Intriguing and great news today from Variety.com that none other than Days of our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday along with co-EP Greg Meng are spearheading a brand new online soap venture called Net Soaps/Net Novelas!
This new venture aiming to create and distribute original “interactive” soap operas online that let fans, thesps and advertisers participate in the shows’ development. The venture will focus on multilingual soaps for the U.S., Latin America and Brazil. Net Soaps/Net Novelas also is making a branded-content pitch to advertisers to integrate their products or services directly in the new digital series.
“This new venture is about taking the passion consumers have for soaps and novelas into a new era,” said Ken Corday, CEO of Corday Productions, who has been exec producer of “Days of Our Lives” since 1985. “This will be original content that the fans will play a role in green lighting and casting, delivered in a form that can build devoted communities of fans in the digital space.”
After Prospect Park’s attempt at an Online Network fizzled, they say this will be much different in structure: “Prospect Park was taking existing shows and platform-shifting them,” said All Screens Media founder Peter Heumiller, a former VP of content acquisition for Comcast Cable. “We are creating content in a forward-thinking way that gives us a unique platform to connect with people in multiple ways.”
The sponsorship model is key for Net Soaps/Net Novelas. Advertisers can get involved to the point of making casting decisions for the shows, according to Heumiller. “It’s really coming full circle – soap operas were originally sponsored by the detergent companies,” he said.
Net Soaps/Net Novelas plans to launch the digital soaps in the third quarter of 2014 quarter, via its own websites and distribution partners. Net Soaps is the English-language version targeted at American auds, while Net Novelas will encompass in-language programming for LatAm and Brazil.
Corday Productions’ executive in charge of production Greg Meng will lead development of online portals that will engage consumers and actors in the creation of the content, via online casting and acting auditions, voting on show concepts and ongoing narrative turns. Actors will be able to upload video reels to Net Soaps/Net Novelas as part of the development process.
And none other than Crystal Chappell is on board too! She will work with Net Soaps / Net Novelas to vet concepts, produce and direct original shows and mentor new talent.
And as for the Novela part of this new venture: “The Net Soap/Net Novelas team includes independent producer Rose Ganguzza, who has worked with Brazil’s TV Globo on international distribution and also served as president of Revlon/Latin America. Ganguzza will work with her sister, Patricia Ganguzza, whose AIM Productions provides product placement and sponsorship for corporate clients, on international promotional, talent, sponsorship and distribution deals for Net Soaps/Net Novelas.”
So, what do you think about the concept of Net Soap/Net Novelas? What about the creative team behind it? Will soaps finally have an engaging online home for new content and more? Comment below!
It seems interesting..
and not too overly interactive, I’m too lazy for that stuff..
But! I will tune in 🙂
Also;
I really really hope there will be a WAR forum because there will be war !!!
quote;
” “This will be original content that the fans will play a role in green lighting and casting, delivered in a form that can build devoted communities of fans in the digital space.””
ahh haa! the difference of opinions, wants and needs from fans will be dangerous!! lol ..
gotta luv the internet hair pulling!!
Sounds interesting…i always thought all soaps should use and mention real products in their storylines…also why not show characters eating out at a Subway or a Mcdonalds or shopping at a Target store? It would be a great way to generate more money for the soaps…imo!!!
Soap people don’t eat lol
When an eating occasion arises their food goes untouched on the plate..
And— there has not been a kitchen, a real kitchen, in soaps since the 70’s …. when most the stories were in someones kitchen ..
Mona always had a cup of coffee and cookies, in the kitchen at the table, for everyone .. 🙂
((and never instant coffee ..ha!
I know that…i cant remember the last time i had seen the Horton kitchen on Days…however, i was suggesting showing real eating places and businesses once in awhile in the storylines instead of the fake ones to generate more income for these shows…thanks for they reply!
about kitchens in soaps… I remember both Vicki and Dorian had kitchens right to the end of OLTL, and both where shown cooking…
do anyone else remember ?
I remember Brian.
G-d help me, I also remember Passions has a really nice kitchen set in the Crane mansion.
And to answer your question Jim, last we saw the Horton kitchen was during the weed donut episodes ;).
Nowadays, most living sets have a kitchenette right there, with a fridge, stove and counter. Daniel, Will/Sonny/Gabi, Sami’s apartments with Rafe and her one after that, Theresa’s etc…
Now that Brian mentioned it they did still showed kitchens on OLTL up til it left the air a few years ago!!!
Some of the reasons for not mentioning brand names is many of them are copyrighted and you have to get permission and pay fees to use the name or logo in a show. And that is the same reason right now you don’t see them eating those products on air, but have look a like packaging to suggest, say the KFC bucket without using the wording on it. But having ads in the show , I remember GH did do it while back. Alexis and Molly were in the hospital, I think when Danny was sick and Alexis send Molly… Read more »
Brian…now that you mention it, i do remember now that they had kitchens!!!
I think Crystal Chappell should be extremely grateful that Mr Corday is giving her this opportunity after her disgraceful behavior when she left Days of Our Lives but I doubt she will be.
……And what she wrote about him in her “autobiography”.
The lesson here: never burn your bridges.
Thanks 4 reminding me about the Horton kitchen scene during the weed donut scene…but i know we havent seen the Horton dining room in ages!!!
This is the way to bring the soap genre online– creating the product to suit the media— trying to recreate a television show as online show like PP was a not forward thinking enough and it ended up disappointing those who wanted something different and those who wanted their old soap back. And it also makes sense to make the ads a part of the show, because as television fades the idea of the commercial as we know it will have to evolved too. Making the ads are part of the show, may corrupt the creative process just a tad,… Read more »
Talk about a ridiculous idea … This would be it…Ken Corday is a joke…Boggles the mind that anyone takes the man serious…Especially with the stupid storylines he allows on DOOL…
There has been worse ideas– many ..
And it will be FREE ..
so, nothing out of my pocket to tune in..
If I don’t like it I did not invest anything money wise to watch it so I can’t bitch about it…… lol
I think it just might be good 🙂
it seems to me… this is ALL good
a ways and means… for Serial… to beget a legitimate foothold… that is internet
and an outlet for Serial audience… to segueing from the lost soap channel to this
Crystal Chappell is mesmerizing… an exotic beauty that never fails to captivate from the time of her debut… to current, 2014 she has solidified her place at the helm of driving… Serial be it for… lesbianism …. LOL… as she’s derided for… by few… and standing ovation for her tumultuous courage… and acts with ever fiber in her body I think it was only natural… that Ken Corday, asked CC to helm… this … wonderful.. venture… as she is the spearhead and one of thee pioneers for this medium… that will always have a life… a shelf life… a foothold…… Read more »
I don’t think I will like the interactive part. Prospect Park was a disaster. The online soaps are too short and tend to be way too sexy for me. Y & R is the soap that I find interesting. I am trying to like B&B but it the storylines don’t go deep enough for me. I will watch this new venture but I don’t hold out much hope for it. I wish I had billions of dollars to spend , I would bring back all the canceled soaps with as many original actors that I could. I would start with… Read more »
If done naturally, and NON Ron Carlivati style, product placement or locale advertising doesn’t have to seem jarring or out of place. It can be done subtly, and be just a natural conversation. It could be “Hey do you wanna go for lunch at Subway? They have those awesome pulled pork subs on special.” “Sure.” End of conversation. They dont have to be turned into mini ads…if he people writing the show have the talent . Many soap writers have no idea what subtext and subtlety are hough.
I am glad that Ken Corday is forward thinking. I hope this new venture is very successful and profitable. I want to see some soap stars from the past like Linda Dano and Vicki Wyndham show up on this new medium.
Ken Corday…pioneer!!!
I would like to see a websoap that just wants to be a “soap”. All the websoaps I had high hopes for (Tainted Dreams, for one) turned out to be touted as soaps but were more “artsy” than accessible. KC would do well to make sure his websoaps are “accessible”. Maybe CC can help that along, she seems to have an idea of how a websoap should work. I can live with the ads in the show as long as they’re subtle and NOT driving any story! It can work if the right decisions are made — and I am… Read more »
I am skeptical. None of these players have the integrity I need to accept it at face value. I will quietly be waiting to see what comes from this initiative.
NO WEB SOAPS I WOULD NOT WATCH
This is brilliant! With CC and Greg Meng involved, it will be great.