2009 in Review: July

July arrives and The Web Files officially launches! We had a premiere party, I took off for vacation, and we continued to shoot more episodes all geared for the web space......and I cheated on this entry. I had to do 8 photos to accommodate all of the events surrounding The Web Files:

Kicking off the month with my annual 4th of July trip to the lake. I'm here with my puppy posing for a patriotic photo:

The first official image for The Web Files is launched with our press release and a trailer.

Our most controversial, but one of our most popular episodes with Demi Delia of Mommy XXX. This episode continues to have steady views even 5 months later. Episode: Mommy XXX

The queen of the web space, Felicia Day of The Guild. I guess I didn't need to introduce her, right? She's there with her producer, Kim Evey, on the red carpet of iTVFest. A coming out party for Web TV on the festival circuit. Episode: iTVFest.

One of the most hilarious episodes we have ever shot was with Gary Valentine of Dusty Peacock. We stuck him on a scooter and away we went. He was a great sport and a really nice guy. We are here with one of our makeup artists, Marybeth Bagonghasa. Episode: Dusty Peacock.

We've launched! So it's time to party! A fun night with Ariel Lazarus of The Crew, Stephen Leonard of My Life Plus Animals, and fellow host, Lindsay Caldwell.

In between all of this, I hosted a couple of events for Women's Health Magazine's "Are You Game?" in Chicago and NYC. I took a few minutes off to jump and flip......

Yes, it's Dave and Tom of Safety Geeks: SVI. We had a fun day on set working with the green screen. Check out their episode here: Safety Geeks:SVI
Phew! That's July. I am hoping to stick to the rules and do it in 5 photos or less the rest of the year. Fingers crossed.

Weekend Web Watch Crew Pick: Dusty Peacock

Our Weekend Web Watch is being brought to you this weekend by The Web Files crew. I thought it might be fun to have one of our crew members select their favorite episode that you might have missed. This week, Jenn Bobiwash, our PA and all-around Renaissance woman, picked Dusty Peacock with Gary Valentine. I thought this was fitting since Daphne Brogdon used to co-host a show with Gary and she is our current guest on The Web Files. We interviewed Gary back in July when our show was only a few weeks old on the web. Gary came from a different perspective than many of our guests in that he has an established career and a fully-funded web series. He didn't have the challenges that many of us are facing, so it was an interesting and funny interview. I also think the episode is worth seeing for the location alone. Another Sandra Payne genius idea!

Check out the episode and our behind the scenes look at filming with Gary Valentine. I really think this is an episode that is worth revisiting if you missed it the first time. Enjoy your Weekend Web Watch!

PS Don't forget that voting is still open:

Clicker.com awards: Best Original Non-Fiction Web Show
And for the Streamys: Best Hosted Web Series
Thanks for your support and votes!

Behind the Scenes of Dusty Peacock

After the shoot, makeup artist Marybeth Bagonghasa, Gary Valentine, KB....
Doug Cwiak and Perry Payne, setting up the shoot....

Perry hard at work......

Setting up the interior shot on the scooters......
Gary in the middle of the interview answering a question or two.....
Hanging on the bike.........
The game that started a Twitter obsession......
Sandra Payne, EP, snapping a pic. Can't wear that wardrobe twice.
Safety gear on, it's going to be a bumpy opening to the show.......

This episode of The Web Files truly was an eye-opener for me. We had yet to interview someone who truly had some name recognition, success as a series regular on a long-running sitcom, and who dove right into the web world fully funded. Must be nice, right? I tried really hard to get underneath the surface of why Gary Valentine was delving into the web series world, but I think his mission is to get the show on network TV and this was a way of showcasing his talents. Yet, he still talked about shooting Season 2. So, I walked away a bit confused and unsure that I got those particular questions answered. For so many of us, web series is a passion project, self-funded, staffed for pizza and donuts, so I would really love to hear your feedback on this episode.

Gary was a lot of fun to shoot with as he is really funny and totally game to sit on a scooter to be interviewed. Come on, Dusty Peacock would love to do some crazy stunt on a scooter! It was a fun, colorful environment to shoot, so for all of your scooter needs, please check out Noho Scooters. They were extremely helpful with all of our production needs. This is also the episode that our cameraman, Doug Cwiak, learned of my PacMan obsession since the scooter shop has a series of old school video games. He has kindly set up a PacMan account on Twitter and has sent me every link possible about PacMan merchandise. So be sure to find more PacMan merchandise and send it Doug's way. I also want to thank Jenn Bobiwash for letting me borrow the fantastic necklace that she made. I wore it with the domino side up, but on the back are vintage pin-up girl magazine covers. Please visit her website and tell her The Web Files sent you: Angry Chix.

I wish Gary luck with his web series as I know he is ready to take "Dusty Peacock" to the next level. I also want to thank him for his courtesy call when he was running a few minutes late. Trust me, this is not done often and it was appreciated by everyone on the crew. Actors, take notes, as your career ascends, so should your manners. Oh, the red carpet stories I will tell when I retire. And ummmmm, yes "Bust A Moove" really is my Karaoke song. I have 80's taste, what can I say? If you missed the show this week, you can check it out here: The Web Files: Dusty Peacock

The Web Files Weekly Update

The Web Files Executive Producer, Sandra Payne, with Gary Valentine of "Dusty Peacock".

We are plugging away here at The Web Files and already planning our fall episodes. I am pretty excited by the shows that have said "yes" to us so far, you will see some familiar faces from past web series who are about to launch big shows within the next few months. So, be sure to check out The Web Files in September and October.

In other news, thanks to Demi Delia for her shout out in her recent blog post. I was happy to hear that she enjoyed our interview. She is taking her career to a more mainstream level, so look for Demi to make a splash in 2010 with product launches and Season 2 of Mommy XXX on Crackle.com. Check out here blog (and The Web Files mention) here: Demi Delia


For those of you following the web world carefully, make sure you are watching Nick Carlton's work. He is one of the young creators from "Oz Girl" and we look forward to showing you the "Oz Girl" interview for "The Web Files" launching on August 26th. I had the opportunity to read the pilot script from his new web series called, Stitch. If you want to check out the pilot, click here to contact Nick and find out more about his next project, "Stitch". You will see a few familiar "Oz Girl" faces on the "Stitch" website as Shanrah Wakefield, Sophie Tilson, and Shaun Crawford are all involved both in front and behind the cameras. Shanrah wrote a great blog on her week at iTVFest and a few encounters with The Web Files: Shanrah's Blog. Thanks, Shanrah!


Our next episode of The Web Files features Gary Valentine from Crackle.com's, "Dusty Peacock" I can't wait to hear everyone's reaction to this interview. He is a former series regular on his brother's sitcom, "King of Queens". Yes, his brother is Kevin James, who is producing "Dusty Peacock". So, what do expect out of your web series when it is fully funded, on a high profile portal, and you have name recognition? Find out on Wednesday, August 19th, when we launch our next episode of "The Web Files".