My Writing Staff for Online Videos

Obviously I don’t have “writers” for my videos. In fact I can barely find someone else to hold the camera, which is quite evident in my videos. But here are a few fun facts behind my “Writer’s Staff” series that is up to 8 episodes now.

Months ago I met with the an NYC-based independent station about a new television show that would feature viral videos (they had seen my “pitch” video on YouTube, so they sent a limo, and thus had my attention but lack of sobriety). We  shot the pilot last weekend, but it’s still being baked so I’ll cover this more later. If you want to get your stuff on the show, visit AreYouReadyforTV.com. Keep it short because we’re finding that one minute is a lifetime on a television show.

• As I met with some of the owners, leaders, staff and interns the TV station I begged them to pretend to be my writer’s staff. It was an idea I’d been entertaining, and the context was right (especially since I needed an office setting and cameras are forbidden by my foreboding employer). Almost immediately everyone over the age of 25 practically sprinted for the door. That left me with the content-acquisition folks and summer interns, so we shot this video called “My Writers.” No script or direction. We just “winged it.”
• We had so much fun we continued the series and it’s now merged into a YouTube playlist (at the request of a comment yesterday). The viewer feedback is mixed, but probably more negative in aggregate than most of my videos. People expect farting pranks or family fun from me, and this “Office” like humor is lost on many. If you try to please everyone you please noone, though. And they’re strangely cathartic for me because I get to channel every jackass for whom I’ve ever worked.
• I don’t really know these guys well, and most of the time we’ve spent has been creating these clips. The best lines are the spontanious ones that come from this team — none of whom has any notable acting experience. We prepare for virtually none of them, and the story takes whatever direction it takes.
• Most of the recent plots are conceived based on feedback from the previous episode.  We all joke about the comments and they’ve shaped the story and characters — conciously or not.
• Since we were looking for a co-host for the show, we did a spoof on finding me a co-host (even though we already had someone who had appeared in Spiderman 3). A YouTuber named Annie did a response video to this mock host, and the TV station actually invited her to audition with me. When I met her I was puzzled that she recognized me, and then I finally figured out who she was. She was great, but there was a local television personality that the station selected instead of Annie or Spiderman 3 lady.
• We had to kill two of the “writers staff”… Sushi Boy and Dan because they left the station (to return to school and to move to Germany, respectively). Justin (the cocky polo kid) has to die next because he returned to school so we can’t practically include him anymore.
• Meaghan sometimes works camera so we have a stand-in for her. We enjoy the lack of continuity of props and people because it gets such a hazing on YouTube.   
• What’s next? I dunno. What do you want?