How To Do Web Series Awards

Despite the relative success of Who Shot Mamba?, I’ve not been approached by the “web series community” all that often, nor have I gone out of my way to integrate myself.

I don’t mean to disparage the many talented people who are hardcore into it, it’s just that things like the “International Academy of Web Television” is a little too pretentiously self-important at this point for my taste.

If you’ve read this post of mine, you know that I don’t think what’s known today as a web series is long for this world, anyway.

That said, I do follow the goings-on, and last month they had an awards show that by all accounts was a complete disaster, and even a month later it’s getting worse.

Short version is they tried to play it like a traditional awards show and it just didn’t work.

Here – free of charge – is what should be done for next year, should it happen:

1) Let series nominate themselves for “Best Web Series of 2010″.

2) Fan voting chooses a top 20. (Logically, the most genuinely popular shows will win these slots. Make sure voting is transparent and open at all times.)

3) Each of the top 20 gets $3K apiece to produce a 2-3 minute short based in or around their show. (Might be in-continuity, might be a “pick us to win” vid, might be something else altogether.)

4) These 20 shorts are shown at the awards show, which is a casual affair held someplace that doesn’t make it seem like you’re trying to imitate the Oscars, et al. Let each series producer (or star or whoever) introduce their own piece, and everyone gets a moment in the limelight, too.

5) The audience (both irl and online) votes for the best vid, and the winner is declared Best Web Series of 2010.

What this gets you is a fast-paced, unique, entertaining +/-1.5 hour show that’s an actual celebration of the things the people can do.

It’s also a chance to give 20 series a little actual money to make something, which is always a struggle for non-branded series. (This assumes you can get sponsorship money.)

Ultimately – and let’s be serious here – the winner doesn’t really matter for any of these awards. It should be a fun night that lets people show off their talent and support each other. This gets you that.

So like do that, and if you have overruns please donate to help me build my $91,000,000 Christmas Bridge.

(Oh, and if you need marketing advice on your web series, start here.)