KATEMODERN

KATEMODERN - bebo.com/lonelygirl15 Productions

Writer - Season 2 of hit online drama.

Storylining 26 weeks and scripting 74 episodes for daily show embedded in the social networking site bebo.com.

The series ended in July 2008 clocking up 66 million video views, the largest UK online production to date.

I blog about the experience on my online drama site here, and give talks on what it's like writing for online narrative to academic institutions, production companies and broadcasters.




RTE INTERVIEW ABOUT WRITING ON KATEMODERN

This was an interview I gave in Ireland on The Dave Fanning Show on RTE RADIO 1 - the inside skinny on writing on Season 2 of KateModern.

http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0421/drivetimewithdave.html




Here are some press articles on the show...

Kate Modern herself was killed off at the start of the second series; a bit of a bold move you might think, but the format of the show means it is constantly breaking new ground.“You can interact with the story, talk to the characters, comment on the plot – we get feedback all the time,” explains Rushton.

“What I find so interesting is the fact that people are coming together and discussing the show, but they’re also coming together to discuss things that lie outside of the show that affect them. People actually come to you on Bebo and share their experiences and they feel like they’ve got a place to do that. It’s the way that communication is going.”

The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/music-film/modern-miss-817538.html

We told you last month about the planned wrap-up of KateModern, the very successful Internet television show exclusive to the AOL-owned Bebo social network.

Well, today’s the day that all is put to pasture. KateModern is having its finale, and it’s going out with 12 episodes in 12 hours. The countdown to the series close began earlier this morning and will stretch to 7PM EST, with hourly videos releases complemented by live chats with and among the fanbase.

In fact, due to its viral achievements EQAL was able to secure both a $5 million Series A funding round and CBS partnership in the space of a single month.

Mashable.com
http://mashable.com/2008/06/28/katemodern-2

BEBO's Kate Modern has become an internet sensation since being launched a year ago.
More than 66 million people have logged on to view the interactive online drama's 'webisodes' since July 2007.

TV Biz has an exclusive preview of this week's season 2 finale for your pleasure. It features Ralf Little and man-of-the-moment Noel Clarke - who wrote, directed and starred in the Kidulthood and Adulthood films.

The Sun
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article1345446.ece

Who killed KateModern? It's the question that has been occupying several million minds since the beginning of the year, when the heroine of the eponymously named online drama met her end. Kate, for those who have been living in a bunker since July 2007, is, or rather, was, a troubled teenage university art student living in London. She had a dark past that she was unable to remember and was somehow connected to a secret organisation called The Order.

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/03/digitalmedia.web20

Social networking site Bebo is to shock fans of hit online drama Kate Modern by killing off its eponymous star in the first episode of its new series.

The series' first sponsors - which get to see their products placed within the video - will be Cadbury's Creme Egg and Toyota's youth-targeted car Aygo. Sponsors of the first series included Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Warner Music, Paramount and Orange, which each paid up to £250,000 to appear within the show.

No figures have been revealed about what each company might pay to be involved with the second series.

However, each company stumps up cash based on the amount its brand is integrated into the storyline, which includes monitoring the number of times it appears in the video and is mentioned in the script.

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/16/bebo.television

KateModern, the flagship online drama broadcast by social networking site Bebo, will wrap up for the last time at the end of June, it was announced today.

The last part of series two will air on June 28, with Bebo promising a "high octane" ending with multiple episodes.

Featuring Royle Family star Ralph Little, the interactive drama has run for more than 300 four-minute episodes since it launched in July last year, racking up more than 57 million views.

Bebo wanted the show to "encourage unprecedented interactivity" with its audience and has also tried to distinguish itself from rival social networking sites by building up original content.

Users are given interactive tools to "talk" to KateModern characters and producers from the series, suggest storylines and solve puzzles in the plot.

The Bebo president, Joanna Shields, said KateModern has "created a new genre and demonstrated the power of media on a social network with gripping storylines and peerless production values".

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/12/bebo.web20


Recommended Reading...

The Creators of lonelygirl15 explain the mythology, buisness and future of the show...
http://www.thedeal.com/blogs/video/tech-confidential/lonelygirl15-creators-beckett.php




FAVOURITE EPS

Raise The Roof - The week-long crossover with lonelygirl15 - both US and UK storylines converge for the arrival of Jonas...
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/?p=301

Outta here - and this is the last lonelygirl15 day in the UK...
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/?p=303

Special Relationship - Lauren tries explaining her story
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/?p=296

WC One - The gang are worried about their boss
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/?p=241

2008 Will Not Suck: Charlie interviews for a roommate
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/?p=222

The Invitation - Rupert Van Helden posts a video invite to his Hymn Of One wedding
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/?p=316


CLICK HERE for details of my ONLINE WRITING

KateModern - Out on a high

After 322 episodes... 66 million cumulative video hits... 6 million bebo profile views... Two BAFTA Craft and WEBBY nominations and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award...

Season 2 of KateModern comes to an end this week. It has been a phenomenal experience writing episode scripts and storylining on this show - the best writers room experience with Luke Hyams and Lawrence Tallis - and a frontline lesson in what works for this genre and medium.
There is a true difference between online drama and "TV show broadcast on the web".

The season finale of 12 videos in 12 hours (together with the entire KateModern series 1 and 2) can be found here:-
www.lg15.com/katemodern
and here:-
www.bebo.com/katemodern

The wiki maintained by the fans of KateModern and lonelygirl15 is here:-
http://www.lg15.com/lgpedia/index.php?title=Image:KM_Portal_Season_2.jpg

Here is a GMTV behind-the-scenes shoot:-




And an article in today's SUN.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv

All my KateModern links can be found by clicking on here.

And I'll be talking at the SCREENWRITERS' FESTIVAL 2008 in Cheltenham on Wednesday 2nd July in the session: Online and Multi-Platform narratives.

Neil Mossey Online writing biog

From time to time, I am asked to speak at conferences and presentations about what it was like writing on the web series lonelygirl15 and KateModern. These events usually ask for a biography to appear in their brochure.
Here is my online writing biog...

Neil grew up in Central London, and worked solely in television and radio before writing on Season 2 of the daily interactive web drama KateModern (storylining over 26 weeks, and scripting 74 webisodes). The series ended in July 2008 clocking up 66 million video views, the largest UK online production to date.

As a comedy producer at the BBC he was responsible for developing new formats and drama in the Comedy Entertainment department with writers and performers(including “Stockport So Good They Named It Once” starring Dominic Monaghan and Jason Done, “Head Over Heels” starring Daniela Denby-Ashe, and co-writing the BBC’s first daily comedy series “The Recommended Daily Allowance with John Gordillo”).

His freelance writer, script editor, and producer credits include "My Parents Are Aliens" (itv1), "Freefonix" (BBC One), "Blackout" (Channel 4), "SuperNormal" (itv1), "The Worst Witch" (itv1), "Hedz" (BBC One), and "The Morning After Show" (Channel 4).

www.neilmossey.com

My site for following Online Drama and Webseries ...

Started this blog:- http://storygas.blogspot.com/

Here's more from the ABOUT ME page on the site:-


In 2008, I was a writer on Season 2 of the Online Drama KateModern: storylining 157 and scripting 74 webisodes in six months. The series gained 66 million video hits - and a community response so seemingly disproportionate to the short daily episodes we were delivering.

Something else was going on, and I was getting first hand experience (guided by the path blazed by Miles Greg and Amanda - The lonelygirl15 Creators) - a transaction with the audience which is vastly different from the one we're used to in TV, Radio and Film production.

The series was being produced while the audience was able to comment, contact, contribute to and discuss - and feedback from that community was incorporated back into the series. Which, in turn, strengthened and grew the community around it.

Since the show came to an end in June this year, I have given talks on what it was like working on KateModern, and "Writing Online Narrative" more generally - and found myself referencing the same shows, links and sites. It seemed crazy not to have a place where I could 'bank' those, and update them with more news and links as I stumble upon them myself.

Welcome to StoryGas!

The posts are biased towards...

- Online narrative

(rather than factual or entertainment series,
such as "Black Cab Sessions"
StSanders' surreal genius Shreds,
or BBC News' "The Box")

- Live action

(rather than animations like Salad Fingers
or Charlie The Unicorn)

- 'Open' shows

(produced and uploaded while the audience are (or were) able to contribute, rather than 'closed' series which are completely produced, done and dusted, before uploading).

This is probably the biggest difference between "Online Narrative" and say, a TV show on, say, BBC iplayer. The definitions of 'ongoing' are still bedding down - a 'closed' one-off show such as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog could be seen as part of the ongoing community around Joss Whedon's content, or the completed series of The Guild as part of a larger building of a community around that show...


So this is the blog. In the meantime I'm working on 3 commissioned online shows, and hope to share gossip from them with you here as they progress.

Feel free to say HI by clicking on anywhere marked "Comments" -- there are already others out there writing and producing online shows... with exactly the same questions as you -- we can help each other out with the answers!

Or email direct - storygas at gmail dot com

http://storygas.blogspot.com/

Neil Mossey: Selected Broadcast Credits

SERIES PRODUCER & OTHER PRODUCTION CREDITS:

BBC EARTH KIDS YOUTUBE CHANNEL (BBC Earth/YouTube), 

BIG COOK, LITTLE COOK (Cbeebies)

MORNING AFTER SHOW with SIMON AMSTELL (Channel 4), 

RI:SE (Channel 4), 

PALOOKAVILLE (Channel 4), 

CELEBRITY SQUARES (Channel 5), 

RETURN OF THE GOODIES (BBC Two), 

JAMES CAMPBELL’S SILLY EXPERIMENT (Disney), 

I SLEPT WITH RICHARD BLACKWOOD (Sky One), 

THE RECOMMENDED DAILY ALLOWANCE (BBC Choice), 

A NIGHT IN WITH COMIC RELIEF (BBC Choice), 

IT’S THAT JO CAULFIELD AGAIN (Radio 4), 

HEAD OVER HEELS (BBC Radio 2), 

STOCKPORT, SO GOOD THEY NAMED IT ONCE (Radio 4), 

HOUSE OF LIES (App, Showtime Networks),

THE END OF THE YEAR SHOW (BBC One), 

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALF GARNETT (BBC One),

AUNTIE'S TV FAVOURITES (BBC One),

DANNY BAKER, AFTER ALL (BBC One),

FREELANCE WRITER/SCRIPT EDITOR CREDITS

MY PARENTS ARE ALIENS (series 7-8, ITV Studios/ITV), 

REGINALD D. HUNTER'S BLACKOUT (Ealing Studios/Channel 4), 

LONELYGIRL15/KATEMODERN (66 million views, 174x eps, LG15/Bebo on YouTube)

CHEAP SHOTS AT THE DEFENCELESS (Edinburgh Fringe), 

DIVIDE AND CONGA (Edinburgh Fringe), 

THE NEW WORST WITCH (ITV Studios/ITV), 

GIGGLEBIZ (series 3-5, BBC/Cbeebies), 

MINNIE THE MINX (Beano Studios), 

SCHOOL OF ROARS (10x eps, Dot To Dot/NBC Universal/Cbeebies), 

ALL OVER THE PLACE (series 2-7, BBC/CBBC), 

JAZZDUCK (Nexus Studios/Amazon Prime), 

FOOTY PUPS (49x episodes, Dot To Dot Productions/Cbeebies), 

COMPOST CORNER (ITV Studios/ITV, BAA/BAFTA nominated & Promax award winner), 

SUPERNORMAL (ITV Studios/ITV), 

BOYSTER (French co-production/Disney XD), 

SCRATCH N SNIFF'S DEN OF DOOM (RDF/ITV), 

BIN WEEVILS (Prism/Nickelodeon), 

FREEFONIX (Cinnamon/BBC), 

BOUNTY HAMSTER (Peafur/ITV), 

WRITING FOR ONLINE & WEBSERIES (Bucks New University, De Montfort University), 

INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING COURSE AND MENTORING (Cyfle Cymru, Wales)