Monday, February 25, 2013

Guest Blogger | Greg Tulonen (Ragged Isle's Head Writer)

Last year, Ragged Isle won big at the Indie Soap Awards. The whole experience was a whirlwind of good feelings and elation, and the only blip on my joy was the fact that I hadn't seen everyone's shows. Sure, I'd seen the heavy-hitters like DeVanity and Anacostia and Pretty, but time after time, people came up to me to tell me how much they liked Ragged Isle, and I'd have to admit that I hadn't yet watched their shows.

This year, I was determined not to let that happen again, so when the nominations were announced, I set about watching every episode of every show nominated in every category. This turned out to be a somewhat huge undertaking, but it was also energizing and inspiring and deeply, deeply humbling. There was and is so much talent among the nominees, and this year, I went to the ISAs as a fan as much as (if not more than) a nominee. I got to tell Erin Gould how much I loved his show. I got to tell Jason Leaver that my wife is using his show in her class on web series. I got to tell Miriam Pultro that she's my favorite actor on the internet. I got to tell Liz Ellis how hilarious a writer she is and I got to tell Bhama Roget how great she is delivering Liz Ellis's words. I got to tell Ed Robinson and Jodie Younse how delicious their show looks. I got to tell Dane Joseph how much better his show gets each season. I got to tell Brynne McManimie and Kevin Johnston how cool they are. I got to tell Deidra Taylor how funny she is on Anacostia. I got to tell Michael Caruso and Anthony Anderson how much I loved their latest seasons. I got to tell Sebastian La Cause how good an actor… and writer… and director he is. I probably seemed like a crazy stalker to some, but it was so exciting to meet all these people and tell them how awesome they are.

It was so much fun meeting and talking to all these crazy-talented people, the awards ceremony itself was almost secondary. Almost. Roger, Damon, and Kevin put on a spectacular show (as usual), and I was so proud of Barry Dodd for winning Best Director (Drama) for the second year in a row. Way to go, Barry!

After the ceremony, just like last year, we partied until 4 a.m., and then ended up at the same diner as last year. It was another incredible Indie Soap Awards this year, and already I can't wait until next year!




Saturday, February 23, 2013

4th Annual Indie Soap Awards

            The 4th Annual Indie Soap Awards were held at the New World Stages in New York City on February 19th, 2013.  Representatives from shows featured exclusively on The Entertainment Experiment Online Network were in attendance at the red carpet awards ceremony, including No Refund for Content, The Spoiler Alert, and Ragged Isle, which received a total of 7 nominations.  Over 100 shows were submitted for consideration this year, and 40 shows received nominations.

The casts/crews of Ragged Isle and No Refund For Content pose on the red carpet at the 4th Annual Indie Soap Awards, accompanied by Dark Shadow's Sharon Lentz. Photo Courtesy Sue Coflin/Max Photos

RaggedIsle’s Barry Dodd won the award for Best Directing (Drama).  Karen Dodd, Greg Tulonen, Rick Dalton, and Benjamin Row also attended, representing Ragged Isle and their nominations.  Sharon Lentz, an original cast member from the hugely popular gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows, walked the red carpet in support of Ragged Isle and was also a guest presenter alongside Barry Dodd and Rick Dalton at the ceremony. 

Justin St. Louis from The Spoiler Alert attended the event as part of the paparazzi, conducting interviews with soap opera and web celebrities on the red carpet. Andrea Nilosek and Ben F. Howard from No Refund for Content also attended the ceremony and plan on submitting their show for consideration at the awards next year.

Barry Dodd wins the award for Best Director (Drama) for Ragged Isle
The big winner at the Indie Soap Awards was the hit British comedy, The Bloody MaryShow, which won in the categories of Best Web Series (Comedy), Best Ensemble (Comedy), and Best Makeup.  Canada’s Out With Dad was also a big hit at the ceremony, winning awards for Best Web Series (Drama), and Best Breakout Performance for actress Caitlynne Medrek.  Other notable winners that evening were actress Miriam Pultro from Mythos for Best Actress (Drama), Sebastian La Cause from Hustling for Best Actor (Drama), Cynthia Watros from Cynthia Watros Gets Lost for Best Actress (Comedy), and Brad Bell from Husbands for Best Actor (Comedy).  Michael Caruso from the popular web soap DeVanity won the award for Best Writing (Drama), and newcomer Liz Ellis won the Best Directing (Comedy) for her series, WreckedFor a complete list of winners click here!
            Stay tuned for more award winning drama at The Entertainment Experiment, including the Season 3 premiere of Ragged Isle this summer!  Also, be sure to catch episodes of No Refund For Content, as well as Justin St. Louis’ interview with the cast and crew of Best Web Series (Comedy) winner, The Bloody Mary Show, this Monday on The Spoiler Alert!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Music video by ME Filmmaker David Meiklejohn featured on IFC

"Sometimes the authorial intent of a song meets the vision of a director and a music video is born with such clarity that from that point on neither can exist in the mind without the other. This is the case with Frontier Ruckus‘ “Careening Catalog Immemorial” through the lens of director David Meiklejohn, a vision reminiscent of the urban haute bourgeoisie aesthetic of Whit Stillman — if his film musings had been set to a coming of age song in the Midwest."  - Brandon Kim

Read the full article at the link below:
http://www.ifc.com/fix/2013/02/premiere-frontier-ruckus-careening-catalog-immemorial