Hey Web series fans! 
Today marks an awesome day for independent series, as we’re finally able to see the first episode from Season 2 of Workshop as it debuts on Hulu. Workshop is the creation of Nate Golon, who also plays a large role as the lead actor in the series. Hulu picked up the second season of Workshop for a six episode run with each episode clocking in at a healthy twenty-two minutes in length, making it one of the first of its kind to make the jump into the longer format. This comes at a time when companies like Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube have been positioning themselves as independent production and distribution platforms. News like this is always good for burgeoning filmmakers and we’re hoping to see a lot more quality shows coming out of these networks in the near future.
We managed to catch up with show creator Nate Golon for some insight into the long and arduous tasks of independent production and the road to Hulu:
First off, a big congratulations on the Hulu deal for Season 2. Would you mind sharing how this deal came about?
Nate: Thanks so much! Landing the Hulu deal has been a great experience. I originally met Keith Knee in October of 2010 at the first ever New Media Day at the Anaheim International Film Festival, and he saw a rough cut of the first episode for Season 2. He suggested that we bring Season 2 of Workshop to Hulu as six episodes, each 22-minutes. It took a long time, but through Keith’s efforts, and the help of Garrett Law at Attention Span Media, we finally were able to successfully get Season 2 onto Hulu!
Hulu has proven to be a great distribution platform for studio-produced series in the past. Being the first independent production to make the jump to a long-format series, do you have any special plans to engage your audience to go 
toe-to-toe with the other half-hour shows that already have built-in audiences?
Nate: First of all, it blows my mind that we are now going to be airing side-by-side with network shows. I think we are going to aggressively push to build a strong grassroots campaign for the show and do everything we can to get the word out! I think there is a reason that we got picked up by Hulu – the show is really funny, we have great production value, and an amazing cast – and the more people see the show, hopefully the word will get out that Workshop is just as funny as most network shows.
Workshop Season 1 was a very successful foray into the Web series world. What has changed about how you approached the production for Season 2?
Nate: I really listened to what people said they liked and didn’t like about Season 1. The main criticism was production value. Season 1 of Workshop has a feel like The Office, with shaky-cam and zoom-shot reactions. The camera we shot Season 1 with was decent, but not great. Season 2 has way more of an Entourage feel to it (I tell people that Workshop is like a poor man’s Entourage), and the camera (Sony EX 1) we filmed Season 2 on is amazing.
Landing Don Stark is sure to be a great asset for the show. What is it like working with Don and how did he first become involved with the project?
Nate: Don Stark is the man! For those who don’t know, he played Donna’s dad, Bob, on That 70s Show. He was so cool to work with and totally hilarious! Don plays the character Terry Tompkins, a former famous actor who is now an eccentric, revered acting teacher. I put a casting notice out on Breakdowns for agents and managers to see, saying we were looking for a name actor to play the role, and Don’s manager contacted me. Don came in prepared on his day of filming and completely rocked it out.
Any advice you would offer other Web creators thinking of and setting their sights on the 22-minute format?
Nate: I think Workshop Season 2 works in a 22-minute format because it’s fast-paced. There are lots of scenes, lots of locations, lots of characters, and the scenes move quickly. The danger of doing a longer format is if the show is slow: people lose interest. So my advice is to set your sites on a 22-minute format only if your show can sustain it.
(And finally, the fun one:) If you had to describe Workshop Season 2 in one word what would it be?
Nate: Gratifying. It’s been quite the journey since Kimberly Legg and I began writing Season 1, and to see where the show is now is testament to a ton of hard work, perseverance, great fan support, and a little bit of good fortune along the way.
It’s always a treat when we get to see firsthand what hard work and determination can truly accomplish within the independent production world. Be sure to check out Workshop season 2 on Hulu today. Want to catch up? You can check out Season 1 here.
