Eisner Promises Killer Content From New Web Studio
- by Gavin O'Malley @mp_gavin, March 13, 2007
Dubbed Vuguru, and backed by Eisner's investment firm The Tornante Co., the studio's first series, "Prom Queen," is slated to premiere online April 2 with a roster of advertisers including beverage marketers FIJI Water and POM Wonderful.
The debut series aims to knock LonelyGirl15 off her perch as the queen of YouTube. "Prom Queen" is a scripted, serialized mystery told over 80 episodes--each running 90 seconds long--and set against the final two months of a high school class's senior year leading up to prom night.
"In the past few years, the development of exciting and innovative digital media platforms and technologies has outpaced the creation of truly great content," said Eisner, a veteran storyteller, in a statement announcing the launch.
The short-form episodes will be released daily across various Web platforms, and are aimed at young, early adopters of easily digestible media clips. The series will also have its own Web home at PromQueen.tv.
"The daily blast of short-form content has huge potential to create a tight bond between the show's characters, viewers and advertisers," said Douglas Cheney, co-founder of the independent production team Big Fantastic, which teamed with Vuguru to produce "Prom Queen."
The co-production deal between Vuguru and Big Fantastic was brokered by United Talent Agency's new online division, which represents Big Fantastic. Tornante also recently acquired the rights for Vuguru to Big Fantastic's flagship Web series "Sam Has 7 Friends," and holds an option to the production of its sequel.
Eisner described Big Fantastic as having an "ability to create a hands-on style of filmmaking that generates network-caliber content but with the kind of intimacy and interactivity Web audiences crave."
ELLEgirl, a property of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., plans to offer a full "Prom Queen" experience on ELLEgirl.com. It will host the video on its site and has set up apparel relationships including Victoria's Secret Pink, Jessica McClintock, People's Liberation, and HotKiss, among others. Visitors to ELLEgirl.com will be able to purchase the styles worn by the show's characters through a partnership with StarStyle.com.
In addition, FIJI Water, health drink maker POM Wonderful and flower delivery service Teleflora.com have all signed on as "Prom Queen" launch sponsors.
PromQueen.tv will serve as the central hub for all things related to the show, from accessing past episodes to exploring information about characters and story line. The site will also be designed as a forum for viewers to interact with both the show and each other.
Videos on the site will be supported by Veoh Networks, a Web TV and video syndication startup in which Tornante also holds ownership stakes.
Viewers will also be able to access "Prom Queen" on Veoh.com, YouTube.com, and other sites. "Prom Queen" will also be distributed on handheld devices and other platforms.
"A lot of media companies see YouTube as a threat," said Cheney, who is also one of four writer/directors who make up Big Fantastic. "But we see YouTube and other new media channels as an opportunity to spread the show."
In the burgeoning world of short-form Web video, success can come fast. The standard for success in this area was set by two independent producers, Ramesh Flinders and Miles Beckett, who brought the world Lonelygirl15 last June.
Lonelygirl15 is the YouTube username of a fictional teenage girl named Bree who documents her life and friends with interactive video blogs on YouTube and Revver. In less than a year, the serial--which was first presented as an authentic video blog before being outed as a fictitious production--has attracted over 9 million channel views, and is presently the most subscribed-to YouTube channel ever, with nearly 88,000 subscribers.
But, according to Cheney, Lonelygirl15 has only touched the surface of what's possible online. While avoiding specifics, he said: "I think there is a much bigger hit on the way."
