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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Planting a Seed on the Internet

The CW is getting into the funny business. The millennial-centric Burbank television network known for one-hour dramas filled with pretty people is airing new comedy shows on its recently launched digital project, The CW Seed. The network, a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp., currently airs only 10 hours of shows on broadcast television each week. So the four new shows will help the network extend its brand, said Rick Haskins, executive vice president of marketing and digital content. The short-form shows are also ways for the network to gauge writers, directors and performers the network may want to work with in broadcast. Each series runs between 30 minutes and 90 minutes with all episodes combined, with a production cost of $1,000 to $3,000 a minute. “It’s a great place to explore and find new talent in an incubator environment,” Haskins said. The first batch of programs includes “Husbands,” about two married pals and their humorous lives; “Backpackers,” a road trip-themed show in which the lead character searches for his fiancée across Europe; “The P.E.T. Squad Files” about a group of ghost busters; and the animated “Gallery Mallory” in which the under-employed title character works in an art gallery and encounters celebrities. Common to all the shows is they reflect the lives of the 18-34-years-olds that make up the core of The CW’s audience. “It is a mirror of their lives or their friend’s lives and finding comedy in it,” Haskins said. As for the name, CW Seed, Haskins said it came about in a brainstorming session. It was meant to capture the essence of a growing business. “It is all about planting a seed and watching it grow,” he said. – Mark R. Madler

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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