2009 in Review: September

Darn, back to 10 photos for September 2009's review. That's okay, a few of you have asked for more photos, so you are definitely accommodated in this entry. I bit off more than I could chew for September. Take a closer look.......

So, I know I have a month long gig in Dallas ahead of me, so we decide to renovate our home. Most of the renovations happen while I am out of town, but packing in this mess wasn't easy.

So while the renovations are driving everyone at home nuts, I spend my days on an outdoor entertainment stage with a JumboTron at the State Fair of Texas. Turns out to be the wettest fair they have ever had.

Before I left though, we had to shoot The Web Files episodes. In fact, we had to stockpile the episodes in order to get through 6 weeks due to my travel schedule. Here is the cast and crew of one of 2009's most anticipated web series, Compulsions. Episode: Compulsions.

Ah, Tim Street. We freaked people out when he took his glasses off for the interview. This episode remains one of the most informative for the web community that we have ever shot for The Web Files. If you missed the episode, check it out here: Tim Street.

I really enjoyed shooting this episode with Dirty Bomb Diaries in a utility closet at an emergency supply company. Seriously, have you ever shot an episode in a closet? Sandra did a great job with set dressing this one. Rumor has it that there is a Season 2 coming your way in 2010. Episode: Dirty Bomb Diaries.

Showbizzle creators, Charles and Lindsey Rosin. A father/daughter team in the web space, but I have to admit, I was a bit excited to hear the 90210 gossip from the Brenda years. Charles kindly answered my questions off-camera and he delivered with some juicy stories. Episode: Showbizzle.

Somewhere in between all of this madness of Dallas and The Web Files, I found time to fly to Atlanta and work with one of my regular corporate clients, LG Electronics, at the CEDIA convention.

Two NYU alums get into a room to discuss Web TV! Go Violets! Marc Ostrick of eGuiders and I had a good time reminiscing about the old days in the Village when NY was truly dirty and delicious. Episode: eGuiders.

Another one of the most anticipated shows of 2009, The Cabonauts. With a cast including Nichelle Nichols and Hayden Black, I must carryover my anticipation to 2010. Episode: The Cabonauts.

On the set with Asa Shumskas-Tait and Rick Castañeda for the show Coma, Period. We had a blast running through the halls on their little go-karts and a rematch is set for 2010. Episode: Coma,Period.
So, there you go, September in 10 photos. October will be filled with lots of rain, mud, and some more rain and a side of mud. See you tomorrow!

Behind the Scenes of eGuiders

Phew, so behind on my blog because of my travels with other host gigs. I will update you on those later because it is time we feature this week's guest, Marc Ostrick, of eGuiders. I was thrilled to interview Marc, not only because of his savvy web series work with 24, John from Cincinnati, and eGuiders, but because he is a fellow NYU/TSOA grad. Since we graduated around the same time and only oh, say two or three years ago, we had a lot to share about our time in the Big Apple. So, if you hear a lot of "Go, Violets!" noise on Twitter this week, you can blame us, but please blame NYU for choosing the wimpiest mascot ever.

This was the end of a long, hot week of shooting before the Labor Day weekend. We decided on a simple Barbara Walters-type of sit-down interview and while I didn't make him cry, he did threaten a Cruise couch jump. Fortunately, I didn't go all Mike Wallace on him and he avoided any Cruise PR moves. Seriously though, it is important to understand that Marc has worked in the web industry way before many of us thought it was a viable place to watch series and content. His work on 24: Conspiracy was one of the leaders in paving the way for what eGuiders calls "TV Web Extensions". While the 24: Conspiracy content was created for Verizon's VCast for mobile phones, I doubt we would be seeing extensions of Entourage, The Office, or Ugly Betty today without the pioneers of the mobisodes from a few years back. These shows create an even larger universe for fans to explore and it allows the writers to breathe more life into the supporting characters. What I find most impressive though is that Marc and I went to college during a time when computers were used for word processing only. So, computers were not a part of our daily life, but he has created a fascinating and pioneering career with creative content on the web.

What really appeals to me about eGuiders is that it cuts through all of the clutter on the internet. It gives us a one-stop shopping place to find new web series, viral videos, and learn from industry experts. With Core eGuiders like Tim Street, Gennefer Snowfield, and Jeremy Redleaf and Guest eGuiders like one of my favorites, Hayden Black, you are sure to watch some hilarious and informative videos they have selected as their Pick of the Day. So, make sure to bookmark this site because Marc has been ahead of the game with internet content every step of the way. So, is eGuiders the next TV Guide? I am putting my money on it.

If you haven't watched the episode yet, check it out here: eGuiders Episode
We have had a lot of comments and feedback about this episode and Marc's comment about "humanizing the internet", so make sure to let us know what you think.

And Marc kindly wrote his feedback on the episode here: eGuiders Exclusive.

If you missed the eGuiders episode, you can find it here: eGuiders.

The Web Files Weekly Update

Hanging with Hayden before the interview......

A very Barbra Walters set-up. Did I make Marc cry? Find out soon.......

Shhh....What's behind the Psychic Bunny door? You'll find out on Wednesday!

The Web Files team was incredibly busy with interviews with some top web movers and shakers. Part of the reason for the craziness is my travel schedule....Atlanta, Vegas, and Dallas all in the next 5 weeks. Phew! We want to make sure we continue to bring new episodes to you each Wednesday, so we are banking a few interviews in The Web Files vault.

The week started out with the Psychic Bunny crew on the eve of their web series launch for Coma, Period on Strike.tv. It was a hot day, but it was even hotter two days later with the cast of The Cabonauts. Hayden Black hosted us in the secret location of Salford Studios where The Cabonauts was filmed. I sat in the cab, so I feel kind of like the cool kid for being allowed to do that. Finally, Friday brought us to the world headquarters of eGuiders with Co-Founder, Marc Ostrick, a fellow NYU grad. Go Violets! We are taking this week off from shooting, but we will come back with a vengeance the following week with Showbizzle, Dirty Bomb Diaries, This Week in YouTube, and Compulsions. Exciting line-up, right?

In other news, we have had a terrific response to this week's episode including write-ups from Mathieas McNaughton over at LG15 Today and Michelle Denise Norton from Lonelypond. Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it!

Only two more days before we show you a behind the scenes look at the offices of Psychic Bunny, so catch up with The Web Files and Episode 9 and then head on over to MYMHM with Juan, Lee, and me as we discuss one of my favorite Oscar-winning performances, Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce. See their show here: MYMHM. Happy viewing, we will see all of you on Wednesday!

The Web Files interview: Episode 9