Premium programmer, Showtime Networks, recently teamed with a company called FanLib, which describes its mission as creating "community-driven online experiences [that] produce consumer-generated media that is ready for the marketplace," on a promotion in which fans of Showtime’s popular Lesbian-themed drama series, "The L Word," were invited to collaborate on scripting an episode of the show. The collaborative writing promotion began on February 3rd, with fans being invited to write, read, rate and discuss short "L Word" scenes: their efforts were guided by a "scene mission" that was provided each week by a member of the show’s writing team. When fans submitted the scenes they had written, they were voted on by other fans, and, at the end of each week, the most popular fan-submitted scene was added to the script in progress. The process was repeated each week, with a new "scene mission," until the script was completed earlier this month.
According to Showtime and FanLib, the eight-week collaborative writing project significantly increased interest in the show: the companies say that, during the week of the promotion’s launch, Yahoo!’s Buzz Log tracked a 26% increase in "L World"-related searches, and ratings jumped 51% over the previous season. Meanwhile, the promotion’s Web site logged 175,000 visits and generated over 3,000,000 page views in the course of the promotion. Fans who participated in the promotion–including not only those who submitted scenes, but anyone who voted on those scenes–had the opportunity each week to win prizes provided by Showtime and a line-up of sponsors that included Saks Fifth Avenue, The W Las Vegas, LendingTree and Love and Pride Jewelry. A grand prize winner–Jan Naugle, an aspiring novelist from Colorado Springs–was chosen via a random drawing of all seven weekly winners. She will receive a mentoring session via email on writing with "L Word" executive producer/creator, Ilene Chaiken. In addition, fans who contributed highly rated scenes were featured prominently online during the promotion.
While Showtime and the producers of "The L Word" have not yet said whether the fan-written script will actually be produced, they do have the option to produce it, as the show has been renewed for a fourth season. Meanwhile, Showtime and FanLib plan to publish a free, commemorative downloadable digital "magazine," featuring the script, several alternative scenes, and editorial features, including profiles of the winning contributors and other participants.
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