Scarsdale Grad Produces Indie Web Series

Here's another good reason to try watching TV on your computer. Scarsdale High School ('07) Alum Charlie Alderman has launched his career in the film industry by producing a comedy web series that was nominated by Indiewire for the "Best of 2012." The series, titled Chloe and Zoe stars twenty-something girls in LA and has been compared to the hit TV series Girls. The series features Chloe Searcy and Zoe Worth pretty much playing themselves. You can watch all the episodes on YouTube by clicking here: 

The first season followed the pair of best friends as they made plans (from holding a dinner party to starring in porn) and talked themselves out of them or failed miserably in the execution. Starting with an eviction from their beloved apartment, the second season shows Chloe and Zoë's attempt to get back on their feet by making a no-budget slasher flick.

The twenty episodes, which range in length from four to six and a half minutes, can be accessed via YouTube and you can binge watch the entire two seasons or savor them one at a time.

Alderman graduated from Wesleyan and then went to earn an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. He has interned for HBO, Alexander Payne, and Lionsgate and is currently producing his second web series.

We chatted with Alderman about his experience and pumped him for advice for others who want to follow him to Hollywood. Here is what he shared:

How does producing for the web differ than producing for film or television?
--Well, "producing for the web," in the case of our first season, just meant "making something for $0 with my friends." That's very different than TV and studio film producing in which you're making something under the auspices of a giant corporation with millions of dollars on the line and sometimes only a little creative freedom. I'm not there yet. But our second season -- for which we had an investment from an indie film financier -- was a lot like independent film. Somebody gave us a little bit of money and infinite freedom to make something, and if it happened to make money, they'd get a piece. The key -- and we got this idea from the tech world -- was that we gave our investors real long-run upside: if we do get to make a TV show, they'd have the first right of refusal to invest more and modest profit participation even if they didn't. That made it attractive for them.

Is web-production an easier way for newbies to break into the biz?
--It depends on what you want to do. If you want to be an agent or a studio executive, nope -- move to L.A. and work for those people. Easier said than done, but it's a way more linear path than being a "creative" or a "filmmaker." If you want to demonstrate your talents as a writer or director or actor, it's probably as valuable as the old school ways (writing a spec script, making a more traditional short film). That said, you need great actors willing to work for free to make a series, and I'm very, very lucky to know Chloe and Zoë and the rest of our gang. If you want to be a producer, you should probably work in the established world and put together a good little series or at least work with promising young writers and get "attached" to their scripts. If you're making a web series and you want to one day make a living, I'd strongly recommend having a plan for how to bring it to TV or film and be ready to send it on to anyone in the business who likes your stuff.

Do you think that commercial sponsors will support this genre?
--YouTube already makes heaps of dough on ads, and some YouTubers (aka people like me nuts enough to put stuff on YouTube) already make money via revenue sharing with Google and various companies that manage and promote new media (we work with one called Fullscreen). But slacker stoner female-driven comedy on YouTube? It's not the easiest sell to the 12 year olds who watch loads of YouTube shows or the 50 year olds who decide what goes on TV. On YouTube, serialized shows almost never get millions of views, and that's what you need to make a living. But Broad City, a brilliant, important, and raunchily hilarious YouTube series that had scandalously few views, will be on Comedy Central within the year. The thing I'm most proud of is that they are fans of our show, and we want to be just like them when we grow up.

What advice would you give to younger students who are interested in working in film? What's the best way to get started?
--I'm hardly qualified to answer this one. I didn't study film in college but went to a two-year grad program. The people who actually make good livings writing and directing movies all watch movies and write scripts and make stuff for years and years as if it's a gravely important job, and then they catch a break and do it for money. If you want to have a traditional job in the industry (say, in the marketing at a studio), you should move to L.A. and work in the mailroom at a talent agency. If you want to be a producer...well, "Producer" means a lot of different things, but the real ones (like Scott Rudin) have usually worked in Hollywood jobs and produced good smaller projects.

Anything else?
--Chloe and Zoë would be rated R, so proceed with caution.

Click here to see more of Chole and Zoe.