Family Guy, Family Ties Stars Head for Web
In the last day we’ve heard of two more web video projects from established Hollywood talent. Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy is making a web show for Google, and actress Justine Bateman (Family Ties), writer and producer Jill Kushner (The Ellen DeGeneres Show), Peter Murrieta (Wizards of Waverly Place), and Alan Sereboff (Snowblind) have started a web video site called FM78.tv.
MacFarlane has cleared his digital work directly with the Writers Guild of America. “He’s doing a series of webisodes called Cavalcade, original programming that’ll be distributed through some Google portal,” was the word from WGA West President Patric Verrone, whom I met at a Harvard conference yesterday (we’ll post video from that interview tonight).
The MacFarlane deal likely came out of a reported arrangement from last summer brokered between Seth MacFarlane and Google (Raven-Symone signed the same deal) and arranged by Media Rights Capital to distribute exclusive content through Google AdSense.
Update: the noted geek, author, and Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton is working on MacFarlane’s Cavalcade.
Meanwhile, Zadi Diaz at EPIC-FU uncovered FM78 when she interviewed Justine Bateman at the Independent Spirit Awards. “We’re about to shoot our first sitcom, that takes place in a candy factory, and it’s going to be starring me and Jeff Garlin and Steve Pinkus directing,” Bateman said. “Everything’s going to be distributed over the Internet, TV and film. It’s not the future, it’s now.”
Bonus: above is a video of MacFarlane speaking at a WGA rally.
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Disney - Stage 9 - Quarterlife - SAG - Cablevision - Ticketmaster - MediaBytes February 29, 2008 | MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer on February 29th, 2008 at 6:47 am - Permalink
I have a longer, more in-depth conversation with Justine Bateman about new media. It’s available in my podcast.
http://wgastrike2007.blogspot.com/2008/02/wsc-show-104-new-media-discussion-with.html
bravenewmedia on February 29th, 2008 at 10:30 am - Permalink
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Interesting. I never knew about Family Guy in cahoots with Google till i read it here. Thanks for sharing.
Family Guy on June 26th, 2008 at 2:12 pm - Permalink
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Wil Wheaton Works on Seth MacFarlane’s Web Series « NewTeeVee on June 27th, 2008 at 12:41 am - Permalink
Seth is a pretty entertaining speaker, thanks for the video – it was interesting! It looks like he had the crowd “inspired” too.
Family Guy "The Matrix" spoof on August 11th, 2008 at 6:52 am - Permalink
its coming… http://www.sethcomedy.com/
MCB on August 27th, 2008 at 2:53 pm - Permalink