10/30/12

EPIC LEVEL TV, YouTube channel and Machinima partner, home to geeky genre programming for the kid in us all launched today its new channel website featuring programming, games, and topical community forums. Focusing on alternative geek interests, Epic Level TV covers the gamut of sci-fi, comedy, gaming, fantasy, cartoons and anime, and dark, horror or offbeat culture. Featuring such pop culture and internet stars as Phil LaMarr (Mad TV, Futurama), Jason Marsden (Spirited Away, Diablo III), Nicole Pacent (Anyone But Me), Vanessa Ragland (Nerdist’s Pop My Culture) and Tom Lommel (that commercial guy and Dungeon Bastard), Epic Level TV offers a community environment for people to share their deep-seated inner nerd (and other quirks) with like-minded people.

Epic Level TV’s programs include -

DUNGEON BASTARD: A D&D advice show from the biggest badass of them all, Bill Cavalier, Adventure Coach.

GHOUL EVENING: A horror review and variety show starring Ghoul Hectic Clownie and his lovely co-host Jill Kill.

INSIDE THE LEGEND: A fantasy, comedy, talk show starring Phil LaMarr and Vanessa Ragland where two duelling co-hosts interview history and fiction’s most notorious characters.

SPACE GUYS IN SPACE: A sci-fi comedy in homage to Red Dwarf following the antics of humanity’s two lonely survivors, trapped in a malfunctioning space pod, and their mischievous female hologram, GUSS.

TARTAR CONTROL: The Mormon world’s answer to punk rock. Sean, Robert and Robot spread the word with their music and their weekly show, Ask Tartar Control.

VAMPIRES: NEW ORLEANS: A reality show that gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of people who live as real vampires.

XOMBIE: The acclaimed cartoon series featuring Dirge, a zombie with a mind and conscience of his own, and Zoe the human girl who he tries to save from the likes of his own kind.

Machinima’s Bite Me, an Epic Level produced show, and other favorite videos and programming will also be shared on Epic Level TV. Made by and for gamers (video games, RPGs and tabletop), nerds, geeks, heroes, masterminds, and funny people – some of whom are all of the above, here audiences will find the nerdy, weird stuff they love, and other people to share it with. Reality be damned!

“Epic Level” is a gaming term for characters who have high enough levels to gain awesome swag, class and character bonuses. Epic Level TV, a division of Epic Level Entertainment, is an online community featuring a diversity of content in sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, horror, reality, cartoons, and what borders on dark or just plain offbeat. The brainchild of producers John Frank Rosenblum (Dr. Who) and Cindi Rice (TSR, White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast), Epic Level TV strives to make and share quality programming. It’s first show, XOMBIE, gained 13 millions views and interest from studios, while Bite Me, on the Machinima network, has more than 30 million views.

info@epiclevel.com

“It’s important to take the issue of bullying seriously, but it’s just as important to be able to laugh at ourselves,” said Cindi Rice, Epic Level producer. “When ‘It Gets Bigger’ came to us, we knew it was a gem, and we made sure to get Dan Savage’s stamp of approval to go with it.”

Dan Savage, sex columnist and gay activist, is the leading voice and founder behind the It Gets Better project.

“Epic Level TV makes as well as distributes genre and comedy videos that cater to an educated, tech savvy, typically male demographic,” said John Frank Rosenblum, Epic Level producer. “We know how to talk to our audience, and will continue to find as well as create videos and shows that drive their interest.”

The “It Gets Bigger” Video was created by Josh Staman and Tiffany L. Gray. The pair is collaborating with Epic Level TV to produce more parody videos.

The sci-fi comedy web series Space Guys in Space received the Cinematography Award for a Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Series at the 2012 LA WebFest on Sunday, April 8.

“We are extremely excited for our hardworking crew and proud of the evident production value in a low-budget comedy like this,” said Cindi Rice, show creator and producer for Epic Level Entertainment. “‘Space Guys in Space’ is a long time pet project of ours, where as the creators, we were able to have fun, let loose, and make something we wanted to create. The show’s character reflects that.”

This was the third annual LAWebFest, screening more than 175 web series from around the world. Hosted at the LAX Radisson over three days, the festival presented numerous workshops and discussion panels as well.

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 7, 2012 – Epic Level Entertainment, a leading producer in the world of web series and branded digital entertainment, producer of James Farr’s animated “XOMBIE” series and producers of Machinima’s hit series “Bite Me”, announced today the launch of its new original comedy series “Space Guys in Space.”

“Space Guys in Space” follows the only survivors of the human race — two guys stuck in a broken-down escape pod, drifting listlessly through the galaxy. Tormented by the ship’s unpredictable A.I., GUSS, a gorgeous hologram and forced to co-habitate until rescued or (more likely) dead, the two heroes subsist solely on a diet of pizza and beer (harvested conveniently from a wormhole inside the ship) and persevere against all obstacles, whether they be parasitic teddy bears, or space amazons in search of breeding studs.

“Space Guys in Space” releases every Tuesday on the Machinima partner channel EpicLevelTV and on Mingle Media TV. The announcement was made by John Frank Rosenblum and Cindi Rice of Epic Level Entertainment.

“Epic Level is committed to creating high-quality content for the digital age,” said John Frank Rosenblum. “It’s been exciting to see this medium grow and flourish over the past decade, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

“Epic Level believes in telling great stories, and we embrace genre content, which the larger networks seem to shy away from,” said Cindi Rice. “We know the fantasy, sci-fi and gaming fans can tell how much we share their passions, which is why they trust us.”

The series stars Jason Marsden (“Justice League” and “Spirited Away”), Dave Levine (“Absentia”), and Nicole Pacent (“Anyone But Me”), and features Phil LaMarr (“Futurama” and “MadTV”), Ryan Welsh (“Bite Me”), and Tom Lommel (“Fear of Girls”).

Machinima is the dominant video entertainment network for serious gamers around the world. The number one entertainment channel on YouTube, Machinima serves over 1 billion video views a month, and reaches over 124 million gamers monthly. Machinima’s global content network features official publisher content, gameplay videos and original content, including over 20 original weekly shows, all aimed at the coveted 18 – 34 year old male demographic.

Mingle Media TV executive produces and broadcasts over 40 hours of web series and event coverage each week. The channel accrues over 250,000 weekly views of video coverage, web series and live broadcasts and are currently in the top 20,000 websites in the US. MMTVN’s video coverage, web series and live broadcasts are promoted and syndicated on popular social and digital media and phone networks. MMTVN’s programming caters principally to women.

“Our partnerships with Machinima and Mingle Media are an exciting opportunity for ‘Space Guys In Space’ to reach a wide variety of people, and we know that everyone who loves comedy will find enjoyment with our newest show,” said Rosenblum.

Space Guys in Space show page: http://youtube.com/show/spaceguysinspace

About Epic Level Entertainment

Epic Level Entertainment is a leading entertainment company creating and producing genre franchises for film, television and the internet. Machinima’s popular video gamer web series “Bite Me” is one of Epic Level’s many productions. While “Bite Me” garnered 14 million views, Epic Level’s original series “XOMBIE” was viewed more than 13 million times by audiences worldwide well before the heyday of web series as an entertainment source. Epic Level’s passion for genre stories includes science-fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror, superhero, gaming and other types of “speculative fiction.” The company expands brands of all types through entertainment media, and works with other organizations to develop properties that span multiple product categories. By transforming its properties into franchises extending into publishing, games, webisodes/mobisodes, collectibles, and other merchandise, Epic Level Entertainment brings these stories to life in entertainment and beyond. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

For more information, please visit www.epiclevel.com

PRESS CONTACTS:

Cindi Rice – cindi@epiclevel.com or 818-752-6800 x2

Paige Barnett – paige@epiclevel.com or 818-752-6800 x3

With Bite Me Season 2 officially announced today, you can find word about the zombie apocalyptic, hardcore gamer web series all over the net. Here’s what’s in the news today:

Lionsgate Announcement

FEARnet Announcement

Hollywood Reporter article

Tubefilter article

Sacramento Bee article

SoCalTech.com news

Web Series Today article

YourEntertainmentCorner.com coverage

Metacafe.com news

ShockTillYouDrop.com coverage

Market Watch article

Friday, February 3, 2012

It’s official! There will be a Bite Me, Season 2 according to Machinima. Bite Me, a Machinima property, is produced by Epic Level Entertainment. The newest teaser trailer launched today along with an official co-announcement from Machinima and Lionsgate.

On March 6th, the second season of Bite Me will premiere on the Machinima Network online (YouTube.com/Machinima) and on FEARnet, the premium cable network for horror, thriller and suspense, backed by Lionsgate, Sony and Comcast.

Through Bite Me, Machinima leverages the passion of zombie culture from its gaming audience, by playing with the concepts of gaming in entertainment. Season 1 garnered over 14 million views in a five episode series that debuted in December 2010, and over 1.4 million unique views per episode. It clearly resonated with gaming audiences.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the success of Bite Me,” said John Frank Rosenblum, Epic Level Entertainment producer. “The show’s success is our success.”

Support for Season 2 has exploded in the past year. Machinima has quickly become the number one video entertainment brand for gamers around the world. Lionsgate, a leading diversified global entertainment company, has partnered with the company to renew Machinima’s original zombie apocalypse comedy series. It was announced today by Allen DeBevoise, Chairman and CEO of Machinima, and Lionsgate’s Curt Marvis, who orchestrated the Company’s partnership with Machinima and is overseeing the series for Lionsgate.

Season 1 integrated the videogame publisher Capcom’s Dead Rising 2 into the story, and established the characters as habitual gamers and zombie experts. Season 2 will continue the story with the zombie apocalypse underway. It will be up to the three hardcore gamers to use their knowledge, skills and abilities to rise up against the growing army of the undead. The series stars Yousef Abu-Taleb (Lonelygirl15), Justin Giddings (Pretty Little Liars), Ryan Welsh, Dani Lennon (The Casting Office), Risdon Roberts and Morgan Benoit (The Forbidden Kingdom). The new season is written by Andy Shapiro and Bob Quinn, directed by Jarrett Lee Conaway, and is a co-production of Machinima and Lionsgate, with production services provided by Epic Level Entertainment.

By bringing on board Epic Level Entertainment, an experienced production company with expertise in genre franchises, Machinima, Lionsgate and Epic Level have produced a premium live-action series that speaks to gamers and the broader audience.

*Epic Level Entertainment*

Epic Level Entertainment is an experienced entertainment company that creates and produces genre franchises for film, television and the internet. Their passion for genre stories includes science-fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror, superhero, gaming and many other types of “speculative fiction,” though they excel at expanding brands of all types into entertainment media. The company works to develop properties that span multiple product categories, not just video and film. By transforming its properties into living franchises, with tendrils extending into publishing, games webisodes / mobisodes, collectibles, and other merchandise, they help bring these stories to life in entertainment and beyond.

XOMBIE has returned home to Epic Level Entertainment. After a long period of inactivity with a major studio, Epic Level has regained the rights to its XOMBIE property, created by James Farr. Epic Level Entertainment, a leading producer in the world of web series and branded digital entertainment, announced today that it will be taking XOMBIE in several new directions.

XOMBIE: Dead On Arrival garnered 13 million views as a web series back when web series were a new and upcoming concept. Building on the excitement and buzz of its audience, Epic Level and Farr spun the series off into a graphic novel, comic books, a line of skateboards, and even the mascot/logo for a robot in development. The series’ popularity caught the attention of DreamWorks, who optioned the rights to produce a feature-length film.  That occurred in 2009, and unfortunately the studio did not pursue it.  Now, the rights have returned to Epic Level Entertainment who has new plans for the beloved Dirge and his mismatched human and undead entourage.

First on the agenda, the series will re-release via the web channel, EpicLevelTV.

“After a several-year hiatus, it’s time to bring the story back to new audiences, and those who have supported the story all along,” said Cindi Rice, producer at Epic Level.

Film options are being granted to yet-to-be-announced-companies for both the live-action and animated feature-length films. And, there are plans on the horizon for the continuation of the XOMBIE series.

“XOMBIE is a project near and dear to our hearts,” said Rice. “We definitely do not want to see it die, and are happy to be working with James Farr again.”

Farr continues to collaborate with Epic Level, and is excited about the evolving plans. Epic Level Entertainment will have further announcements about the latest XOMBIE developments in the coming weeks.

About Epic Level Entertainment
Epic Level Entertainment is a leading entertainment company creating and producing genre franchises for film, television and the internet. Machinima’s popular video gamer web series Bite Me is one of Epic Level’s many productions. While Bite Me garnered 14 million views, Epic Level’s original series XOMBIE was viewed more than 13 million times by audiences worldwide well before the heyday of web series as an entertainment source. Epic Level’s passion for genre stories includes science-fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror, superhero, gaming and other types of “speculative fiction.” The company expands brands of all types through entertainment media, and works with other organizations to develop properties that span multiple product categories. By transforming its properties into franchises extending into publishing, games, webisodes/mobisodes, collectibles, and other merchandise, Epic Level Entertainment brings these stories to life in entertainment and beyond. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
 
About James Farr
www.jamesfarr.com
 

Xombie in the News

DreamWorks is Adapting Xombie
Source: Hollywood Reporter

DreamWorks Interested in XOMBIE comic book
Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Star Trek reboot writers looking at James Farr’s Xombie
Source: Insomniac Entertainment

‘Bite Me’ Pits Gamers vs. The Undead

Tube Filter News
http://news.tubefilter.tv/2010/12/13/bite-me-pits-gamers-vs-the-undead/

5 Things To Do Until The Walking Dead Is Back on the Air

Mania.com
http://www.mania.com/5-things-to-until-walking-dead-back-air_article_126951.html

Bite Me Exclusive

Fangoria
http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2856%3Aexclusive-bite-me-pics&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=167

Online Series “BITE ME” Casts Gamers as Zombie-Bashing Heroes

Rue Morgue
http://rue-morgue.com/blog/archives/2010/12/10/online-series-bite-me-casts-gamers-as-zombie-bashing-heroes/

Zombie Comedy Web Series Bite Me Premieres

Dread Central
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/41278/zombie-comedy-web-series-bite-me-premieres

Machinima, Capcom Team for Bite Me

Shock Till You Drop
http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=17400

Movie Review: The Gamers 2 – Dorkness Rising

Comic of Epic Fail
http://comicofepicfail.com/

Viral Blitz Launches Before Alive Arrives on TV

Wired.com
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/news/2007/10/viral

Alive: Post-apocalyptic zombie series that wasn’t (Not yet anyway)

TV Squad
http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/13/alive-post-apocalyptic-zombie-series-that-wasnt-not-yet-anywa/

DRAGONLANCE Animated Movie News

Mania.com
http://www.mania.com/dragonlance-animated-movie-news_article_51609.html