lonelygirl15's Jessica Rose
returns for 'Hooking Up'
Hoping to win online street cred (and a new captive audience), HBO cobbled together a collection of popular online entertainers for a new web series, Hooking Up, which debuts this fall.
Produced by experimental department HBOlab, the first episode goes live on October 1st. It will appear on video portals like YouTube and MySpace, as well as on its own website.
The show takes place at a fictional university called Bask U, and plot development revolves around communication — or rather, miscommunication — via email, IM, and Twitter.
A similar web drama, Quarterlife, was produced by MySpace in partnership with producers Mrshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick last year. Quarterlife documented the misadventures of college students in the digital area, with especial focus blogging as a means to vent events of the day — which can lead to the ire of friends that don't want their affairs broadcast online.
Quarterlife was eventually picked up by TV network NBC and broadcast on television to a dismal reception.
Much of Hooking Up's success depends on the existing fanbase surrounding its cast. Most are already YouTube stars: Jessica Rose — better known as lonelygirl15 — and videobloggers Phil DeFranco (sxephil), and Kevin Wu (kevjumba). Each has about a million subscribers to their respective YouTube channels.
The following teaser features Jessica Rose and Phil DeFranco in the throes of a burgeoning digital-era romance:
Other so-called "cewebrities" — online celebrities — will make guest appearances, including Buckley, Kevin Nalts, Charles Trippy and "Mr. Safety" Cory Williams. Two "non-actors" were also cast into lead roles.
However well or badly the show fares, the experiment is a minor risk for HBO, which invested little relative to a TV series premier. Hooking Up boasts an in-house writer/director, a mere 10-episode commitment, and zero advertising contracts.
HBO's decision to forego brand sponsorship may come as a surprise for marketers accustomed to sharing top billings on web drama credits. Ford, Netflix, Neutrogena and Express have all delved into the world of webisode programming. Online series also have trouble transitioning to network TV, as demonstrated by NBC's experience with Quarterlife.
