Sunday, August 23, 2009

Web Video Pick of the Week, "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar"

You got to love it when a web series makes their own music video to not only promote their upcoming season but also to have some fun. The cast from the wildly popular independent web sitcom The Guild, created by web video heroine Felicia Day about about a group of online gamer, don their armor and bring sexy back with this web video gem that asks, Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? With a pulsing dance beat and seductive moves that are straight out of Britney or Beyonce video, Felicia and crew hit a home run with the geekiverse. Who wouldn't  wanted to hang with her in her MMO (Massively multiplayer online game)? 

With over 2.1 million views on YouTube with over 12,000 comments in less than a week it's prime example of viral marketing done right to promote Season 3 of The Guild that premieres exclusively on MSN Video, Xbox Live, and Zune on August 25th. The video was directed by Jed Whedon who also composed the music with lyrics by Felicia Day who was producer along with Christian Agypt. 



On her blog Felicia says,
"I don’t have time to do a proper blog post about it, but our video “Do You Wanna Date My Avatar” is going CRAZY around the internet! #1 Music Video on iTunes, #1 mp3 on Amazon?! Really? It’s you guys supporting us that’s doing it! When I get a chance I will write some thoughts about this whole crazy experience, but for now, enjoy!!"

The Guild was inspired by Felicia's love of World of Warcraft which she had been addicted to for two years. She dreamed up the idea and wrote the sitcom pilot that follows the lives of the Guild players both online and offline and pitched it to a web video audience rather than TV studio wonks. The rest is history which was actually made in the short span of two years through her collaboration with Jane Selle Morgan, Kim Evey, Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis and many others she knew in the business. It launched in the late summer of 2007, and for the first season was financed solely by Paypal donations from loyal fans. 

The Guild went on to become a web video sensation and locked up exclusive distribution of Season 2 on Microsoft's triple platform and a sponsorship deal with Sprint. Earlier this year it received numerous honors at the 1st Annual Streamy Awards garnering  Best Comedy Web Series, Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series, Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series (Felicia Day). 

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