Break a Leg

I promised you Fan Day, did I not? Our very own Nick Taylor waxes poetic on, well, us -- and how damn important we are. Read and enjoy below!

Thanks, Nick! And remember -- if anyone else wants to write a blog for Break a Leg, Tuesday is Fan Day -- just email me (yuri@breakaleg.tv) a blog, any blog, it doesn't have to be about the show, and the best one gets put up every Tuesday.

Now, without further ado...

The Cultural Importance of Break a Leg 

      “The Cultural Importance of Break a Leg?” you ask.  Well of course.  Despite what your better instincts may tell you, “Break a Leg” is indeed culturally significant, in a very big way.  “Why?” you may also ask.  You ask good questions.  It shows that the entertainment industry is moving forward – and moving indie. 

      Ten years ago we were using the internet to chat on IRC, leave messages on BBSs, reading the news, and playing MUDs. We liked our three-letter acronyms back in the day.

      Today we blog, we still read the news, but we also watch the news.  We IM and we check our email(s).  We also listen to music, socialize with friends, and watch television.

      With digital media becoming cheaper, the internet becoming faster, and the availability of free hosting services such as blip.tv, Vimeo, and Youtube, more and more people are creating original media content for the web.  Most of it is family and friends recounting their trip to South Dakota in front of a corn field, but some folks take it to the next level.

      This is where Break a Leg came in, and where I personally became really intrigued.  Break a Leg is a broadcast quality show that hasn’t been aired on television.  This really shows that the internet has truly begun to flex its muscle. 

      What makes it even more amazing is the fact that you have these college graduates – many with a bit of experience, but nothing too hardcore, and they’re making this quality show with a budget that is technically nil.  Somehow, however, they have managed to create an online fan base, with genuine quality content.

      Now, not everyone has to like the show (to be honest, my father isn’t quite too keen on it…) but that isn’t because of its quality, but rather the jokes and a person’s sense of humor.  This is why we can expect to see more internet programs in the future.  With more people having access to equipment, and their own ideas, they’ll be able to make their own shows!

      “So, what does Break a Leg have to do with that?” you may also (also) ask.  Man, enough with the questions!  No, I jest.  Break a Leg is the first of its kind, the predecessor.  At least that I’m aware of.  (I apologize to any other predecessors out there that I have not seen yet…that are broadcast quality shows, that is). 

      Break a Leg is the first step toward using the internet as a dedicated distribution medium for original content.  I mean, sure, it’ll probably come out on DVD, but the internet is still its home, and where you can catch it every week on Monday.  It’s the beginning of a new internet age.  The media age. (I should trademark that before someone else does…and make buttons!)

-Nick Taylor