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Nova team’s web series picked up by Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die

An unscripted comedy series created by a pair of producers at Melbourne’s Nova 100 is making waves in the US after it was picked up by Will Ferrell’s online video channel Funny or Die.

The web series “Written it Down” is the first to emerge from Real Good Kid Productions, a collaboration between Nova producer and stand-up comedian Matt Saraceni and Dave Zwolenski, a filmmaker and visual producer for the Melbourne station.

In season one, “I’m breaking up with you”, actors and comedians from the Melbourne comedy circuit deliver their bad news while the camera is rolling without knowing the reasons for the break up until they look down to see what has been written down by the producers.

All five episodes of the series were released at once and within 24 hours of being shared on Reddit, the show had been viewed over 10,000 times.

That number was quadrupled within a day or two, Saraceni and Zwolenski told Mumbrella. And then they got a call from Funny or Die, the comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s production company Gary Sanchez Productions.

The head of user generated content for the site contacted Saraceni and Zwolenski and pitched to them for permission to use the content. Funny or Die features exclusive web content and commissions series for the site.

“It’s really interesting as you move into this internet era away from TV that anyone can give money to projects, and get them made and distribute them online to as big, if not bigger audiences than TV,” Zwolenski said.

Farrell checks out Written it Down on Funny or Die while in Australia for the launch of Anchorman 2

Ferrell checks out Written it Down on Funny or Die while in Australia for the launch of Anchorman 2

Real Good Kid Productions already have a second series, “You’re Fired”, in the works and ready to launch in the next two weeks as well as a third, “You’re off the team”, about eliminating team players, set to follow.

Zwolenski said: “The natural inclination when you do a show like this to keep hooking the audience in with constant surprises, but we thought why don’t we just give them a simple improvised premise and let them come up with the twists and turns? Let them come up with the back stories and the drama, the conflict and the conclusion.

“When you’re with the actors the performers are in the room, and they don’t know what’s about to happen they get a rush out of it, and you could see when they finished they wanted to do it again. It was like a ride, so I felt it was like a ride at a theme park.

“It’s really fun and exciting because when you get people who are just coming on board they just want to be involved so badly and that’s when you’ve got something really special.”

 

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