Behind the Scenes of SOLO the Series Red Carpet Premiere

As the days dwindle before my vacation, I want to make sure I capture all of the excitement surrounding the SOLO the Series premiere:  a packed house, lots of giveaways, and a long awaited series screening. We were back at Cinespace which has become one of the "go-to" locations for web series premieres.  You might even recognize the background from the Compulsions episode.  We were able to grab the cast right before they headed into the screening room to give us their thoughts on the series and what item they would like to have with them if they were stranded in space.  SOLO the Series, created by Jonathan Nail, follows the journey of man stranded in space after his reality show is cancelled and that is when the hilarity really begins.

We were able to interview some familiar faces to the web series landscape from Michele Boyd of The Guild to Brittney Powell and Tom Konkle of Safety Geeks: SVI.  What?  You don't remember seeing a full interview with Brittney and Tom in our episode?  I joke that they are on The Web Files every week, so I don't want to disappoint you.  Find out about their participation in SOLO the Series in this Red Carpet Closet extra:

The one person I was really excited to interview was Jay Caputo who plays Jack Spratt, the reality show producer whose behind the scenes shenanigans with the Japanese mafia get them all into trouble.  If you are a frequent reader here, you know I am an uber-gymnastics geek.  Well, Jay was on the National team as an elite gymnast, a successful NCAA athlete, and he participated in the 1992 Olympic Trials. Impressive, right?  Well, Jay was not so impressed with my excitement.  Watch my awkwardness unfold onscreen:  

As for creator, Jonathan Nail, it was exciting to watch his big night.  This show has been a long time in coming and he did a great job with the premiere.  He built on the momentum with a packed house of supporters, he offered up fantastic prizes for a raffle to help raise money for the rest of shooting season (And boy, were there some excited winners--Hello, A Good Knight's Quest table.) and belief in the project permeated the room.  I think we all felt that we want Jonathan, the cast, and the show to succeed.  This truly was Jonathan's night and his pet project.  He had a lot of support behind the scenes too with web series power couple (Okay, I just termed that, but I like it.), Allison Vanore and Rob Gokee.  I finally met Allison after months of communicating on Twitter.  After meeting her in person, I understand why she is in demand as a producer:  confident, smart, and really sharp.  So, book her now if you want to work with her, I have a feeling it is onwards and upwards with her career. Rob is familiar to many of you from our Web Files Buzz episode back in March.  He scored a majority of SOLO the Series and he is a great example of utilizing social media to market and gain new clients.  

I was also grateful to be asked to moderate the Q&A after the screening. One of the most important ideas that came up was casting in a web series.  It has been a common occurrence to cast your friends in all of the roles.  It is a great idea to band together to create new work, but sometimes you wind up with someone that may be miscast or doesn't have the acting chops of everyone around them.  Well, Jonathan Nail brought in casting director, Laurie Records, to help with SOLO.  It adds another layer of professionalism to the production and by holding auditions, you might find an actor who brings new meaning and layers to the words you have written as a creator.  It's an interesting thought, so if you are able to set aside a budget to hire a casting director, you may see your work take shape on levels you might not have realized otherwise.  I point it out because it's just another little morsel to nibble on while your next web series idea is brewing. 

I know a lot of you are waiting for the big debut of SOLO the Series and that day is coming soon. Be sure to check out Episode 1 on July 6th at WatchSolo.com.  Congratulations to the cast!  It truly was a magical night.  

Enjoy our episode, I think you will hear about a lot of different aspects to the production from shooting on the small set with Dirctor of Photography, PJ Gaynard, to playing a robot, PHAL9000, with actor, Jason Burns.  If you want a tour of the set, see our Web Files Buzz episode with Jonathan from February.  Now, check out all of the action from the red carpet premiere:

Photo #2 Courtesy of Jonathan Nail

Photo #3 Courtesy of Brittney Powell

Choose Your Own Adventure

I am here to give you choices today, I'm going to call it "Choose Your Own Adventure" Wednesday.  If you are in the mood for a little glitz and glam, check out the red carpet premiere of SOLO the Series created by Jonathan Nail and starring The Guild's Michele Boyd, Jason Burns, and Jay Caputo.  Find out what everyone would bring on their adventure if they were stranded in space:

If you are looking for something along the lines of gadgets and tech, then take a look at Episode 2 of the MoreWireLess series I hosted for Broadcom. This week's episode features Premium Sound with Bluetooth Technology. My mom even said she learned something from the premiere episode, maybe you will too!
As always, thanks for watching......

Live from the Streamys Red Carpet!

      On the red carpet.  Photo courtesy of The Bui Brothers.

Have you heard any news on the Streamy Awards lately?  I am going to leave the comments, thoughts, and apologies to others. Instead, I am going to give you all of the action from the red carpet on the night of the Streamys where I had three jobs all in a span of two and a half hours.  It was fun, chaotic, and exactly where I wanted to be that night--in the middle of all of the action!

                         

So, I had been really busy working in NYC all week, so I missed the parties of Web TV Week.  I took the last flight out of JFK to LA and landed at midnight.  I managed to grab some sleep around 2 AM only to wake up at 8 AM to start the usual red carpet beauty regime:  mani/pedi, hair, and makeup.  It takes a village to assemble my wardrobe and all of the accessories.  By the time I arrived for my official red carpet rehearsal, I was running solely on adrenaline.  Here's a rundown of how the pre-show happened:

1:30PM Arrive for rehearsal with the hosts of the live Ustream feed.  Mark Malkoff, Cyndee San Luis, and I had an opening skit to go over before the first arrivals at 2:30 PM.  We practiced our lines in the IKEA bed, which the warmest place to be.  I realized I was severely underdressed for the 58-degree weather that day.  All I could think about was my stylist, Katelin Flanegin, telling me to have the tailor shorten my dress by an inch and a quarter because she wanted to see more leg.  Ha!  Now, I wanted that fabric back to stay warm!

 The ladies in the IKEA bed after rehearsal.  Photo courtesy of The Bui Brothers.

2:15 PM iJustine joins the group to rehearse the rest of the live feed open with us.  Okay, who thinks she looks a bit like Kristin Chenoweth? (Or Sophie Tilson?  Or mememolly?)  Call me crazy, but there is definitely a resemblance in person.  Regardless, she looked gorgeous in her coral pink dress and she was game for anything.  That's my kind of gal!  Sketch rehearsed and we were ready for the red carpet to open.

 And the tables are turned.  I am not used to being on this side of the mic.  Photo courtesy of Jeff Rago.

2:30PM Remember I said I had three jobs that night?  Well, it was a race down the red carpet for me as a nominee.  One of the publicists from Rogers and Cowan escorted me to the photographers' area.  If you have never heard what it is like to be directed from every angle, check this short clip out: "Kristyn, to the right.  Don't look at them, look at me, left. Show us the front of your dress.  Over here.  No, over here."  Good luck figuring it all out because I was moving in every direction.  Then it was down the interview line....LA Weekly, Actor's Reporter, Mingle Media TV, and Slebisodes.  I tried to follow my own rules while being interviewed:  Keep it short, keep it funny, and give a good sound bite. Did I succeed?  

2:45PM I was pulled off of the red carpet as a nominee by The Web Files PA/Renaissance woman, Jennifer Bobiwash, to head back to my position on the red carpet as the host of The Web Files.  We grabbed some early interviews with the cast of Safety Geeks: SVI, Brett Register and his adorable girlfriend, Jamie Blair, and Cathy Baron.  I had a really genuine moment with Craig Frank off-camera that really captured his feelings as a nominee.  He has had a very big year and it all culminated to this moment on the red carpet.  It truly was great to see so many people we have interviewed on The Web Files be a part of the celebration.  It is also always fun to work a red carpet as a fan.  I think I scared Robin Thorsen of The Guild by grabbing her and whispering that she was my favorite on the series.  She whispered back, "You're my favorite too.".  That made laugh since I know she has no idea who I am, but she sure is quick with the quips.

 Definitely my most awkward and hysterical picture of the night. Yep, the dress was short and the descent off of the bed was challenging.  Photo courtesy of Jim Alden.

4:00PM The live stream begins!  I hop in the IKEA bed with Mark and Cyndee as we open the show with our skit with iJustine.  It all goes off without a hitch even though I had a little trouble getting off of the bed gracefully.  I run to my Web Files position, which is now my Ustream position, and I am ready for Job #3!  At this point the red carpet is a bit more crowded (It truly was my Twitter page coming to life on that red carpet!) and I sometimes jostle for my position so people will get out of our shot.  Aggressive, perhaps, but I am girl who wants a clear shot for the show and everyone being interviewed.  I open by interviewing the cast of Oz Girl and the hour flies by.  I have to pass many people over because Mark in the IKEA VIP area has already interviewed them, so I received a few quizzical looks as to why I was skipping some of the nominees. I don’t think they realized I was live streaming with my Web Files microphone flag.  Three days later, I am trying to remember all of the people I interviewed from Jeffrey Hayzlett of Kodak to Bernie Su to Elisa Donovan to the cast of Gold and Elevator to Taryn Southern and Dennis Haskins.  It was a blur. Every time I finished with one, I had to prep for another.  No time to even refresh the lip gloss or grab a sip of water.

Interviewing Taryn Southern.  Photo Courtesy of Jeff Rago.

                  

5:00PM I got the word that we were officially done and we finished right on time.  The red carpet was a complete adrenaline rush, but incredibly fun.  The best compliment I received that night came from Michael Tapp, who said, “- You looked like you were hosting your own party on the red carpet.”  That is exactly what I wanted to hear, so thank you!  Finally, I ran around looking for my date who was stuck outside the red carpet line without a ticket or a place to go.   With my date in hand, I headed into the theatre as a nominee. 

Congratulations to all of the winners of the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards.  The Web Files saluted the winners of the Craft Awards in last week’s episode.  Be sure to check out all of the red carpet action at the Orpheum Theatre later this week in our next episode.  


P.S.  Like all good red carpet reporters, I went to In-N-Out after the show and ate a delicious cheeseburger:  

Many thanks to Mathieas McNaughton for giving me the opportunity to write this article for Web Series Today where it was originally posted.  Be sure to visit his site for the latest in web series news. (and tell him KB sent you!)

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.