Well Said, Mr. Street

A good commentary about the Streamys and the IAWTV issues from a veteran web video creator, Tim Street:

Someone from old media once asked me, “Who do these guys think they are?” “Who gave them permission to do that?” I said, “It’s web video, you don’t have to ask permission, you just go do it.”

Read his blog post here...
http://1timstreet.com/blog/the-web-video-community/

Celebrate The Web

After the Streamy debacle a few folks got together and created an impromptu event called "Celebrate The Web" where the Streamy winners got together to "celebrate" their awards and the Web TV industry. You can watch the event at the newly created blog...

http://www.celebratetheweb.com/

If you work in or are interested in this industry it's well worth checking out.

PINK at the MIP-TV Market

Press release from Content Film (Fireworks) about PINK being at the international MIP-TV market, along with several of their other new "digital" acquisitions like RIESE, GIRL NUMBER 9 and SPLATTER...

http://www.contentfilm.com/index.php/news/347.html

Hopefully they'll sell some new territories!

Streamy Winning Speech (from 2009)

With the 2010 Streamy Awards just over 2 weeks away, the Streamy organizers are posting videos from last year's event, and so here's the director of 'PINK' Blake Calhoun's Streamy winning acceptance speech for Best Director in a Dramatic Web Series...



And here's a link to the same video on the Streamy's blog:
http://networkedblogs.com/1HjaG

PINK Lands International Distribution Deal

GOOD NEWS for the show!

We've secured a foreign distro deal through Fireworks International. The same folks who distribute VALEMONT, RIESE, GEMINI DIVISION, etc. So now PINK will be seen (legally) in an array of other places around the world. We hope too that this will help us get a Season 4 together very soon.

Read about it at the following:

Tubefilter Article

NewTeeVee Article

PRWeb Press Release

Many thanks to our fans for the continued support! :)

NewTeeVee (finally) Reviews 'Pink'

The main critic at NewTeeVee did an impromptu review of the show at her SXSW panel yesterday. She actually tweeted that she'd review the next series (that she hadn't reviewed before) that sent her a tweet. Show creator Blake Calhoun just happened to be online at the time and said she should review 'Pink', which she did. And later in the day she actually wrote it out for the NewTeeVee blog...

Here's a link to the review:
http://newteevee.com/2010/03/15/award-winning-pink-might-make-you-blush/

Let's just say that we don't think she completely gets the series, but that's okay, we know you guys get it. :)

Thanks!

PINK Star Kim Matula...

Kim's new role as Hope on "The Bold & The Beautiful" is getting a lot of great press including this new feature from her hometown paper in Fort Worth, Texas...

Read Star-Telegram Article

Definitely an inspiring story for those actors Out There trying to make it! :)

Btw, some very cool PINK news is coming soon too...

Thanks!

CONTINUUM Press Release

From the creators of 'Pink' comes their next venture in the new media world...

Today we announced the cast, start date, etc. in a press release!

Direct link:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/02/prweb3566164.htm

Alternative Fuel, Loud Pictures Prep New Sci-Fi Thriller 'Continuum'

Original Web Series Created and Produced by 'Pink's' Blake Calhoun and Mike Maden Starts Shooting February 22nd

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 4, 2010 -- Director Blake Calhoun and longtime producing partner Mike Maden, the award-winning production team behind some of the Web's most cinematic original series including Pink, 88 Hits and TheWB.com's forthcoming Exposed, today announced principal photography on their next digital project, the sci-fi thriller series Continuum, will begin February 22nd in Dallas, Texas and Los Angeles and will release the first ten episodes this summer.

Created by Calhoun and Maden and produced & directed by Calhoun, Continuum is a futuristic thriller in the noir-ish tradition of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien starring Melanie Merkosky (CBS/EQAL's Harper's Globe) as Raegen, a woman who mysteriously finds herself aboard a space ship with no memory of how she got there and at the mercy of the ship's computer, voiced by actress/producer Taryn O'Neill, best-known for breakout performances in Compulsions (for which she recently won the inaugural Indie Soap Award for Best Supporting Actress) and the post-apocalyptic After Judgment franchise. Brad Hawkins, veteran TV/film actor and costar of Pink, rounds out Continuum’s minimal cast as Tipton.

"I’m really excited about Continuum because I've always loved the darker side of science fiction and this series will allow us to put our own spin on the genre," said Calhoun. "We’ve decided to produce the series as an independent, like we did with the first season of Pink. We’re going to give owning our content a try again and see how it works out."

Continuum is being produced by Calhoun and Maden's Alternative Fuel and Loud Pictures production companies in association with CJP Digital Media, the production/distribution/promotion arm behind successful Web originals including Illeana Douglas's IKEA-branded comedy Easy to Assemble, Spherion-sponsored The Temp Life (which will feature O’Neill in the Feb 8 episode) and dark crime drama The Fall of Kaden. Calhoun and Maden are represented by United Talent Agency and managed by Generate.

About Alternative Fuel

Alternative Fuel was formed in 2008 by filmmakers Blake Calhoun and Mike Maden to produce content for the television, film and new media markets. Currently two feature film projects are being developed, along with a Warner Bros. TV script, and a new online series.

Calhoun and Maden first teamed up to create the Webby nominated and Streamy winning series Pink. That show has now been viewed nearly 8 million times on YouTube, Hulu, iTunes, TheWB.com, Koldcast, Facebook, MySpace, Vuze, Yahoo, MSNBC, Blip.tv and others. So far three seasons have been produced (35 episodes), and more are under consideration, as is a DVD and possible film adaptation.

From the success of Pink, Calhoun and Maden pitched and sold another original web series to Warner Bros., who then partnered them with executive producer McG and his company Wonderland Sound and Vision. That show is called Exposed and will be released in 2010 on TheWB.com.

About CJP Digital Media

CJP Digital Media, a unit of NY-based CJP Communications, specializes in creating, distributing and promoting brand-centric messages and content via digital, social, mobile and traditional media channels for clients across industries. CJP created one of the very first and now longest-running brand-sponsored Web series: The Temp Life as an alternative communications vehicle for recruiting firm client, Spherion Corp. in 2006. Most-recently, CJP Digital worked with IKEA and creator/producer Illeana Douglas to promote and distribute the current season of their branded Web comedy Easy to Assemble, which Advertising Age proclaimed "the most watched branded Web show to date."

How To Report The News

We think this is pretty funny...

Blake Calhoun Interview on Koldcast TV

Check out this new interview with "Pink" director Blake Calhoun (from Koldcast TV's blog and Filmmaker Series)...

http://blog.koldcast.tv/2009/filmmaker-series/kctv-filmmaker-series-blake-calhoun/

Thanks!

New "The Bannen Way" Trailer

We're looking forward to the new series "The Bannen Way" on Crackle.com. Watch here, or for better viewing click on "Trailer" link below video...

From Crackle: Trailer

"Normal Activity"

Check out this funny parody done by our friends in the comedy troupe Four Day Weekend...



Direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUQiWan5eXI

Clicker.com

Clicker is a great looking resource for finding online video content including TV, movies and Web Originals. Discovery is key to success for shows like "Pink", so a service like this is very welcome indeed.

Here's the "Pink" page on Clicker:
http://www.clicker.com/web/pink-the-series/

Check it out and spread the word!

"Pink" Mention in Bannen Way Article

Nice mention of "Pink" in an article about bringing "TV style" programming to the web like Sony's new series "The Bannen Way"...

With high speed internet access becoming available to more people, prosumer video equipment getting cheaper and a trend towards unscripted scripted shows on broadcast and cable TV, the web is becoming the go to place for out of the box original programming. Scripted shows like The Guild, Pink, Legend of Neil, Angel of Death, Ctrl and Childrens' Hospital are bringing TV style programming to the web.

Read full article here

Natalie Raitano TV Interview

Just uploaded a TV interview with Natalie Raitano recorded during the production of "Pink" seasons 1 and 2...



Direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC-YTZG4EOk

Thanks!

Houston Screening

The Houston Film Commission hosted us for a screening of several episodes from the show (eps 1-7) along with a Q&A with star Natalie Raitano, director Blake Calhoun and editor Cliff Richhart. The screening was a lot of fun and the Q&A was very lively. Very good audience!

Here are some pictures from the event (on Facebook):
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=195973825406&id=118105963889#

Check it out!

Web Entertainment Guide Interview

Check out this recent interview director Blake Calhoun did with the Web Entertainment Guide:
http://www.webentertainmentguide.com/interviews/pink-interview-series-creator-blake-calhoun

He talks mainly about "Pink" and the future of web series.

Thanks!

Koldcast TV Redux

If you haven't watched "Pink" in a while or are new to the show you should check it out on Koldcast TV. They've "relaunched" it in their "Redux" section.

We really appreciate their support and appreciate your support too! And btw, we're still plugging away on getting a Season 4 put together. No news yet though...

Thanks!

Tubefilter Interview Part 2

Here's the second part to the interview Blake did with Tubefilter...

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/09/09/exposed-on-deck-interview-with-streamy-winning-director-blake-calhoun-part-2/

He actually announced a new sci-fi series too called "Continuum" (www.continuumtv.com). Look for more info soon on this show, along with his new WB series "Exposed" and a hopeful 4th Season of "Pink".

Thanks!

Tubefilter Interview with Blake Calhoun

Check out Part 1 of an interview on Tubefilter with director Blake Calhoun talking "Pink" and his other web series work...

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/09/08/pink-anniversary-interview-with-streamy-winning-director-blake-calhoun-part-1/

BTW, today is our 2nd Anniversary! We premiered our first show on MySpace two years ago today. My have times have changed too... we hardly even check our MySpace page anymore. :)

Custom URL for our FB Fan Page

At first FB said you had to have 1000 fans on your Fan Page to get a custom URL, and alas, we didn't have that many. But we guess they changed their minds because now folks are able to get them (we think with only 100 fans).

Anyway, we're happy to announce we now own http://www.facebook.com/pinktheseries.

So if you haven't, please join our FB fan page!

Thank you for the support. :)

New Season of "88 Hits"

Please check out the NEW episode of "88 Hits" from Blake Calhoun (director of "Pink")...



Direct link:
http://www.koldcast.tv/#/video:side_projects

Thanks!

Jason Priestley and Jordan Levin Interview

Nice interview about the new WB web series "The Lake". Jordan Levin is the CEO of Generate... they also produce our show "Pink".

NEW: Koldcast Studios

Koldcast TV is a player in the Web TV distro business, and now they're stepping in to the productiong side of things opening a studio to create original programming.

This is a great thing for New Media in our opinion, but the pioneers before them have died a quick death... 60Frames anyone? However, since Koldcast already has a nice sized audience to their destination site (www.koldcast.tv) they have a head start on the competition, and not to mention a very driven and enthusiastic founder/CEO in David Samuels. That's probably the biggest part.

Our show "Pink" of course plays on the Koldcast site along with the series "88 Hits" from director Blake Calhoun, and we plan on pitching some other shows to them in the future.

Read the story here from Tubefilter.

Do You Want to Date My Avatar?

Check out the new music video from our friend Felicia Day and her show "The Guild"...

"The Lake" - New Web Series

Check out "The Lake"... a new web series from Generate (the company that co-produces "Pink" with us). The show is directed by Jason Priestly of 90210 fame. If you like good soapy dramas, then you'll like this. Btw, our next series "Exposed" premieres on TheWB.com soon too.

Watch...

Hulu
TheWB
iTunes

Thanks!

10 Lessons from a Studio Exec on Web Series

Great post on "lessons" for producing online content from Tubefilter and and exec from 20th Century Fox TV...

http://news.tubefilter.tv/2009/08/05/10-lessons-from-a-studio-exec-for-web-series-creators/

We think "Pink" fits into this mold pretty well!

Online video viewing soars...

Interesting piece from Revolution Blog:

It's an epidemic! Online video viewing soars among young web surfers

Dan Leahul, revolutionmagazine.com, 30 July 2009, 3:20pm

LONDON - The number of young adults watching online video on sites like YouTube or video-on-demand is at "near-universal" levels, according to new research.

One third of young web users use sites like Hulu everyday

A study by Pew Research found that nine in every ten internet users between 18-29 years old watch content on video sharing sites, with one-third saying they do so everyday.

In fact, the number of people watching online video has nearly doubled since 2006, with 62% of adults saying they watched online video this year, up from just 33% three years ago.

The study said: "Over time, online video has become more deeply integrated into daily life, and has started move into the spaces that are typically reserved for traditional television viewing."

Overall, 19% of internet users say they use video sharing sites on a typical day. In comparison, just 8% of internet users reported use of the sites on a typical day in 2006.

While most of the content being watched is user-generated, there is also a growing archive of professional content available through YouTube and newer network-sponsored video portals like Hulu.

Efforts to lure viewers to these portals appear to be paying off, as more than a third of internet users (35%) now say they have viewed a television show or movie online.

In comparison, just 16% of internet users said they had watched or downloaded movies or TV shows when asked a similar question in 2007.

As internet users become accustomed to regular on-demand video viewing online, many are choosing to watch from the comfort of their couch.

Among those who watch TV shows or movies online, 23% say they have connected their computer to a television screen so they could view video from the internet on their TV. That amounts to roughly 8% of all internet users.

Watching online videos on sites like YouTube is more prevalent than the use of social networking sites - 46% of adult internet users are active on such sites, the study found.

This is great news for web video content creators (like us). :)

Sheree Wilson Interview

Check out this interview with "Pink" star Sheree Wilson. She talks "Pink", "Dallas", "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Easy Rider" and even horses...

NEW Solo "Pink" Twitter Account

Okay, so we have Twitter accounts for the director of "Pink" (@blake_calhoun), our main production company Loud Pictures (@loudpics), and now we have a solo account for just "Pink" (@pinktheseries).

Catch all that?

We used to simply run "Pink" and all things "Loud Pictures" through the one @loudpics account, but we think that FANS of "Pink" might be interested in a fan-centric Twitter feed instead of a tech/filmmaking/production feed that we've been doing. We'll still do some of that in the new account too though...

So, long story short, if you're on Twitter please follow "Pink" @pinktheseries. :)

Thanks!

PINK in HD Video Pro Magazine

There is a good article on web TV including PINK and GEMINI DIVISION in the June 2009 HD Video Pro magazine. It's on most newsstands including places like Barnes and Noble and Borders.

Check it out if you can! Thank you! :)

Talking PINK...

We're talking to our distributor and producing partner about the (hopeful) next round of PINK episodes. We really would like to do more soon. And you guys will be the first to know!

In the meantime, please check out the great looking Hulu embeds of the current episodes on our main site. It's nice to watch the shows again (especially season 1 which we hadn't watched in a while) in a higher quality video player.

Thanks!

PINK now on TiVO

If you have a broad-band connected TiVO DVR you can now download episodes of PINK for FREE.

Check it out here

This is part of our distribution deal with the good folks at Koldcast TV.

So, thank you to them and to all our fans of the show. :)

Natalie Raitano TV Interview

Check out this fun interview with "Pink" star Natalie Raitano on the Gordon Keith Show...

88 HITS on iTunes and Zune

No new PINK episodes for a while, so what should you do? How about watch director Blake Calhoun's new web series 88 HITS on Koldcast TV.

And you can now check out the show on iTunes and Zune. If you have an iPod, iPhone or Zune simply subscribe and then sync your device and the show will be right there. Oh, and did we mention it's FREE. :)

Click here for iTunes

Click here for Zune

And of course please check out PINK on iTunes too if you haven't already...

Thanks!

New Series from PINK's Director

Blake Calhoun, the producer/director of "Pink" has a new comedy series out today called "88 HITS". It's about a dysfunctional mob family trying to make ends meet.

Please check it out on Koldcast.tv

And here's a blurb about it at NewTeeVee:
http://newteevee.com/2009/05/05/vid-biz-nbc-yume-warner-bros/ (bottom of page)

Thanks!

Season 3 Finale!

So... what happens next? :)

Webby Honoree for Drama: Individual Episode

PINK is an Official Honoree at the 13th Annual Webby Awards!

Check it out

We're well, honored, to be honored out of so many entries (thousands we're told). Be sure to check out the other Honorees and Nominees too.

Thanks!

NEW Episode of PINK out today!

ONLY TWO episodes left this season!!!



Thank you for watching!

More Pictures from the Streamys

We just posted some more pictures from the Streamys on our website...

Check them out here

Only 3 more episodes of PINK left this season!!!

Many thanks!

Episode 32 Song Download (for FREE)

You can download the cool new song from PINK Episode #32 right here (right click and "Save Target As") - and it's FREE.

The song is by a Dallas indie band called The As Is and it's called "Missing You The Most". Please spread the word!

Thank you!

12 Seconds of Fame!

After director Blake Calhoun won the Streamy Award they grabbed him backstage to do a 12 second interview for www.12seconds.tv. It's kind of like Twitter for video. You only have 12 seconds. So anyway, here is Blake's moment in the limelight and he went over his 12 second limit as you'll see. :)

http://12seconds.tv/find/blake+calhoun

And here's a link to ALL the other winners and their 12 seconds (including Natalie Raitano):
http://12seconds.tv/channel/streamyawards

Thanks!

LA Weekly Story on Streamy Awards

Nice piece in LA Weekly about the show...

"Pink" is not mentioned, but it's still a good read. :)

Streamy Award Winners

Check out all the Winners from the Streamy Awards:
http://www.streamys.org/go/winners/

We are in very good company!

Thanks!

Watch Nat get a Tat...

PINK star Natalie Raitano gets a tattoo in this episode of "California Kickin":



Click here to watch video in proper aspect ratio

Remember, new episodes of "Pink" every Tuesday through April!

WINNER BEST DIRECTION in a Dramatic Web Series

Blake Calhoun the director of PINK won the Streamy Award last night for Best Direction in a Dramatic Web Series!

A good friend to the show (and Nataile) posted a video on YouTube that was recorded off his computer from the live stream...



Thank you to all the fans who watch and support the show!!!

Texas Film Scene Podcast

Pink's director Blake Calhoun was recently interviewed for a great podcast by Curtis Wayne called the "Texas Film Scene".

Check it out on iTunes

Thanks!

Top 5 Online Video Providers

The numbers are in, and the winner is...

YouTube, of course.

But, Hulu is now #2 and making great strides - and actually has a good chance of becoming more financially successful in the long run (YouTube doesn't make money...yet).

YouTube had 5.1 billion streams in February (yes, billion with a "b"), and Hulu had 308.8 million.

Advertisers seem to be much more inclined to work with Hulu because of their content, not their numbers. Professionally produced TV shows and movies, along with short form series (like "Pink") are what set them apart.

Read entire Cable/FAX story here.

Twitter

Please follow us on Twitter now at...

http://twitter.com/loudpics

We'll update everything PINK and also our other new media, TV and film productions.

Thanks!

Streamy Awards Nominations

"Pink" has been honored at the 1st Annual Streamy Awards by being nominated twice for two awards. First one is Best Directing in a Dramatic Web Series and the second one Best Cinematography in a Web Series.

This new event is being pushed as "The Oscars for the Internet". So, it's prett cool. Nominations came from the newly created International Academy of Web Television from over 100,000 submissions.

The ceremony will be held at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hills on March 28th. It will also be streamed live online (we'll let folks know where soon).

In the cinematography category we're up against JOSS WHEDON'S "DR. HORRIBLE"... that is some tough competition. Who knows how we'll do, but as they saying goes, it's just an honor to be nominated. :)

Here's a direct link to all the nominees:
http://www.streamys.org/nominees.shtml

Wish us luck!!!

TheWB.com Redux

We are partnered with TheWB.com to distribute "Pink" and so we were happy to hear about the recent "redesign" of their website.

The look is slightly cleaner and easier to navigate, but the most important thing is now the video playback is much smoohter and reliable. We're big fans of the site and happy they are making the improvements!

Check out the new look

The WB.com as a Web Contender

Check out this article in the NY Times about TheWB.com. "Pink" plays on their site too.

PINK in Texas Monthly

PINK is featured in the new February issue of Texas Monthly magazine. Article can be viewed online or on news stands (in Texas). Registration is required to read online, but it's quick and painless (and FREE).

However, if you'd prefer to just read the text we've copied it into this post (no photos, etc. here)...

-----------------------------------------------------------

February 2009

Bottoms Up

How Texans in Hollywood are overturning the traditional top-down content model.

by Christopher Kelly

Meet Natalie “Nate” Cross (Natalie Raitano), a tomboy by breeding (her father taught her to hunt animals when she would have much rather been playing with dolls) who’s now all grown up, with bee-stung lips, a yoga-rific body, a glow-in-the-dark-tattoo-covered back, and a reputation as one of the finest assassins around. In the Internet series Pink, co-created by the Dallas-based team of Blake Calhoun and Mike Maden, an incarcerated Nate strikes a Faustian bargain with the warden (Sheree J. Wilson): If she kills ten people on the warden’s mysterious hit list, freedom is hers. But that’s merely the beginning of a madly convoluted saga that leaps backward and forward in time to chronicle Nate’s tough-love childhood, her hopeful adolescence in foster care, her seemingly carefree college days, and her current plight, as a ruthless killing machine who would prefer to settle down and start a family of her own. The real marvel of Pink, however, is that such a surprisingly deft example of old-fashioned serial storytelling—a show whose multiple story lines and shifts from reality to fantasy could easily give Lost a run for its money—unfolds in three- and four-minute segments, to the sped-up, attention-deficient rhythms of the digital age, on the screen of your laptop or iPhone.

Welcome to the decidedly topsy-turvy entertainment industry circa 2009, in which film, TV, and media companies continue to wrestle with the same daunting questions: How do you adapt creative content to the Internet, with its community of users insistent upon controlling how that content is consumed and distributed? How will new talent be developed, when ad dollars and seed money are quickly migrating elsewhere? And, perhaps most essential, how do you make money on the Web, where just about everything is given away for free? For at least a handful of ambitious Texans, though, the answers to these questions aren’t necessarily dire. “The ultimate value resides in content,” says Jordan Levin, a University of Texas graduate and former CEO of the WB network who is the co-founder of Generate, a company that provided funding for the second and third seasons of Pink and has its hand in a number of similar Web serials (see “Spinning a Web”). “A lot of people were ascribing value to the technology. But at the end of the day, the technology is realized by content.”

Put it this way: We might very well have seen the last of big-budget, old-school Hollywood spectacles like Australia. If NBC’s recent decision to place Jay Leno on prime-time TV five evenings a week is any measure, hour-long dramas are probably also headed the way of the dinosaur. But efforts like Pink, or another Levin-produced project, Republicrats, suggest that classic storytelling isn’t dead just yet and that—more to the point—serious-minded artists will find a way to carry on, even as their tools continue to break down and reconstitute.

In the case of Calhoun, who has a second Web project, Exposed, premiering on WB.com this month, the filmmaker took a route that, certainly to those of us who spend our days evaluating the entertainment industry’s more conventionally developed product, sounds positively revolutionary. After writing and directing a number of low-budget features, he teamed up with Maden and conceived Pink. The script was written in May 2007; the first ten episodes were shot in July, in the Dallas—Fort Worth area, on high-definition digital video; the project was edited in August; and the first episode premiered on YouTube that September. (The show kicked off its third season in late January; in addition to WB.com, it can be viewed at hulu.com/pink-the-series and myspace
.com/pinktheseries).

But this breakneck process didn’t result in something that feels slapdash and incoherent. Quite the opposite, Pink displays a freewheeling pop urgency that’s informed by but not burdened by the traditions of graphic novels, comic books, and music videos. (Imagine Kill Bill with all the boring stretches siphoned out.) And whereas its frequent time shifts would probably come across on television as jarring and confusing, on the Internet, broken up into easily digested, cliffhanger-reliant segments, Pink proves marvelously supple.

Part of me thinks, of course, that online is no place to consume entertainment, even of the most lighthearted sort: Because my home DSL connection is unpredictable, I ended up viewing the first two seasons of Pink on my desktop computer at the office. Mostly, though, the possibilities here seem elastic. I watched a rough cut of Exposed on DVD in my living room, where the relatively linear story, about a young man (Chase Ryan Jeffrey) trying to keep a very dark secret from his girlfriend, played just fine. With minimal tweaks, the eighty minutes or so of material could easily be transformed into a feature film. Calhoun says he’s also busy developing “meta-verse” for Exposed: Facebook pages for his characters, say, or “behind-the-scenes” video footage that one of the characters in the show is frequently seen recording. The idea is that viewers might encounter the program via many different platforms and that fans can immerse themselves in Exposed’s fictional universe and help to expand the mythology of that world.

As for the (literal) million-dollar question—how can work that is viewed for free online ever be financially viable?—well, according to both Levin and Calhoun, it’s all about keeping production budgets low (the average episode of Pink costs a few thousand dollars, compared with a few million for an episode of a network show), drumming up advertiser and sponsor revenue and thinking across multiple platforms. A show like Pink, theoretically, could be packaged as a DVD or adapted into a graphic novel or spun off into a video game or—if the gods of entertainment truly decide to smile down upon Calhoun—remade into a large-scale Hollywood action movie. The ride will be bumpy, and the risks will be considerable (Calhoun says he still hasn’t earned back the money he spent on the first season of Pink, much less been able to turn a profit). And it’s only going to get harder and harder for Web-based artists to get noticed amid so much clutter (when Pink first started, there were only a handful of high-production-value Web shows; a year and a half later, there are dozens, and they just keep multiplying). But with the likes of Calhoun, Maden, and Levin in the mix, one can’t help but be hopeful that entertainment will still remain widely accessible, even to the technophobes, and that a little bit of humanity will remain as we throttle headlong into a brave new world.

Spinning a Web: What Jordan Levin is generating.

“In order to create a voice in the marketplace that has any resonance, it’s going to be difficult to do it in only one medium,” says Jordan Levin. In 2006 Levin co-founded Generate, a production, distribution, and talent management company that means to make inroads into TV, film, book publishing, and the Internet. Its most intriguing output thus far: Republicrats, a serial comedy that ran last fall on MSN.com about a former Fresno weatherman who decides to compete as a third-party candidate against Barack Obama and John McCain, and Chocolate News, a Comedy Central series that plays like a mash-up of The Daily Show and In Living Color, starring David Alan Grier. Both projects have their flaws (the creators seem to be amusing one another a lot more often than they amuse us), but they are also models of offbeat efforts aimed at niche audiences that—with a little bit of massaging and a whole lot of word of mouth—have the potential to go viral.

Christopher Kelly is the film critic for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Copyright © 1973-2009 Emmis Publishing LP dba Texas Monthly. All rights reserved.

THINK PINK Sweepstakes Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the Sweepstakes. The response was great!

The winner is...

Geoff Kaufman of Columbus, Ohio. Congrats Geoff!

We will post of photo of him holding the new Flip MinoHD camera soon.

PINK Season 3 Online Now!

PINK 21: Speed Dating Kills 2



Click here to watch in HD!

Also, nice mention of premiere on Tubefilter. Check it out!

PINK Greatest Hits #1

Here's the Greatest Hits episode as voted on by YOU, our fans. Thanks to everyone who voted. It was a very close race, so watch the video and check out the Top 3.



To watch this in HD click here.

Thanks!

The THINK PINK Sweepstakes

Watch this short video, then go to the PINK Website and enter for a chance to win a new HD camcorder...



Sweepstakes ends 1.11.09. Winner announced 1.13.09 (the day of the new Season 3 premiere). Tell your friends too!

Good luck!

Vote for YOUR Favorite "Hit"

UPDATE: VOTING IS NOW OVER. "GREATEST HITS" SHOW WILL BE ONLINE SOON. THANK YOU!

Let your voice be heard by helping us create a "Greatest Hits" show! Just watch the episodes below and then vote in the poll on the right side of the page. The Top 3 "hits" will be used to create the new "Greatest Hits" episode as voted on by you.

And check back soon to find out how to enter and win a cool prize during our upcoming "Fan Appreciation" Giveaway.

PINK 1: MUFN Hit

Natalie gets used to prison life and it's unexpected up and downs.

PINK 5: Wedding Hit

Natalie is out of prison and gets her first new assignment from Wilson, but she's got some business to take care of before she can begin.

PINK 7: Bob Hit

Young Nate finds and eliminates her first target using the hunting skills learned from her daddy.

PINK 10: Marko Hit

Natalie has found her target and is ready to take him out, but can she do it? Can she let go of her past to move on with her future?

PINK 14: Dating Hit

Nate remembers Honey's advice on boys, but her first steps back into the dating world prove...explosive.

Voting ends 12/18/08. Thank you!

YouTube Goes Widescreen

If you visit YouTube often you might have noticed something new recently, the most popular video sharing site on the planet has (finally) gone widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio.

As all HD cameras shoot 16x9 this only makes sense. Also, most of the newer sites Out There such as Hulu.com or TheWB.com, etc are widescreen too. And even some of the ones that have been around a while like Blip.TV and Vimeo are widescreen (and this made them more popular with filmmakers and film fans).

YouTube still accepts 4x3 video - it just letterboxes it with side bars. This is what it's doing with all the legacy video on the site as well, including the entire first season of "Pink". Although we shot "Pink" Season 1 the exact same way as Season 2, we uploaded to YouTube and other places in a 4x3 letterboxed file (per their instructions at that time). So all those earlier episodes play back fine, but not full widescreen like the new content.

Here's a link to the most recent episode of "Pink" in widescreen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdlpeCKmRbk&feature=channel

And here's the embed:



Notice the embeded video is still 4x3 letterboxed. It doesn't appear they allow widescreen embeds yet - or maybe they're using it to drive traffic to their site? A good idea if so.

Another cool thing is you can select the "Watch in High Quality" link on the bottom right below the video box (on YouTube only, not embedded video). It takes a tad bit longer to download, but the resolution looks twice as good. BTW, it is NOT HD though. It is downconverted to an SD resolution, but it still looks very good.

(To see "Pink" in HD the only current way is on Vuze.com. And we are also putting some sample HD episodes on Vimeo as well.)

In a small, weird way this is similar to re-watching your favorite movies in Blu-Ray. We just re-watched "Pink" Season 2 in widescreen (and in High Quality mode) on YouTube and it was a much better viewing experience (one note too: you can also click the "full screen" button and watch that way and it looks pretty darn good).

Sooner than later most online video will be 720p HD, but for now at least YouTube and other sites are taking steps to make the current viewing experience the best it can be.

UPDATE: Since we posted this you can now actually embed the widescreen videos. Here's the same episode above, but in widescreen (although this blog layout is narrow and it crops the right side off):



UPDATE #2: You can now watch select videos on YouTube in HD. Our last two promos we uploaded in 720p HD - and now there's a "Watch In HD" button on the bottom right of videos. So look for it and definitely watch in HD!

PINK on Vimeo

Filmmakers out there likely know about Vimeo.com, but others may not. It's a really cool video sharing site that allows HD uploads - one of the only ones we know of with this feature (you can also embed the video files on other sites). The viewership on Vimeo seems to mainly be other like-minded filmmakers and artists, etc. - not necessarily "regular video joes", but they have around 1 million registered users we've been told (a fraction compared to YouTube). But nonetheless it is a great place to see creative works and get feeback on your own stuff.

We've held off putting PINK on there since we've been releasing our HD content through Vuze.com. But we've decided to go ahead and put a few episodes on Vimeo as "samples" of the series - and to showcase what can be done with the great filmmaking tools we're using (ie. Canon XH-A1 camera, Canon HV20 camera, Letus Extreme 35mm adapter, etc.).

You can check it out here:
http://vimeo.com/2271692?pg=transcoded_embed&sec=2271692

Or the show is also on the Vimeo HV20 page (thanks Eugenia):
http://vimeo.com/HV20

Again, it is in an HD Flash player, which is very cool. You can play it fullscreen or even embed it on your website, blog, etc. like this:


PINK 2: Daddy's Little Girl from Blake Calhoun on Vimeo.

Holiday Break

The show will be taking a break over the upcoming holiday season (after next episode #20). However, we do have some cool stuff in store while we're "off". New episodes will come back first of the New Year. Thanks for watching the show!

PINK 18: Knockin' On Heaven's Door

New episode...

Web Series: Here to Stay?

Are web series here to stay? Or just a passing fad. We're not sure.

Of course the short serialized film format has been around for many years. Back in the 1940s and 50s theaters would show weekly serialized short films before feature films. "Zorro", etc. use to be very popular and get kids back to the theater the next Saturday. And actually, these serials were the inspiration for George Lucas to create "Indiana Jones". So the idea or concept is not really new.

What is "new" is the space they're working in now: the Internet.

Recent polls say people are willing to spend more time watching video online, even feature films now (probably due partly to broadband and higher quality computer screens and mobile devices). This is great, but does that mean they don't want short serialized web content too?

It's been said that watching something 7-minutes long on the web is like reading War and Peace. What do you think?

Of course we are finding that fans of PINK are willing to watch longer episodes or should we say often request longer episodes. In the near future we will release the shows on a DVD (and likely Blu-Ray) and they'll all play back-to-back, which will work well for this style of serialized mythology (should play like a movie).

But in the meantime the webisodes will keep on coming...

Prom Queen Now on DVD

Prom Queen was one of the first dramatic web serials on the Internet and now you can buy it on DVD.


















Get it at Amazon for only $17.99

The guys who produce the show (Big Fantastic) are friends of PINK. We all try and support each other, so if you're a fan of their work please pickup a copy today.

Thanks!

PINK Ep 15 Now Online!

PINK on IMDb.com!

"PINK" is now (finally) listed on the Internet Movie Database website (IMDb.com).

Here's the link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302137/

Been trying since July 2007. They wouldn't accept it since it's a "web series". But now, they changed their tune we're happy to report.

If you're a cast or crew member please add your name. If you're a fan please go to the site and rate the show, and/or start some chatter on the forum. That can definitely help us continue to build the audience.

Thank you!

Web Producers Go Steady

Interesting video here from TV Week about web shows and advertisers (specifically mentions "Pink" and our deal with Vuze.com)...

Web shows and Web sites are starting to go steady. Michael Eisner’s latest Web series Back on Topps runs exclusively on Foxsports.com before other sites get it. The same goes for the popular show Pink, which plays on Vuze.com before it releases to other sites. For more details on why Web producers are going steady, check out this week’s episode of the New Media Minute.

You’ll also learn what new media executive Jordan Levin, the former CEO of the WB, thinks about the advertising investment in online video.



Direct link to story.

SheTeeVee Blog Post on PINK

Nice mention of PINK on the SheTeeVee blog:
http://mwgmedia.com/blog/?p=121#comments

PINK 13: Viva Las Vegans

New episode now online!

PINK on Times Square Billboard!

Our PR company got PINK on the Reuters digital billboard in Times Square! It was up for about 12 hours on the premiere date 9/16...

Thanks YouTube (again)!

The good folks at YouTube have featured the new Season 2 of "Pink" and we just want to say THANK YOU!

You can check out the new episode here.

PINK Now on TheWB.com

You wanna watch "Friends", "The O.C.", "Roswell", "PINK"?!?

Very cool news... PINK is now on TheWB.com!

http://www.thewb.com/shows/pink/

Check it out when you can. They even cut a cool promo for the show! It is weird, but great, to see PINK along side these big network shows.

PINK 2.0 PREMIERE!!!

PINK Season 2 premieres TODAY on Vuze.com and tomorrow everywhere else (including YouTube, Myspace, Revver, Blip, Metacafe, etc.). We have a cool agreement with Vuze where they get a 24 hour exclusive window - and there you can see the episodes in HD.

So please check out the first new episode!

Thanks!

Season 2 Promo Now Online!

Season 2 premieres 9/16/08.

PINK on TheWB.com!

Season 1 of "Pink" will premiere on TheWB.com at the same time Season 2 premieres on YouTube, etc. Then Season 2 will roll out on the site later. If you haven't heard about TheWB.com then check out these videos below and definitely check out their new website. Basically, they're taking the WB TV channel and putting it online. You can watch full episodes of your past and present favorites like FRIENDS, THE OC, SMALLVILLE, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLATER, etc. along with new original web series like "Pink" or our new show "Exposed"...





Check it out TheWB.com.

Countdown to Season Two

We're just a few short weeks from the premiere of Season Two! We're now rolling out some cool behind-the-scenes interviews, a teaser trailer and a teaser scene. Next we'll have a recap of Season One - then the first new episode of Season Two will be online on Tuesday 9/16/08.

PINK Now On Hulu.com

Hulu is owned by FOX and NBC. So we're very happy to have "Pink" on the site. Later in September it will all be in HD too (and will eventually include our new Season 2 episodes).

Check it out:
http://www.hulu.com/pink-the-series

Thanks!

Some Pictures from Comic-Con

We had a Street Team (aka Hot Chicks) at Comic-Con handing out and applying temporary PINK tattoos. They supposedly handed out around 4000 and applied 1000. Hopefully some of you reading this post were there - and now that's why you're here!

Comi-Con Going On Now

If you're at Comic-Con look for some girls handing out and applying PINK temporary tattoos! If you're not at Comic-Con, you can look for these same girls if you like, but they're probably not going to show up. Or maybe they will, who knows? ;)

Countdown to Season 2 premiere has begun! More news soon...

New "Pink" Forum

We're quietly launching our new Forum. We'll be Officially launching it as we get closer to the Season 2 premiere in late August, but we'd love folks to register now and start discussing their favorite episodes and characters.

So if you want to be ahead of the game please join today and help us spread the word!

Thank you!

Comic-Con and "Pink"

Our new BIG NEWS is we will be attending Comic-Con in San Diego the last weekend in July promoting the new season of "Pink". And, we'll have some cool promo stuff to giveaway. In addition we'll be announcing a Contest! Several cast members will be in attendance too. More details to follow soon.

Also, the new season will premiere a few weeks after the event. A firm date will be announced shortly.

Hollywood Reporter Blurb

Hey ANY press is good press! "Pink" got a small mention in the Hollywood Reporter today...

Check it out here.

Didn't realize the series was a "cult hit". :)

PINK Post-production

We're now deep into post-production on the next 25 episodes. Our new tentative release date is AUGUST. Don't have an exact date yet, but will announce it when we do.

A lot of exciting things happening right now behind-the-scenes. We will have a very cool announcement soon about a big event in July to promote the series.

We will also likely have a new teaser trailer online soon, so please check back in the near future for updates.

Thanks!

Webby Honoree for Best Drama Series

We've been so busy shooting the new season of "Pink" - and trying to get the word out on our Webby Nominee for Best Drama: Individual Episode - that we failed to mention we already won an Honoree Award for Best Drama Series.

Check it out

Okay, okay, so it's not an nomination or a win, but it is a pretty cool deal. With over 10,000 entries they selected the top 15% for the Honoree Award. So we'll take it!

In just three short days on May 6th we'll know if we won the Webby for Episode 7 "Feels Like the First Time", and we'll know about the Webby People's Voice Award.

Last thing on award talk - we've got a chance for an Emmy nomination too. The main awards were announced last week and they'll announce the new media ones very soon. Our collective fingers are definitely crossed. :)

UPDATE 5/18/08: Well, we didn't win the Webby Award - but we are very happy to be nominated and an Honoree. We also didn't get nominated for an Emmy. But just wait until next season! :)

PLEASE VOTE for PINK!

We need your help! PLEASE VOTE for "Pink" at the Webby's "People's Voice Awards"...We've dropped to 3rd Place!!!

http://pv.webbyawards.com/

You have to register but it only takes a few seconds.

Thank you!

PINK 2.0... First Week of Shooting Done!

Wrapped our first week of shooting for the next round of "Pink" episodes on Saturday. Had a very smooth week. We shot all of the "Adult Nate" scenes with lead Natalie Raitano. Really hope the second week goes as well.

Here are a few pictures from the week...




















Will give a detailed report once we wrap the entire shoot.

And please don't forget to VOTE for "Pink" at the Webbys People's Voice Awards!

Thanks!

PLEASE VOTE for PINK!!!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

What are you voting for? Well, PINK is up for a "People's Voice Award" at the Webbys too. It's kinda like the People's Choice Awards. The audience votes on it's favorites.

PINK is up for best DRAMA: INDIVIDUAL EPISODE

You vote on the Webby Awards site. You do have to register, but it's quick and painless. Please help us out and go vote!

Thanks!

"PINK" Nominated for a 2008 Webby Award!

We just found out "PINK" has been nominated for a Webby Award in the category DRAMA: INDIVIDUAL EPISODE. Click here to see all nominees in Video Category. Our listing is about half way down page.

The Webby Awards are the the "Academy Awards" for the Internet, so it's a pretty cool thing!

Awards are June 10th in NYC. So fingers crossed!

Auditions now closed!

Wow, it's been a great three weeks or so doing auditions for the new seasons of "Pink". We did our last ones today and will be making announcements very soon on the final cast.

Shooting for the next round starts in just over two weeks!

PINK on TorrentTV

Check out this interview with show creator Blake Calhoun on TorrentTV. Originally aired on satellite channel G4TechTV.

PINK on TorrentTV



Add to My Profile | More Videos

Thanks!

PINK Press - Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Etc.

Thought we'd shared some cool press...

"Pink" was recently acquired by Santa Monica-based company Generate, run by former WB Network CEO Jordan Levin. We're now gearing up to produce 25 more episodes to be released over the summer...

Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/business/news/e3ic8069f8098734cd40e0f68323f74fca5

Variety:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981872.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1

NewTeeVee:
http://newteevee.com/2008/03/04/generate/

Broadcasting & Cable Magazine:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6538138.html?desc=topstory

MediaWeek:
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003719379

TV Week:
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/03/generate_lands_6_million_in_fu.php

Best thing about this deal for us is we still control the content of the show and we get the expertise and guidance of veteran Hollywood folks (without being a Hollywood studio deal).

Of course Generate is a "Hollywood" entity run by "Hollywood" execs, but the show will still be produced as an indie (and in reality it is an indie since we're not financed by a large studio). Should be a fun ride!

If you haven't seen "Pink" please check it out. First 10 episodes are online now.

Thanks!

PINK Casting Notice!

We are casting for Season Two of "Pink" and are primarily looking for "college age" actors and actresses. If you would like to audition and are in the Dallas area please send your headshot/resume to loudpics@yahoo.com.

Thanks!

Generating Buzz

We're now officially partnered with the Santa Monica-based production company Generate to produce the next 25 episodes of "Pink". This is great news for the show and for all our fans.

These next episodes will likely be divided into "3.5 Seasons" (10 episodes each, except the last which will be five episodes). We'll explain this later.

We were always going to continue the show at least 10 more episodes, but producing content at this level is not cheap. So we are thrilled to have a partner on board that can not only bring financial resources, but can also help with marketing, distribution, and of course the creative.

We're working out the shooting plans now and will announce a premiere date for Season Two (and a release schedule) in the near future.

The wait is almost over. :)

Great Podcast Interview with "Pink" Writer Mike Maden

Check out this great podcast (from "On The Page") interview with Mike Maden, the writer of our web series "Pink"...

http://blip.tv/file/635227

Thank you!

TIVO Alert!

The satellite show Torrent TV on G4TEchTV Canada did an interview with Blake Calhoun the creator of "Pink". The show will air on February 13th.

Don't have a time yet, or a channel actually since they vary per satellite service - but we do believe it's carried by DirecTV and possibly DISH Network. We'll find out for sure and let you know.

Thanks!

Show News

A lot going on right now behind-the-scenes with "Pink". We've been meeting with several companies about either buying the show, co-producing the show, or sponsoring the show. We should get it all figured out soon and then very shortly go into production on the next round of episodes.

SPOILER ALERT!
Who was in the helicopter in the final episode?
Did Natalie get shot, is she injured or possibly dead?
Was going back to work for Wilson a bad idea?

FIND OUT SOON WHEN SEASON TWO PREMIERES!

In the meantime, please continue to spread the word about our first season of "Pink".

Thanks!

New Poll - PLEASE VOTE!

Please vote in our new poll... what is the ideal running time for a webisode?

Thanks!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We're taking some time off, so just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

A lot of cool things planned for "Pink" in 2008, so please stay tuned.

THANK YOU for watching the show!

New Poll - PLEASE VOTE

Please vote in our new poll (upper right-hand side of page). This one was referenced in the previous post regarding your favorite place to watch online video... thanks!

Where is your favorite place?

Do you have a favorite place to watch web video (i.e. "Pink" and other shows)?

There are a myriad of places to view content. So far we've found YouTube to be our best venue - as far as sheer numbers. But I'd say Revver has the best Flash video compression and Blip.TV has the highest res viewing capabilties (in the standard def world - we haven't released the show in HD). Blip.TV actually lets you watch the show in the original H.264 (MPEG 4 video) or Flash. This is pretty cool.

Myspace has surprisingly provided our smallest viewing numbers. Great place to network, but not so good (yet) for viewership.

In the previous post it was mentioned that a lot of web viewers are NOT used to a serialized online show. They're used to "one hit wonder" videos (of course advertisers are not interested in one video - they like a series). I think this is starting to change and will definitely change over the next few years (or even months).

In January you'll see a slew of web series being released. We personally know of half dozen with a lot of them being produced by Hollywood studios (or at least arms of the big boy studios).

Right now this is the Wild West. There are really very few rules. No one really knows how to make money yet (but they're close). And no one's completely sure what will work (they have ideas of course). So, it will be very interesting to watch this new platform mature.

Of course we hope "Pink" is right in the middle of it, or even better at the very top. :)