In continuing our Web on Web Series, we spoke with Devin Mills, the writer, producer, and star of the Web series, Dating In The Middle Ages. 
This new series addresses the trials and tribulations of dating after years of being off the market. From blind dates to flat-out bad dates, Samantha Collins (Devin Mills) must navigate her way out of awkward and uncomfortable situations in an attempt to find the right man. So what’s with the Middle Ages pun? Turns out Samantha is also a historical romance writer, which plays a bit like Sex and the City, with Samantha narrating her thoughts as we watch her stumble through her experiences (gracefully, of course).
The first episode is currently the only one available, but as the show grows it will begin to tackle a style we rarely see online; musical comedy. We’re looking forward to that element, and curious as to how Mills plans to incorporate it into the series as a whole.
In the meantime, we decided to pick her brain about her experience in the industry as a whole and found her take on production quality and Web branding quite perceptive, so take a second to soak in her insight:
Clicker: What has been the overall audience reaction to your series so far?
Devin Mills: The audiences have loved it so far. Even younger audiences, and guys as well. When I first started out with “Dating In The Middle Ages,” I thought it might only appeal to Baby Boomer Women (which was still a good thing considering those women are the largest consumer buying audience out there) but I was pleasantly surprised to note that DITMA has a much broader and loyal following.
C: How do you measure your audience?
DM: So far from Facebook, Twitter, the website and YouTube. I am entertaining offers for broader distribution, but it has to be the right fit.
C: What inspired you to start a Web series in the first place?
DM: Well, as a writer we write what we know, right? Last year I left a marriage of many years, and the thought of dating again was truly overwhelming at first. Especially when my girlfriends (God, love em) felt the need to tell me about every horrific date they’d ever gone on. That made for some good stories and laughs. Then, when I finally started dating and had horrendous dates of my own, I thought if I told these dating stories the right way and I kicked this stuff up a few notches it’d be really funny, (or really pitiful, haha). And as an actor I have always gravitated towards comedy, so out of all that “Dating In The Middle Ages” was born. I started writing the episodes and people laughed out loud when they read them, which encouraged me. DITMA lends itself beautifully to song and dance numbers, and since I’m a dancer and singer it was natural to add all that in. Then the medieval teasers evolved organically as well and I just moved forward with it, never looking back.
C: Have you gotten what you want out of the experience?
DM: Too soon to tell…but I’m really working on enjoying the journey and not focusing on the end result. I have interest from TV entities as well as Web entities, and right now I’m growing my audience and learning as much as I can. I’m having a ball!
C: What helped you get this off the ground and noticed? Is there anything you did that you wouldn’t do again?
DM: I had a little bit of cash to produce this series with, so I hired a professional crew and instilled in them all that this must be “TV Quality,” all the way. I feel there are a lot of under-produced products on the Web and that has hurt the Web series industry. My (finished) episodes caught the eye of an Emmy award-winning director who believes in the project and has become my “sort of” mentor. He also has contacts so that helps, but I’ve just been trying to get the trailer out to all who will look at it. As far as Web series go, I hope I’m helping to raise the bar here and challenging people to really think about production value on every level before they pull out a camcorder and just start shooting. I’m a big proponent of quality not quantity.
I’d definitely like to use a different director for each episode in the future. That’s half the fun of producing a series like this – like Television you get to bring in different creatives for every episode. I had a terrific DP who also directed, but I feel DITMA is too demanding to do both in the future, especially as we get into more musical production numbers. And the directors should have musical director backgrounds if at all possible, or at least a ton of comedy under their belts. And the next time I budget a shoot, I’ll go for six episodes instead of four – more bang for your buck.
C: Where do you see this industry going in the next five years? Do you see it getting tougher or easier for creators and actors like you? 
DM: Anything could happen in the next five years. I feel like the Web is where TV was when it first started out and no one really knows what’ll happen, but we all feel something big is coming. I’d love to think that big brands/sponsors are going to get behind Web series, and like in the early days of TV (The Kraft Hour, Sponsored by General Motors, etc.) create partnerships with talented Web content creators. And Web series producers will benefit from this, creatively and financially. Then again (and I know I keep harping on this) big brands won’t get involved in under-produced garbage. It just gives us all a bad name. Right now there is pretty big saturation of junk on the Web, but I’m confident the cream of the crop will eventually win out. And I think as soon as we are able to watch the Internet on our televisions, that’ll create a bigger, broader audience for Web series as well.
C: What’s in store for you and your crew next?
DM: I’m just trying to do what’s right in front of me now, whether that’s a meeting with a TV Executive, blogging as my character, Tweeting and Facebooking to build an audience, doing an interview (like this wonderful one) – there are hundreds of things to do every day, and it’s all very exciting (and overwhelming). I’m really focusing on new and innovative marketing strategies for the show. Right now everyone seems to be interested in DITMA and it’s a great feeling. Of course I’m trying to find a buyer/home for the series – and I’ve outlined at least 20 more episodes so if I get a big brand interested, or a TV network, Samantha Collins will be kissing tons of toads in the near future, looking for her modern-day Cary Grant.
Many thanks to Devin for letting us chat with her, and make sure to check back often so you don’t miss more episodes of Dating In The Middle Ages as they’re released online!
