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Internet Video Update: First "Webisode" of Quarterlife Will Air on MySpaceTV

Emmy-winning TV creators launch show on Web November 11

Emmy-winning television show creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are teaming up with MySpaceTV to distribute their new online series, "Quarterlife." The first "Webisode" will air on MySpaceTV November 11.

When Emmy award-winning producers come to MySpaceTV you know this is reaching a whole new level, said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. Were proud to offer the creative community a blank canvas and open platform to express their vision.

This is the most exciting project Ive worked on in a very long time, and part of that is the level of creative autonomy we can have on the Internet. For better or worse, quarterlife is truly our own vision, said Herskovitz.  The business of television today makes it harder for the individual filmmakers voice to be heard, added Zwick. That voice has been our calling card for over twenty years, and working with MySpace gives us a chance to speak it.

Todays announcement comes on the heels of explosive video growth driven by dozens of industry content partnerships and user interface changes. MySpaceTV  is an integrated component of the companys worldwide community and content platform.

The quarterlife series tells the ongoing stories of six creative people in their twenties. As with Herskovitzs and Zwicks previous television projects, the teams commitment to realism is at the center of quarterlife as is the recognition of universal human themes through the truthful depiction of the way young people speak, work, think, love, argue, and express themselves. The central character is Dylan, a young woman whose overly truthful video blog spills the closest secrets of her friends, and the shows characters - filmmakers Danny and Jed, actress-bartender Lisa, geek-extraordinaire Andy, and still-tied-to-her-parents Debra - chart the sometimes excruciating, sometimes comic, often emotional experiences that comprise coming of age as a part of the digital generation.

As the exclusive international distribution partner, MySpaceTV will create a quarterlife video channel and MySpace profile page to spotlight exclusive series content including character profiles, behind-the-scenes video footage, and storyline secrets for the MySpace community. MySpaceTV will have the exclusive global rights to premiere 36, 8-minute original episodes of quarterlife. Starting today, the quarterlife trailer can be viewed at www.myspacetv.com.

Quarterlife will be immediately available across MySpaceTVs 20 international territories and nearly 110 million global active users. The launch will allow MySpaces global community to share and create quarterlife content in their own language and share with friends around the world. Localized versions of MySpaceTV are available in seven different languages across the UK, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Latin America, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Austria.

Herskovitz and Zwick have also created a dedicated social network quarterlife.com to exist alongside their Internet series. Quarterlife.com will be devoted to facilitating that same coming of age as the series. For many people in this demographic the Internet is a critical part of life; they also define themselves, more than any generation in history, by their creativity. A key part of quarterlife is the interaction between the show and the website. Members of the quarterlife community will be invited to participate in the ongoing creation of the series through writing and video submissions.

The site will also provide a diverse, expressive, aspirational outlet for the 40 million Americans who are between the ages of 18 and 34. quarterlife.com will create a community around personal and creative development, and plans to provide resources in all the areas of life the arts, careers, love, health, finances, education and activism that concern this age group.

The quarterlife series is being produced by Josh Gummersall, a longtime associate of Herskovitz and Zwick. Melanie Hall, an expert in social networks for young people, has been named the COO of quarterlife.com.


More Stories By Internet Video News Desk

SYS-CON's "Internet Video News Desk" tracks the fast-emerging and fast-converging worlds of streaming video, online TV, as well as bringing the latest news and articles about the upcoming iTVCon - Internet Video Conference & Expo, which will take place on November 12-13, 2007, in San Francisco.

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Most Recent Comments
Caleb 09/13/07 03:26:11 PM EDT

Wow, it used to be no black people in space, now it seems there are no black people in cyberspace. This show is supposed to represent the reality of young people's lives today - what an odd clip to use to advertise the show at quarterlife.com (a glimpse of a dark face doesn't count). If only quarterlife were a full life ;-)

James H 09/13/07 10:14:25 AM EDT

The most amazing aspect of MySpace is the fact that it can seemingly continue to thrive despite the fact that no real people have used it in over a year. They've somehow managed to convince the out-of-date TV media that they're still relevant.