Mobilizedtv

Captain Alpha Male: Web Series from CBS Creatives

Super heroes are big in Hollywood and, today, Captain Alpha Male, just became the latest to try his hand at flying, saving the world and getting some buzz on the web. The initial six-episode series is the brainchild of two CBS marketing creatives:  Jay Lutsky, CBS Television Creative Director, On-Air Promo, and Dan Greenberger, CBS On-Air Promo Senior Writer/Producer/Editor, who created and wrote the six-part series.

Some experts argue that, on the web and mobile platforms, it isn’t content that’s king but marketing. Who better to tell punchy short-form stories that get the point across than the creatives who specialize in advertising and marketing?

Captain Alpha Male didn’t grow out of a desire to dominate cyberspace but from the boredom of a very long commute. “Without much free time between my job and my family, I had the idea to turn the time I’ve been wasting stuck in LA traffic, into something fun that would give me a little creative outlet,” says Lutsky. “The result was Captain Alpha Male, the world’s first middle management superhero.”Those early videos (which you can watch one of them here) were mainly Lutsky speaking into the camera, but featured a signature comedic style that is now behind the new series. Think Larry David with an invisibility cloak. The show’s tagline is: Truth. Justice. Paperwork.

For the series, Lutsky’s character is a middle management super hero, who deals with office politics as well as invading robot armies. His name refers to the fact that the plot points and humor of this first “season” revolves around the fact that this “alpha male” he is first passed over for promotion in favor of a female super hero Super Sugar (played by Susan Smythe). That starts a downward spiral (involving run-ins with other women) leading to the fore-mentioned court-ordered therapy (with Dr. Prickman, played by Greenberger). Also making an appearance, as the Lord of all Good, is the “King of the voice-over artists” Don LaFontaine in his last on-camera appearance. Shot in HD by cinematographer Vaj Potenza, the series was directed by Ric Serena and edited by Jeffrey Williams.

Production of the five-minute episodes was “a labor of love,” as are many web series, but, as professionals in the TV industry, Lutsky and Greenberger had the advantage of being able to tap friends who are professional actors, editors and composers. “We didn’t put out huge casting calls,” says Lutsky. “We know a lot of people and brought in people we thought would be good for the characters we wrote.”

What’s the trick to telling a very short-form story? “For us, five minutes is plenty of time,” says Lutsky. “At CBS, we deal in 10-second, 30-second world for promos and also two-minute trailers. You need to make sure you’re conveying the storyline, and you have to know what elements need to be in there to communicate the idea. You need a beginning, a middle and an end. Being funny is important.”

“The short-form video format is something Jay and I are very comfortable with,” adds Greenberger. “In our business, you learn how to get to the point, and tell a story fast. We shot this new show in a manner that can play as a series of short pieces, and/or can also play as a continuous single camera half-hour comedy.”

Greenberger and Lutsky say they also shot the production with a mobile distribution deal in mind. “We made sure we didn’t shoot it so wide that you can’t read the action on a mobile phone,” says Lutsky.

The creative duo isn’t yet entirely certain how it will market Captain Alpha Male. Lutsky plans to appear at ComiCon 2009, outside the convention, wearing a billboard. “If I could push Dan off a building and then fly in and save him, that would be a good stunt,” he says. “I keep pitching it to him: Are you committed to this character or not?”

The series will also play on YouTube, Metacafe, FunnyOrDie and Revver.

Other credits include  David Kramer as Nitro; Ray Xifo as Cy Clone; Nick Ulette as Spreadsheet; David Waterman as Wonder Boy; Brad Roe as Senor Caress; Sean Rourke as Human Hairball; Liz Ross as Police Officer; J.J. Jurgens as the dry cleaner attendant; Rob Thelusma as Black Mamba and Flavia Potenza as Mrs. Poitrus. Production also includes an original score by  Mike Harold, sound design by Dave Barnaby, and Foley editing by Durand Trench.

Tags: Captain Alpha Male, CBS, CBS Television creative director, Don LaFontaine, FunnyOrDie, marketing creatives, Metacafe, mobile distribution deal, mobisodes, on-air promos, Revver, shot in HD, super heroes, webisodes, YouTube

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 9:00 am and is filed under Advertising/Marketing, Content, Home Feature.