4thWall

I’m taking a break from “Conversations with a Pro” today to talk something that’s becoming an important and increasingly marketable medium as well as a source of opportunities for beginning writers: web series. My mentor followed a more traditional route to break into screenwriting. He wrote a Law and Order spec script that got produced, and he was eventually brought on as a staff writer for Law and Order: SVU. But young writers may want to pursue the online path as well as, or sometimes instead of, the traditional. If offers several advantages; for example, you can produce your own online content (you don’t need a production company or studio), you can do it from anywhere (you don’t have to be in LA or even New York), and you can do it on a low budget. (Some good online series are produced for an inspiringly small amount of money. Consider IFC’s Dead and Lonely). One thing is doesn’t offer is a whole lot of money, though that may be changing. Now, as advertisers grow more attracted to online audiences, some creators make a living solely from posting videos on YouTube. However, money may not be as important as recognition when it comes to developing online-only content, for in web series, appearing now to act like short films at festivals, there exists the potential for content to be noticed, picked up for distribution, or bought and expanded for a broader TV audience (Childrens Hospital is an example). Because web series are now relevant to professional writing, because they relate to my mentorship (Jon and I have discussed online-only content), and because I recently applied for a job writing for web-exclusive series (and need to know my stuff should I get an interview), I decided to talk half a day to survey the web series landscape and record some observations. See them in my next post, ”Web Series Trends.”