There are thousands – if not millions of web series that are currently online, and many of them have utilized crowd funding in one form or another. Yet, have you ever given to such a campaign without even knowing what show you’re supporting? One such series, set to begin filming its first season of eight episodes on October 12th, with a tentative premiere sometime in January of next year, hopes you will – and is now seeking $35,000 to fund production of its series on its official IndieGoGo page. As of this writing, the campaign has raised nearly $300 with 36 days remaining. The “mystery” web series in question (actually a dark comedy) is currently titled “BLANK”, produced by Brian Beacock (star and producer of McCRACKEN LIVE! and the 2002 NBC comedy THE RERUN SHOW), and Susan Bernhardt (MISS BEHAVE).
Among its primary cast: Bernhardt’s daughter, Jillian Clare (who stars in MISS BEHAVE, in addition to her roles on DAYS OF OUR LIVES and the indie comedy THE KITCHEN), Patrika Darbo (DAYS OF OUR LIVES), Paul Nygro (McCRACKEN LIVE! and the 2010 comedy YOU AGAIN), Chris Galya (Disney’s JESSIE) and John Yelvington (McCRACKEN LIVE! and the indie musical HOW SWEET IT IS).
In addition, the series’ guest stars for its first season traverse the worlds of the big and small screens: Eric Martsolf (DAYS OF OUR LIVES), Christine Lakin, best known for her role as ‘Al’ on the popular ‘90s sitcom STEP BY STEP, along with her portrayals of ‘Joyce Kinney’ on FAMILY GUY, ‘Susan Knight’ in the TV and film versions of VERONICA MARS, and also her own web series LOVIN’ LAKIN.
Other guest stars include Peter Allen Vogt (PARKS AND RECREATION, VALENTINE’S DAY, HANNAH MONTANA), comedienne Cocoa Brown (from TYLER PERRY’S FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE), Sheila Sheila (BETTY WHITE’S OFF THEIR ROCKERS) Gary and Larry Lane (from the documentary film FROM HOLLYWOOD TO DOLLYWOOD), and Mitch Silpa (BRIDESMAIDS).
Despite this star power no one knows what the series is about – or even what it’s called. That is, until you watch the end of its campaign promo video (see links below). As Bernhardt explains, it’s all part of the producers’ innovative approach to marketing and promoting their series. “Brian and I wanted to keep the premise and name a mystery so we created a fun video for the Indiegogo page, threw some bleeps and bars in it, then added some subtle clues as well! I guarantee if you watch the video to the end and visit the link, plus read through the page, you”ll figure it out and want to donate!” The video, which is also closed captioned for deaf and hard of hearing viewers, is available on the show’s IndieGoGo page and on Youtube.
Beacock and Clare first met in 2000, and they’ve achieved considerable success with their respective web series projects. In McCRACKEN LIVE! Beacock plays an actor whose female alter ego, the fabulous home improvement host Carol Ann McCracken, brings him fame and fortune – but whose chaotic family life threatens to disrupt his career. As for Clare, she starred in another web series that proved to be just as popular: Bernhardt’s teen drama MISS BEHAVE, which focuses on Tori Archer (played by Clare), the daughter of successful parents who finds that despite growing up in a famous family, growing up isn’t as easy as it looks.
MISS BEHAVE and McCRACKEN LIVE! won multiple awards and critical acclaim, not to mention high viewership – and it was those series that would end up bringing Bernhardt and Beacock together in 2010 when they promoted them in a radio interview. As a result, Beacock guest starred on Bernhardt’s series, and their creative partnership was in full bloom. Now, they’re out to bring “BLANK” to the web.
Along with the star-studded cast, the series’ producers have come up with further incentives for viewers to donate to the show’s IndieGoGo campaign. There’s the ‘Drop Dead Soap Fan Perk’ where fans of daytime sudsers can be eligible for perks including lunch with their favorite stars, producer credit, video shout-outs, plus a chance to attend the premiere – and possibly to win the biggest prize of all, the ‘Midnight Shambler Perk’ (which as the creators of the series say, may give a hint or two to what the show is actually about). Other incentives for campaign contributors include DVD or digital downloads of the series, along with scripts, calendars autographed by the show’s stars, and much more that’s yet to be revealed.
For now, though, we can’t tell you much about the series itself other than what’s been discussed above – though Beacock does provide a (very) brief description of what viewers can expect: ““The show is a combination of all things I love – dry comedies, horror films and ‘fish out of water’ stories. The series will be shot in the style of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and PARKS AND RECREATION but with a twist, an anachronistic mash-up of eras, with a bizarre look at Hollywood. We’re hoping to create our own look and visual personality for a web series that hasn’t been done before. Ultimately, as always, I just want my mom to like it.”
IndieGoGo: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/blank-a-semi-dark-comedy-about-blank
Youtube: (for the series’ promo video, closed-captioned):