ON-LINE VIDEO HUB Hulu has made its first attempt at original content with a series called If I Can Dream. And, unlike other content on the site, it’s available in Canada.
The TV-quality reality series is produced by Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol and co-creator of So You Think You Can Dance. It follows five aspiring 20-somethings – a musician, an actor, two actresses and a model – on their quest to make it in Hollywood.
Hulu has created custom show pages for each artist and dedicated feeds into their Twitter accounts, all to encourage viewers to watch, follow each character on Twitter, write a review, or join in discussions about the show. Fans can also connect to the contestants on Facebook and MySpace. And, more than 50 cameras will live-stream the artists’ every move around the clock as they live together in a Hollywood Hills home.
Combined, the weekly show and the live stream will work “to dramatically expand the borders and constrictions of traditional television via the power of the Internet”, Hulu said in its press release.
“It’s taking the world of entertainment into a much bigger and different direction”, said series’ executive producer Michael Herwick, in an interview on Hulu’s blog. “At the end of the day, in my mind, it’s about creating sort of a 21st century platform for legitimate, up-and-coming talent. It’s such a broader form of entertainment, where you have the 24-hour live streams, you have the weekly episodes on Hulu, and you have all this video-on-demand content. It’s very interactive and it’s very much in tune with what young people are doing these days.”
While there are some display ads on the site, one report said that Ford and Pepsi have signed on to pick up the bulk of the show’s costs. There are several pre-roll ads from other advertisers in the highlight episode, though much less than a traditional TV broadcast.
Hulu said it will stream a new 30 minute episode every week for the next year on Tuesday mornings, shortly after midnight Pacific Time. Click here to view the first one.
– Lesley Hunter
