EMMY AWARD-WINNING WRITER/ PRODUCER TEAM Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick CREATE AND LAUNCH NEW INTERNET SERIES � "QuaRterlife" � TO DEBUT ON MySpace
MySpace to Globally Distribute 36 Original Episodes of New Internet Series Exclusively on MySpaceTV
New Online Series to Have Accompanying Website, quarterlife.com
LOS ANGELES�September 13, 2007�MySpace, the country's most trafficked website, announced today it will premiere "quarterlife" the new online series from Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, creators of "My So-Called Life," "thirtysomething," "Legends of the Fall," and "Blood Diamond," on MySpaceTV on November 11, 2007 (http://www.myspacetv.com). The new "quarterlife" series marks the first time a network-quality series will be produced directly for the Internet and it's the first time an independent project of this distinction has been owned and controlled by its creators, Herskovitz and Zwick.
"This is the most exciting project I've worked on in a very long time, and part of that is the level of creative autonomy we can have on the Internet. For better or worse, �quarterlife' is truly our own vision," said Marshall Herskovitz.
"The business of television today makes it harder for the individual filmmaker's voice to be heard," added Edward Zwick. "That voice has been our calling card for over twenty years, and working with MySpace gives us a chance to speak it."
The "quarterlife" series tells the ongoing stories of six creative people in their twenties. As with Herskovitz's and Zwick's previous television projects, the team's commitment to realism is at the center of "quarterlife" as is the recognition of universal human themes through the truthful depiction of the way young people speak, work, think, love, argue, and express themselves. The central character is Dylan, a young woman whose overly truthful video blog spills the closest secrets of her friends, and the show's characters�filmmakers Danny and Jed, actress-bartender Lisa, geek-extraordinaire Andy, and still-tied-to-her-parents Debra�chart the sometimes excruciating, sometimes comic, often emotional experiences that comprise coming of age as a part of the digital generation.
"When Emmy award-winning producers come to MySpaceTV � you know this is reaching a whole new level," said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. "We're proud to offer the creative community a blank canvas and open platform to express their vision."
As the exclusive international distribution partner, MySpaceTV will create a "quarterlife" video channel and MySpace profile page to spotlight exclusive series content including character profiles, behind-the-scenes video footage, and storyline secrets for the MySpace community. MySpaceTV will have the exclusive global rights to premiere 36, 8-minute original episodes of "quarterlife." Starting today, the "quarterlife" trailer can be viewed at www.myspacetv.com.
"Quarterlife" will be immediately available across MySpaceTV's 20 international territories and nearly 110 million global active users. The launch will allow MySpace's global community to share and create "quarterlife" content in their own language and share with friends around the world. Localized versions of MySpaceTV are available in seven different languages across the UK, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Latin America, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Austria.
Herskovitz and Zwick have also created a dedicated social network � quarterlife.com � to exist alongside their Internet series. Quarterlife.com will be devoted to facilitating that same coming of age as the series. For many people in this demographic the Internet is a critical part of life; they also define themselves, more than any generation in history, by their creativity. A key part of quarterlife is the interaction between the show and the website. Members of the quarterlife community will be invited to participate in the ongoing creation of the series through writing and video submissions.
The site will also provide a diverse, expressive, aspirational outlet for the 40 million Americans who are between the ages of 18 and 34. quarterlife.com will create a community around personal and creative development, and plans to provide resources in all the areas of life � the arts, careers, love, health, finances, education and activism � that concern this age group.
The "quarterlife" series is being produced by Josh Gummersall, a longtime associate of Herskovitz and Zwick. Melanie Hall, an expert in social networks for young people, has been named the COO of quarterlife.com.
Creative Artists Agency represents Herskovitz and Zwick and provided a central role in bringing quarterlife to fruition. "CAA was an instrumental partner from structuring the business to creating relationships with terrific distribution partners like MySpace," added Herskovitz.
"Marshall and Ed developed an innovative, powerful idea and we are proud to play a role in helping them execute their plan," said CAA business development executive Brian Weinstein.
Today's announcement comes on the heels of explosive video growth driven by dozens of industry content partnerships and user interface changes. MySpaceTV (http://www.myspacetv.com) is an integrated component of the company's worldwide community and content platform, continuing the evolution of the company's video offering by aggregating the best elements of video and empowering MySpace users to view, create, and share videos in new ways throughout the community.
About Quarterlife
Quarterlife, the Internet series and the social network, are created and owned by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, creators of creators of "My So-Called Life," "thirtysomething," "Legends of the Fall," and "Blood Diamond."
About MySpace.com
MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the first ranked web domain in terms of page views(c), MySpace is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind and is committed to providing the highest quality member experience. MySpace will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off. MySpace's international network includes localized community sites in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Latin America, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the United Kingdom. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp. (NYSE:NWS - News, NWS.A - News; ASX:NWS - News, NWSLV - News).
*Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, July 2007. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com
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