I’ve been noticing, lately, that more and more Web series are launching with sponsorship attached. It inspired me to play a little game with myself that I like to call, “If I Were A Web Series.” So here it goes: If I were a Web series, and I wanted to fund my project through advertisements, would I opt for commercial breaks or product placement?
It took me about two seconds to realize that when it comes to the Web, this is a no-brainer. Product placement. The Internet is still viciously anti commercial breaks. Viewers are attracted to the Web because it doesn’t wreak of the Television formula, so a Web series that’s clouded with too many commercials is going to feel like a sell-out. Bring that advertisement into the content, though, and you’ve got a completely different story; you’re not selling out, you’re being tastefully resourceful! It makes sense, then, that this is the new hit trend – and there’s at least one marketing firm that’s taking it very seriously: CJP Digital Media.
Two days ago, CJP Digital Media, in collaboration with Horizon Media, released it’s newest original web series, The Webventures of Justin and Alden; a comedy about two guys attempting to make the best Web series ever created, sponsored by Trident. I had the opportunity to talk to Wilson Cleveland, one of the producers, to discuss the series, its involvement with The Streamys (perhaps not-so-coincidentally also sponsored by Trident), and the role that branding takes within the realm of the comedy, itself.
I watched the pilot (embedded below) after the interview and I’ll admit, I’m impressed. The characters are charming, the comedic timing is spot-on (though I’ll admit it’s funnier if you’re savvy to the world of Web celebs and Streamys nominated content), and Cleveland’s response to my question about Trident’s integration really hit home; the world created is so absurd that the gum’s presence doesn’t seem entirely out of context.
Read on for the interview, and check out The Webventures of Justin & Alden for yourself! Let us know your thoughts on the series, or on branding at large, in the comments section below!
Clicker: How did you come up with the idea for The Webventures of Justin & Alden?
Wilson Cleveland: I actually didn’t come up with the whole idea, myself. Justin and Alden had made a hilarious video for Trident a few months back in which they played themselves as two actors who decide they can become famous by getting their favorite gum into the hands of celebrities. “Webventures” is rooted in that same central premise. I thought it would be funny to take Justin and Alden’s original concept further by having their characters wreak havoc with actual celebrities from the Web, TV, and Film in the middle of an actual red carpet awards show. That was the impetus behind partnering up with The Streamys. Sandeep and Tony had the brilliant idea of making it a ‘buddy road trip’ comedy to broaden the narrative and involve all types of characters and situations.
You have a lot of Web-celeb talent associated with the series – how did everyone get attached? Was that a difficult feat?
Wilson Cleveland: Whenever I work with a brand that’s investing in Web TV, I want to include people on the project who are making Web TV worthy of investment. I’m either friends, or have worked with a lot of these people as an actor, producer or marketer so, between my buddy Sandeep and I, we made a lot of calls and sent a lot of emails and we feel lucky and grateful everyone wanted to do the show. I think if we were shooting “Webventures” at any time other than the week before The Streamys, it would have been very difficult to assemble this many Web TV celebs in a single series.
Did you film at The Streamys? Do the Streamy Awards play a big role in the series?
Wilson Cleveland: The story is centered on Justin and Alden’s quest to convince Felicia [Day] to be the star of their Web series, so when they read about her being at The Streamys that night, it becomes a race to get there before it ends. The Streamys figure very prominently in the later episodes and we wanted that to be as real as possible. We shot the scenes with Alex Albrecht, Zadi, Mark Gantt, Sandeep, David Wain, and the others on the actual Streamys red carpet. I don’t want to give anything away but we shot the other key Streamys scenes in and around the actual Orpheum Theater. I think anyone who was actually at the show that night who watches the later episodes will get a kick out of how we’ve blended the two realities.
How many episodes are you coming out with?
Wilson Cleveland: Five episodes over five weeks, starting [this past Tuesday] with new episodes every Tuesday.
Do you have a target demographic? Did that play a role in the planning of this series/the decision to brand it?
Wilson Cleveland: It was less about “targeting a demographic” in the traditional sense of the term. Rather, everyone was just excited about the energy and humor. Justin and Alden themselves brought to the table that it was more about creating a series around them and reaching those audiences we all thought would gravitate most to their style. As soon as I saw their initial video, I immediately knew the writing/director team of Tony, Sandeep, and Sean Becker was the best way to go.
What prompted you to team up with Trident? What was that process like?
Wilson Cleveland: Horizon Media actually brought in CJP to produce “Webventures” for their clients at Trident. We’d met the team from Horizon last summer at Tubefilter’s Onfronts Event for brands and content creators and we’d been discussing partnering on a project ever since.
How do you integrate a product like Trident gum into a web series without it coming off like a commercial? Or does it? What was your angle?
Wilson Cleveland: “Webventures” has ninjas, vampires, superheroes, time travel, and George Washington as a principle character… so we’ve essentially eliminated subtlety and realism right off the bat like any smart, absurdest comedy does. The genius of Sandeep and Tony’s script is, they’ve established this world that’s so ridiculous, so funny, that making the gum itself anything less than a main character throughout the series would be more obvious that if we were trying to keep the branding subtle. You can’t sneak a product placement in a scene where the first President of the United States is siphoning gas out of a beat-up Nissan like it’s no big deal; and that’s why this series works so well.
