Tribeca Film Festival Winners Introduce Transmedia Concept to “Bridge” the Digital Content Gap
What was your most memorable experience at a nightclub? Did you spot a celebrity? Perhaps it was one of those embarrassing moments of inebriation you’d like to forget? Maybe you met your soul mate? These are the kind of stories you will find on www.WelcomeToTheBridge.tv, a newly launched fan-site created by writer-producers Pete Chatmon (Premium starring Zoe Saldana, $Free.99) and Candice Sanchez McFarlane ($Free.99, winner 2008 Tribeca Film Festival All Access). The team developed the site to create buzz about their transmedia project “The Bridge,†which is currently seeking production partners and brand sponsorship.
“The Bridge” is a breakthrough project in a media environment that is still trying to identify how to “bridge” the gap between traditional television appetites and the insatiable thirst for interactive content. The anchor of the project is the 1 hour cable drama “The Bridge,†a Generation Now ensemble, about the pursuit of the American Dream. Set against the backdrop of a nightclub in Brooklyn, the series follows former hustler Justin “Biz†Parker as he strives for legitimacy, all the while managing a staff more concerned with the next stage of their lives than the current success of his club. Through the struggles and successes of Biz and his employees — a world of celebrity, chaos, business, sex and drugs is exposed and poses the question: What would you sacrifice to be successful?
The television project is accompanied by a robust website that will offer a nightlife inspired social networking platform and additional content. A webisode series “Velvet Rope” will premiere on this site each week, serving as a precursor to the 1-hr cable show. The pilot webisode can be seen now on www.WelcomeToTheBridge.tv. In addition to the weekly installments of “Velvet Rope,†WelcomeToTheBridge.tv will offer fans exclusive access to the world of The Bridge via a “live feed†from the club’s security cameras, allowing fans to see what is happening at the club when “no one is looking.†Fans will be quizzed about storylines and past webisodes to determine if they are loyal. For those who pass the test, a login and password is available to check Biz’s schedule, email and even listen to his voicemail — all thanks to WelcomeToTheBridge.tv!
The creators of the original television concept are Brett Allen and Lonnie Hart Jr. Having lived in NY and experienced the nightlife scene for business and pleasure, they realized there was something powerful to build on. Once the project was brought to Chatmon and Sanchez-McFarlane, their backgrounds in filmmaking and multi-platform media immediately sparked the opportunity to create a new way to interact with an engaged audience. Sanchez-McFarlane says, “…there are few places that are still a mystery, we have been invited into many different environments through television, film, online and other media platforms…the true business of a nightclub is still in the dark for most. It is intriguing and gritty…there is a built-in audience for The Bridge that we continue to discover.”
