Late last week I had the chance to catch up with Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward, the creative force behind one of the Web’s most successful series, Anyone But Me. 
The pair hosted a panel at New York’s Internet Week entitled, “Make It Happen! Creating a Successful Web Series” – a difficult topic to address in light of the Web industry’s increasing popularity and complexity, but one that Miller and Cesa Ward have ongoing experience with, first-hand.
Read on for insight on the team’s biggest take-aways and pieces of advice for Web series creatives.
For even more in-depth analysis, check out the archived footage for Susan and Tina’s Internet Week panel discussion, embedded below the interview:
What struck you most about Internet Week and the crowd in attendance?
Susan Miller: We were one of only two panels in the entertainment category. The audience was really engaged. Like they had a real need to be there and an expectation that we were going to give them something they needed. Web series are coming into their own. People thinking about making shows for the Web have examples to follow now. So their questions are rooted much more in their viewing experience. “Do you write to please your fans?” was one of the questions. “How does writing for a webseries differ from writing for television or stage?” “Does being engaged with your fans ever become a burden or even a danger?”
Tina Cesa Ward: It was great to be a part of Internet Week on a whole, for sure. And to have that many people give you their time because they think you know something they don’t is always pretty amazing.
What do people seem to be struggling with most when it comes to building a Web series?
TCW: Often the conversation comes back to money and budget. Obviously, it’s the big question for everyone right now. How much money do I need to make my Web series? And there is never really an answer I can give because there are so many variables to what makes up a budget. And it’s also how you want to tell your story.
SM: Well, aside from how can we make money at this thing, people want advice on how to get their show noticed. How to find and connect with a potential fan base. They’re also looking to understand the way distribution sites like blip.tv and Hulu work, for example, so once they have a show they’ll know where and how to launch it.
Do you two feel that you understand the way distribution sites like blip.tv and hulu work by now, or is it still a learning experience?
SM: It actually becomes pretty clear once you put your show on these sites. The caveat is that blip.tv and hulu.com, etc, necessarily go through growth spurts and sometimes that means accomodating to their changes. Though it all seems to work to the creators’ advantage, I think.
Did you learn anything from the event, yourselves?
SM: I always feel educated whenever I do a public event. Internet Week was particularly satisfying because it was just the two of us talking about our experience with Anyone But Me and the process and journey of putting three seasons up. What I took away was a sense of the growing legitimacy of Web series and the increasing number of creative people who want to give it a go. I think they’re getting the powerful scent of freedom that this new media affords.
TCW: The Web is growing fast. Every event I go to there’s always this amazing growth happening. I’m sure when we go to VidCon in July there will be new technologies, new points of views, new ideas to show the relevance of the Web series, that we didn’t see this week.
What inspires you two to promote the Web industry and give feedback to creative hopefuls as actively as you do?
Anyone But Me is really a stand out Web series in that you’ve had three strong seasons and a really strong following –and it’s a drama, which is especially difficult to market online– what do you think really keeps viewers coming back? The niche audience; length of episodes; production value?
TCW: Well, there are many complaints about the length of our episodes: they always want them to be longer, so I’m not sure it’s the length. When it comes to the Web, production value can often get confused with budget size. And production value to me isn’t about how big and shiny you can make your show, it’s about taking the craft of storytelling very seriously and saying, “this is the budget I have, how can I make the best show without too many compromises?” And you really have to get creative. A low budget will test your creativity and often your talent. Of course, having a small budget is very frustrating, but you can still excel in your overall direction, your work with your actors and with cinematography even on a small budget. Production value doesn’t just appear with bigger budgets: it starts with talented people that work hard at their craft.
SM: Definitely the quality of the writing, production, and cast. Having a niche audience and engaging with them is a huge element of our success. Anyone But Me also works because it’s of the moment. And we’re always reaching to deepen our stories and experiment with structure. Our magic formula for getting people addicted? Consistency. And surprise.
If you could sum up the message you tried to relay at Internet Week New York in just a few sentences, what would it be?
SM: Do it. Make something happen. Don’t wait for approval or someone to say yes. Take the risk. Bring all the talent and skills you have to bear because it will only work if you plan to be in it for the long haul. Most importantly, give it your original voice, and surround yourselves with excellence.
TCW: The Web gives you the freedom to create and distribute. The power to get your stories out there to millions of people around the world is truly in your own hands.
