Break a Leg

Hi all!

Yuri here. I know, I know -- you haven't heard from me in a while. Well, I'm alive! Kind of. After a two week sinus infection ravaged my mind and body, I am, generally, back to being okay.

That said, I wanted to finally reveal to you that project that both Drew and I have mentioned in passing but that we couldn't name as it was TOP SECRET. Well, the secret is out and...

We did a branded entertainment series for Camacho Cigars called, "The Black Band Project." I think the press release does a great job of explaining what it is, so I pasted it below.

Just to give you a reason to watch the videos -- it's co-written by me, directed by me, and the same team worked on it as the one that worked on Break a Leg. Meaning, Daniela, Dashiell, Justin, Hillary, Hugo and Dustin all took part (Daniela was our Stylist, Justin as the Director of Photography, Dash the editor, Hillary was the Production Manager, Hugo was the PA, and Dustin was Sound Supervisor).

More importantly, you can see your favorite Break a Leg actors doing different roles, as the four episodes star: Flynn (Larry), Skip (Sebastian), Drew (Jimmy Scotch) and Claudio (Stan Marley). Also, if you watch the intro/kidnappings closely, you'll notice that me, Chase Cougar and Dashiell ("Crew Guy") play the kidnappers.

Okay! Without further ado, the press release:

CREATORS OF ACCLAIMED WEB SERIES "BREAK A LEG" TEAM UP WITH CAMACHO CIGARS, BRANDED EVOLUTION TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL ONLINE BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT CAMPAIGN


SAN FRANCISCO, April 27th, 2009 -- Happy Little Guillotine Films, a production company specializing in online entertainment and the creators of the groundbreaking web series, Break a Leg (www.breakaleg.tv) today announced the launching of "The Black Band Project." The integrated marketing campaign, launched with leading cigar manufacturer Camacho Cigars as well as Branded Evolution, the digitally branded entertainment company, exceeded its sign-up goals by more than 500%. "We constantly hear people ask -- how do you make money in online entertainment? You start like this. You take a quality production team and a company like Camacho, who is willing to spend on real marketing, and you can create massively successful campaigns like this one that achieve all the goals of a TV campaign with a third of the budget," Said Yuri Baranovsky, the director and co- writer on the project, "Except a third of a TV budget easily pays our bills."

The success of "The Black Band Project" was due in large part to HLG Films' engaging series of episodic content that drove 63% of initial viewers to watch the entire four-part web series.

Happy Little Guillotine Films was first approached by Branded Evolution in late 2008, and was hired to help develop and produce the Black Band Project. "Bringing on the team that created Break a Leg was my 1st priority," says Gino Tomac, Branded Evolution’s creative director who co-wrote and co-produced the Black Band Project with HLG Films, "Their track record in creating strong, engaging content is stellar. The moment Yuri and I began writing the series together, I knew that I had made the right decision."

The marketing objectives for Camacho included the creation of an engaging, opt-in viral marketing campaign and a successful permission-marketing opportunity that would double their age-verified electronic and home mailing lists. A four-part web-series was created without mention of Camacho until the final “reveal” episode. The viewers followed the satirical Independent Cigar Review Bureau, a fictional agency, whose sole purpose was to educate the world about cigar selection, as they used humorous, guerilla-style tactics to enlighten three characters that represented the most common cigar misconceptions.

“We tried to create a series that not only catered to Camacho's very specific requests but one that was also entertaining to a wider audience," says Baranovsky, "We think this kind of advertising is the first step toward legitimizing online entertainment -- the next step is product placement, much like in television or film -- when companies feel safe to advertise with shows like Break a Leg, that's when shows like Break a Leg can give networks a run for their money."

From day one, the campaign captivated the cigar industry and generated sweeping buzz across the country, with thousands of cigar enthusiasts discussing who was behind "The Black Band Project" on social media outlets, including Twitter, Facebook, and cigar-industry message boards and blogs.

To view the video case study and all The Black Band Project episodes please visit:
http://www.blackbandproject.com.


PRESS RELEASE

Happy Little Guillotine Films (http://www.hlgfilms.com) created the groundbreaking series, BREAK A LEG. One of the first fully scripted, plot-driven shows, BREAK A LEG garnered rave reviews from such publications as the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Times [London], Slate Magazine, Huffington Post and many, many more. It has, in two years, garnered nearly five million views and was nominated for a Streamy Award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series with such prestigious company as Joss Whedon, creator of Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Aside from Break a Leg, HLG Films has created numerous short films, features, and various branded entertainment campaigns. The company is based in San Francisco, for more information, job requests and more please visit www.hlgfilms.com.

Camacho Cigars (http://www.camachocigars.com) founded in 1961 by Simon Camacho, was acquired by the Eiroa family in 1995. Now part of the Oettinger Davidoff Group, Camacho Cigars is one of the key players in the international cigar market. The flagship Camacho brand, made at Rancho Jamastran in Danli, Honduras, is comprised of 9 premium and super-premium line extensions: (Super-Premium: Diploma, 10th Anniversary Corojo, Liberty Series, Triple Maduro, Select) (Premium: Corojo, Coyolar, Havana, SLR). Camacho Cigars also has 7 core brands, including Baccarat The Game, America's #1 selling premium cigar. For more information, please visit www.camachocigars.com.

Branded Evolution (http://www.brandedevolution.com) is a digital branded entertainment agency that works retainer-free, providing high-value, cost-effective marketing solutions to national advertisers. They create fresh, online entertainment using brand-integrated web video, or by coordinating sponsorship and/or product placement in pre-existing content. Branded Evolution also develops strategic distribution plans that can guarantee viewership by using measurable in-banner video advertisements. They manage brand-to-consumer interactions on popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace, and through outreach to relevant social media influencers. Branded Evolution is comprised of a talented sales force from traditional and new media and is led by Founder and Managing Partner, Dave Ford. The company is based in New York City. For more information, please visit www.brandedevolution.com or call 212-388-9123.