Weekly Wrap-Up

While you are reading this, I am on a plane to NYC to prep for Are You Game? with Women's Health Magazine.  If you would like to attend this fantastic event tomorrow, check out yesterday's post with all of the pertinent information.  I even did a little Versa Tan for the event so no one would be scared by my pasty white legs.  Hey, a girl has to preserve her skin, so a little spray tan cheating every once in awhile is in order.

TOMS:  Ash Canvas Women's Wedges:  $69

Also, I have two new partners aboard Red Carpet Closet.  First up, is the amazing TOMS shoes.  I know many of you are familiar with their One for One campaign. For each pair of TOMS shoes purchased, the company matches a pair of shoes to a child in need.  It's an incredible program with a plethora of stylish shoes, especially those killer wedges, all at affordable prices.  For those of you who are looking to purchase a pair, I have a coupon code for Red Carpet Closet readers.  Click on the link on the upper right hand corner of this page and type in THEFIRE upon checkout.  You will receive $5 off your purchase.

e.l.f. Cosmetics:  Mineral Foundation:  $5

Another new partner to this site is e.l.f. Cosmetics.  They have long been supporters of my show, The Web Files, as they sponsor all of the makeup I wear on-camera.  I have become obsessed with their mineral makeup line that is not only affordable, but the same high-quality of the other mineral brands.  My favorite product in the line is Foundation in my shade of Fair.  It actually replaced my beloved Stila Cosmetics Illuminating Liquid Foundation which is a lot more expensive and offers a lot less natural coverage.  For $5, this e.l.f. product has it all!  For those of you looking to replenish your makeup bag for fall, click on the link on this page and then use the code SAVINGSELF at checkout for 50% off up to $15. Now, that's a deal!

If you have been following my show, The Web Files, over the past year, you may have watched an interview with the crew of Camera Obscura.  The show never found a distributor, until now.  I am proud to say that Dailymotion has picked up the series just in time for Halloween.  If you are a Jack Klugman fan, you are in for a real treat.  Check out the interview with a insider's look at special FX movie monster makeup with Jeff Farley.  If you want a more in-depth look at the episode, here is a post I wrote about the show last year.  Congratulations to Show Creator, Drew Daywalt!


Next week brings a month long trip to Dallas for the State Fair of Texas.  For my Dallas readers, here is where you will find me, every day on the hour.  I hope to meet a lot of you there and try this year's fried delicacy, Deep-Fried Beer.

Have a great weekend!  I will see you Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

PS For those of you who have entered to win tickets to the Web TV Prom, the contest has been extended to Thursday, September 30th at 11:59 PM PST.  The winner will be announced on Friday, October 1st at 9 AM PST.  The prom has rescheduled for Wednesday, October 20th.  Please mark your calendars for this fantastic charitable event!

Behind the Scenes of Squatters

This had to be the hottest night in Hollywood! Yep, it was the premiere of Squatters on Dailymotion at Capitol City. With tons of fans from the Heidi, Frosty, and Frank radio show in attendance, it made for a sizzling night. Did I mention it was hot? Yeah, if you notice from all of the shiny faces in this episode. It was a tough night for makeup (and my wilted hair!) on the red carpet. That didn't take away from any of the fun though. The premiere occurred at the same location as A Good Knight's Quest, so it may look familiar to you. The funny thing about the space at Capitol City for the red carpet is that it is a little glass-encased area, so I wind up spending a good portion of the night in what I have dubbed, "The Human Aquarium". People are able to see the red carpet interviews and wave from behind the glass as they are entering the premise, hence, "The Human Aquarium" moniker.
Interviewing Producer/Radio Host, Frank Kramer.

One really interesting aspect to this production was the show's tie to radio. Erik Scott Smith is a producer on the Heidi, Frosty, and Frank radio show on KABC 790 AM here in LA. The trio are a well-known radio team (I'm a huge fan.) in Southern California and to have them come out and support new media was a real treat. Frank Kramer invested in the series and he promoted the show on air throughout the entire process. It is nice to see all areas of entertainment working together instead of the mediums battling it out for viewership and ad dollars. Another thing this popular radio crew brings is fans. They have legions of fans that show up to any public appearances, so Squatters was no exception. The venue was packed!

Creator of Squatters, Brendan Bradley, and yes, I did make him sing a la The Legend of Neil. (It was edited out for time, bummer!)

Finally, Mathieas McNaughton, of Tubefilter wrote a lovely article about our episode with Squatters and he wanted to know why I didn't mention the craziest place I ever slept. It wound up on the cutting room floor, but for you, Matthieas, here it is: I illegally spent the night squirreled away in a secret room in the back of a Chinese run hotel in the middle of a monsoon on my way to Kanding (an area of Tibet). I would explain more, but I think that would ruin the mystery, right? 

Producer/Actor Cooper Harris explaining the challenges of shooting in a NY subway.

A big thanks to Cooper Harris for all of her assistance in getting The Web Files to cover the Squatters premiere and to our line producer, Jenn Page, and cameraman, Trent Ward, thanks for pitching in while Sandra and Perry were out of town. We couldn't have done it without your tremendous contributions that night.
If you missed the episode, check it out below, along with a bonus interview from the lovely Cooper Harris at the Streamy Awards:





Photos courtesy of Mingle Media TV.

Behind the Scenes of The Web Files Buzz, Episode 4

                                       

We are buzzing along through the episodes this month and this one is chockfull of familiar faces, web series content, and a really important issue to anyone creating work over the web.  Our first stop was the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank to interview Travis Wester and AJ Buckley about their show, Ghostfacers.  I originally caught this show at the launch party at La Vida a few short days after the Streamys and the audience was filled with non-web series faces.  It was refreshing to see a different group of people react to hilarity and the terror that ensues when the Ghostfacers are on the loose.  With that in mind, I think I was expecting over the top antics with the interview.  Surprisingly, AJ and Travis were pretty subdued and serious about the work they have created.  Remember, these roles started out as a one episode guest star on Supernatural that turned into an entire series for the web when they pitched the idea about continuing their character on YouTube to the producers.  Oh, does anyone know who the producers are?  McG and his production company.  Impressive.  The one other comment I have.....AJ, board shorts to a board meeting?  I guess it doesn't matter, does it? You got the job!

Then it's off to Digital Hollywood in Santa Monica where we nabbed Kevin Pollak and Amber J. Lawson, Comedy Publisher at Babelgum, to talk about their partnership with Vamped Out.  Kevin failed miserably at describing his show in ten words or less, but it is definitely one of the funnier moments in the interview.  One thing to watch in his interview is how important it is for content creators to own their work.  It wouldn't be possible on a network show and he points to Conan O'Brien as an example.  The characters Conan created on his late night shows are now property of NBC.  Hard to imagine that, but that's the way it works with the big corporate deals.  In an outtake from the episode below, check out what happens when I turn the tables on Mr. Pollak.  If you watch his chat show, you know he makes everyone do an impersonation of Larry King.  Well, I made him get into his Vamped Out character, Elliot Finke, and do his Larry King bit:


Rounding out the rest of the episode were Chris McCaleb of Big Fantastic and Roland Hamilton of Dailymotion. Chris pointed out the importance of net neutrality as some of you may have seen the whiteribbons adorned on everyone's chest at the Streamys. It is an issue for any content creator, so I urge you to go to Save the Internet and inform yourself on how it will affect all of us. You can also contact FCC Chairman Julius Chenachowski from the site and plead with him protect the Internet. I am pleased that several of you have already taken action after watching this episode, thank you! The one thing I couldn't get out of Chris? The launch date for Prom Queen 2. The answer was a vague "sometime in 2010." Well, we are almost halfway through the year, so I am impatiently waiting, Chris. Hey, I'm looking for a Web Files exclusive!

Be sure to check out our latest episode of The Web Files Buzz. It is all the buzz about the biz, the web
series biz:

Join us this Wednesday for another episode of The Web Files Buzz featuring on set visits with Bumps in the Night and Night of the Zombie King from the Gold the Series creators all on Blip.tv.

The Web Files Expands to Dailymotion

If you missed our big news yesterday, check out the press release below.  We are very excited to join the Dailymotion family!

The Web.Files, the only web series talk show that exclusively covers web series, signed a distribution agreement with global video sharing site Dailymotion, one of the leading sites online with approximately 64 million unique visitors per month according to comScore in December 2009.

Red-carpet entertainment veteran Kristyn Burtt, creator/host of The Web.Files and a current Streamy Award nominee for Best Web Series Host, and her production partner and series director, Sandra J. Payne, were both delighted at the prospect of expanding the web presence of their show to Dailymotion.

“Dailymotion has the perfect audience for us—people who enjoy watching online content and who may want to know more about the inner workings of their favorite web series,” Payne said. “Even better, it offers The Web.Files an amazing opportunity to tap into their huge market share.”

Launched on July 8, 2009, The Web.Files has already racked up tens of thousands of hits for its weekly serial talk show and has featured guests from major web series like Dorm Life and Elevator, and web celebs like Tay Zonday of Chocolate Rain fame and former circus star, Olga Kay. In addition, the award-winning show, named Best of Clicker 2009 for Best Web Non-Fiction, successfully launched a brand extension in February 2010 called The Web.Files Buzz, a more news-oriented, multi-segment show. The Web.Files Buzz is a bona-fide hit, garnering as many or more views per episode than many of the most-viewed episodes of the original series.

Here is a link to both The Web.Files and The Web.Files Buzz on Dailymotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/TheWebFiles

About Dailymotion

As one of the leading sites for sharing videos, Dailymotion attracts 64 million unique monthly visitors and one billion videos views worldwide (source: comScore, December 2009). Dailymotion offers the best content from users, independent content creators and premium partners. Using the most advanced technology for both users and content creators, Dailymotion provides high-quality and HD video in a fast, easy-to-use website that also automatically filters infringing material as notified by content owners. Offering 18 localized versions, Dailymotion's mission is to provide the best possible entertainment experience for users and the best marketing opportunities for advertisers, while respecting content protection.

About Kristyn Burtt

Dynamic TV host, Kristyn Burtt, has been in front of the camera on network television shows such as ShopNBC and MSNBC’s pilot, “The Arena,” with Jesse Ventura. She is currently co-hosts a show for Toyota called “Toyota Live!” across America. Her corporate clients include some of the biggest names in the country: Mattel, HP, Dolby, Sony, LG Electronics, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. With a background in dance, a degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she graduated with honors, and a love of adventure, Burtt’s diverse background gives her the perfect basis for covering the multitude of topics and people found on the web.

About Sandra J. Payne and SPwrite Productions, LLC

SPwrite Productions, founded by Sandra J. Payne, has produced multiple award-winning films, including “Everybody Games,” a Platinum Remi winner from WorldFest Houston 2009, three trailer winners for the Austin Film Festival trailer competition, winning in 2004, 2005, and 2007, and “The Secret Lives of Shopping Carts,” which won a Bronze award for best comedy short film from WorldFest Houston in 2001.

Payne, who has produced credits in children’s television with the global juggernaut “Barney & Friends,” is the director/producer of The Web.Files. She also writes, directs, and produces her comedy web series Life with Kat & McKay, a finalist in the Best of Clicker 2009 for Best Web Original Comedy.

Behind the Scenes of Compulsions Premiere

What a fun night, not only for the cast and crew of Compulsions, but for web series in general. It is so exciting to see such a strong, well-written series get the attention it deserves. With a deal with Dailymotion in hand, the show is poised to take the web space by storm. Here are a few behind the scenes photos of The Web Files shoot with the night's big stars:

Kicking off the night with man who created the dark, compelling world of Compulsions, Bernie Su:

Not sure what we are doing in this photo, but we got the memo: strapless dress, long necklace, and shiny shoes! Way to go, Janna Bossier!

One of my favorite people and fellow Oreo fan, Annemarie Pazmino:

Director Nathan Atkinson and I meet for the first time at the Compulsions premiere:

Strike a pose....okay, so I strike the same pose over and over: hand on hip, slight turn to my right, look over left shoulder.

AFI Grad and Cinematographer, Jason Raswant, stopping by for an interview and photo op:

My absolute favorite photo of the night: The Web Files crew hamming it up! DP Perry Payne, Makeup Artist Melissa Anchondo, and Renaissance Woman/PA Jenn Bobiwash:

Wearing his chapeau du jour, Producer Michael Tohl:

In the middle of an interview with Dailymotion's Aimee Carlson:

The lighter side of Compulsions, actor Sean Spence:

Wow, actor Andrew Clemons is really tall and I am really short even though I am wearing 4" heels that night:

I always have time to dance!
The screening finished up with a Q & A panel that I moderated. It was my first time moderating a panel and I wanted to make sure we heard from everyone on the panel and grabbed questions from the audience. I think we succeeded in covering the most important areas about the creation, casting, and shooting process. I had such a blast up there, so I hope there is another panel moderation in my future! Jacob Nahin kindly posted the panel, click here to view: Compulsions Panel.

Stop back here tomorrow for an EXCLUSIVE fashion wrap-up of the Compulsions premiere. As anyone who watches E! knows, it's all about who you wear on the red carpet! Find out who went designer, who was a Killer Bee, and what the theme of the evening was.

Be sure to check out our coverage of the Compulsions premiere: