eqal

Fierce 15 Online Video Movers and Shakers: EQAL

Pete Wylie — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:53:52 -0400

EQAL
Founded: 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Investors: Spark Capital, Conrad Riggs, Ron Conway, Marc Andreessen and Georges Harik.
www.eqal.com

LonelyGirl15 (LG15) established EQAL's claim to fame with it's fictional-posing-as-reality teenage girl named Bree hook bringing in viewers and building up to a complex, multi character universe that borrowed a page or two from Joss Whedon's book. After ax-murdering off poor Bree at the end of LG15, EQAL continued with the KateModern and LG15: The Resistance series.

EQAL, an online-only production company, doesn't simply want to create TV shows for the online space; it aims to forge a totally new type of content that is as compelling as a TV show, but as interactive as a chat room. Fans of the web series are urged to "immerse themselves in a shared entertainment experience." The EQAL team hopes to make viewing their shows a much more two-way experience than traditional TV or film viewing.

Episodes of KateModern and LG15: The Resistance cost only $5,000 to $10,000. With product placement and ads over the content, it's not hard to see how these shows can form a very profitable model. EQAL has cut distribution deals with Veoh, Hulu and imeem that should expand the audiences for its programming.

Next: Funny or Die

"The Resistance" for EQAL

Doug Mohney — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:38:31 -0400

The web video producers who gave us "lonelygirl15," presents their latest offering, "LG15: The Resistance."

"The Resistance" is being shot in Los Angeles and is being syndicated through a number of top U.S. video sites, including YouTube, MySpaceTV, Hulu, imeem and Veoh. EQAL is producing 12 installments for season one, which launches online on September 20, and will air a new episode every Saturday. Fans can choose to watch the weekly episodes only, or they can immerse themselves in the broader LG15.com website which has "daily snippets" of content, including blog postings, polls and characters' video blogs.

Part soap opera, part deep conspiracy, the new series features teen characters (no surprise there; "lonelygirl15" was also allegedly a teen) facing their daily lives and a mysterious group seeking out young girls with a rare blood type.

Creators of the series fess up and say Joss Whedon, creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog," was their muse.

Advertising will include some display ads and overlays, but no preroll video, says EQAL. The company is also seeking to interest brands in product integration (placement) deals within the story if the products fit.

For more:
- AdWeek talks about "The Resistance." Article
- And so does CNet. Blog

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CBS and 'Lonelygirl15' creators team up

CBS and 'Lonelygirl15' creators team up

Doug Mohney — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:56:37 -0400

EQAL, the guys who bought you the YouTube mock reality of "Lonelygirl15," have teamed up with CBS to bring the traditional broadcaster some online video hipness.

The deal is a non-exclusive partnership that gives CBS a first look at new concepts EQAL creates for "multiplatform TV"--the combo of broadcast, Internet and mobile; "three screens" in geek speak. EQAL will also act as a "consulting partner" with CBS programs to help them flesh out online and mobile content to complement broadcast offerings, working closely with CBS television writers at the script and production level to create online narratives that tie directly into TV series and promote network shows.

EQAL will also build and provide the entire infrastructure to host the online show components, an announcement that has no doubt put the company into the speed dialers of CDNs.

"Lonelygirl 15" established EQAL's claim to fame, a mythical drama about a 16-year-old video blogging girl in L.A. who was unmasked to be a 20-year-old New Zealand actress working out of the bedroom of one of the creators. The company continues to create episodes with distribution through YouTube and MySpace and has produced a companion series/hit, KateModern.

In April, EQAL announced a $5 million funding round that included participation from VC firm Spark Capital, a former Mark Burnett Productions executive and Netscape founder Marc Andreesen.

For more:

- EQAL talks about their CBS production deal
- The Hollywood Reporter's schoop on EQAL and CBS teaming up.
- Wired's Lonelygirl15 Creators Team With CBS

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