What is StoryGas?

In 2008, I was a writer on Season 2 of the Online Drama KateModern: storylining 157 and scripting 74 webisodes in six months. The series gained 66 million video hits - and a community response so seemingly disproportionate to the short daily episodes we were delivering.

Something else was going on, and I was getting first hand experience (guided by the path blazed by Miles Greg and Amanda - The lonelygirl15 Creators) - a transaction with the audience which is vastly different from the one we're used to in TV, Radio and Film production.

The series was being produced while the audience was able to comment, contact, contribute to and discuss - and feedback from that community was incorporated back into the series. Which, in turn, strengthened and grew the community around it.

Since the show came to an end in June this year, I have given talks on what it was like working on KateModern, and "Writing Online Narrative" more generally - and found myself referencing the same shows, links and sites. It seemed crazy not to have a place where I could 'bank' those, and update them with more news and links as I stumble upon them myself.

Welcome to StoryGas!

The posts here are biased towards...

- Online narrative

(rather than factual or entertainment series,
such as "Black Cab Sessions"
StSanders' surreal genius Shreds,
or BBC News' "The Box")

- Live action

(rather than animations like Salad Fingers
or Charlie The Unicorn)

- 'Open' shows

(produced and uploaded while the audience are (or were) able to contribute, rather than 'closed' series which are completely produced, done and dusted, before uploading).

This is probably the biggest difference between "Online Narrative" and say, a TV show on, say, BBC iplayer. The definitions of 'ongoing' are still bedding down - a 'closed' one-off show such as Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog could be seen as part of the ongoing community around Joss Whedon's content, or the completed series of The Guild as part of a larger building of a community around that show...


So this is the blog. In the meantime I'm working on 3 commissioned online shows, and hope to share gossip from them with you here as they progress.

Feel free to say HI by clicking on anywhere marked "Comments" -- there are already others out there writing and producing online shows... with exactly the same questions as you -- we can help each other out with the answers!

NEIL MOSSEY
www.neilmossey.com/

You can email direct - storygas at gmail dot com

But... to be honest... the QUICKEST way to get something on to the site is to leave a COMMENT under the latest post, or right here, so everyone can see your link...

IF YOU'D LIKE YOUR SHOW TO GET A PLUG HERE...
This blog is a bank of the shows I'm watching - which means there will always be a backlog.

You can really help me to help you by sending/pointing me towards:
- a nice EYE-CATCHING PICTURE, logo, screenshot or any or all of these
- EMBED CODES for the episodes you like best, or which best introduce your show to a new audience
(I avoid autoplay they are pain in butt - width bigger than around "400" is tricky too - this is why I tend to link/embed YOUTUBE vids... they just... work).
- a PARAGRAPH explaining what the show is
- all the LINKS you think a new audience would appreciate to 'get' your show.

These things really will put you at the top of the list of what to watch next!

And if you like what I've done, feel free to buy me a coffee or something clicking on the donate button below.
Thanks for the support!