The web series NEXT! has been selected as a finalist at the NATPE LATV Fest, to be held in Los Angeles this July 12 – 15. The National Association of Television Program Executives is a Hollywood mainstay, dedicated to the “creation, development and distribution of televised programming”. The annual NATPE Market & Conference is considered to be the largest trade show event worldwide for buying and selling television and new media content.
NEXT! is the creative brainchild of Kansas City based casting director Heather Laird. In an effort to showcase her work as an emerging director, Laird chose the internet as her medium. “Getting a foot in the Hollywood door is an enormous challenge,” she said. “The internet has become a way for some to slip in through the back.” Laird partnered with T2 + Back Alley Films owner Teri Rogers as Executive Producer and VEMO’s Nicholas E. Vedros as producer to create a total of 6, six-minute web episodes. “It’s a faux reality series,” said Laird. “It’s a fictional realty show that tracks the trials & tribulations of real-life casting director John Jackson.” Jackson, who is the primary casting director for the award winning director Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election, About Schmidt), also has a long acting resume under the stage name of “John Durbin”.
Other Kansas City companies who lent production support to the project include Liquid 9 and Wheeler Audio. NEXT! was entered in the Comedic Webisode category at the NATPE LATV Fest and is one of three finalists selected. NEXT! is at www.nexttheseries.com For more information about NATPE and the LATV Fest go to www.latvfest.net.
