of Sam King" is intended to combine the strengths of reality TV and scripted drama by setting the show in the West London headquarters of Universal Music UK and featuring cameos by Universal artists.

Bebo users will have creative input on the show's direction as well as on Sam's fictional record label. The production will be a joint effort by Globe Productions, Universal Music UK's production arm, and Monkey Kingdom.

With "Sam King" and previous online series such as "Kate Modern" and "Sophie's Diary," Bebo aims to set itself apart from social networking rivals with original programming open to integrated ad sponsorships. These deals allow marketers to interweave brands into show plot lines and situations for about $400,000 on average.

Sony Ericsson, for instance, will sponsor the first three months of "Sam King," with episodes featuring its products and brand. Other marketers involved in Bebo shows have included Procter & Gamble, Toyota and The Walt Disney Company.

Acquired by AOL in March for $850 million, Bebo is now part of the portal's people networks unit, which also includes Web social properties AIM, ICQ, Goowy Media and Yedda. Bebo has more than 12 million users in the U.K. and almost 5 million in the U.S.