TVSnob Chats With Hayden Black, Producer And Star Of Goodnight Burbank And Abigail's "X-Rated" Teen Diary

Hayden Black (Credit: Goodnight Burbank)
TVSnob had the chance to talk with Hayden Black, producer and star of the hit nightly news comedy Goodnight Burbank and starting tonight, Abigail's "X-Rated" Teen Diary. We'll cut right to the chase and let you check out the interview yourself. Check out his shows and consider subscribing. You won't be disappointed!

TVSnob: Hayden, could you explain a little about who you are and what you do, for TVSnob readers?

Hayden: I've spent some time in LA in TV marketing, writing/producing promos for the major networks as well as devising syndicated campaigns. Just over a year ago, I decided to pack it in and strike out on my own doing what I came here to do in the first place - write TV and Features full time. Of course, deciding to achieve the impossible in a year was a bold move -
some would even say stupid - but then came the interweb and I saw the opportunity to bypass the networks, agents and producers at their own game and do what I wanted to. So you can now find me developing, writing and producing original content for the new media space that has the legs to cross over to multi-platforms over time (TV, Mobile, Movies, etc).

TVSnob: What is the inspiration behind Abigail's "X-Rated" Teen Diary? What exactly is it about?

Hayden: Let me start with what the show's about then tell you how it came to be. Abigail is about a 13 year old girl who vlogs about school, boys, and living with Bloomberger's Syndrome; a genetic condition that prematurely ages the body, bloats it, adds hair where there shouldn't be to the point that she now looks exactly like...a 30-something dude.

The inspiration for and the idea of the show all came at me like a lightning bolt. Last November I was watching some vlogs to see what they were all about and I was struck with how simple and cheap they are to produce. Goodnight Burbank has a combined cast and crew of close to 15 people and I realized how stress-free it would be to have just me and a camera. Within a minute the idea arrived fully formed - what if I played a young girl who had to look like me? How
sad (for her) and funny would that be! But it couldn't just be about me in a dress - that joke would wear thin fairly quick. I wanted to explore the pain and pathos of being "different" in the modern world. Back when I was in school, bullying ended when the bell rang - now it follows kids home via the web, camera phones, etc etc. So I made up a completely fictional disease and Abigail was born.

TVSnob: How long will the series run for? And how did you decide to air 3 minute long clips for week?

Hayden: Because the series is so short, so inherently viral, so easy to write and produce and so much fun, I'm not looking at when this will end because we're right at the beginning. And the reason to go with 3 episodes a week is so people don't have to wait weeks for a new installment; more content equals more satisfied viewers. I'll take a look at how that model has
worked in a month and decide then to either go to 2 a week or keep it at 3.

TVSnob: Is this connected to HBO Online or has this become a solo project?

Hayden: I pitched "Abigail" to HBO's "This Just In" earlier this year and they asked me to do a pilot. However they ultimately closed shop a few months later. It may have been something I said.

TVSnob: Could you explain the monetization strategy behind Goodnight Burbank and Abigail for TVSnob readers?

Hayden: I'm most interested in selling product placement as it's organic and unobtrusive. We have actually already sold some on Abigail and GNB is about to do a 2 month video overlay campaign with HBO (so they didn't go away completely!).

TVSnob: How did you get your start? You seem to be one of the self-made superstars on the web who saw an opportunity and took it. Does that sum it up?

Hayden: You summed it up perfectly. As Steve Winwood once sang - and I don't usually go around quoting Steve Winwood - "when you see a chance, take it". I saw the opportunity - and passion then took over and did the rest.

TVSnob: Here we go: What kind of TV do you have?

Hayden: I have a big, fuck-off, Toshiba 50" plasma HD TV with surround sound and it's brilliant. I don't watch my shows on it because the last thing I need to do is see that face of mine on a screen that large. Painful.

TVSnob: What's the future of TV? (anything goes! I know it's general and open-ended, but I'm sure you have your opinions)

Hayden: Future of TV is rock solid and only going forward. To the naysayers who foretell its end, I say "oh, shut up and sod off" because those same idiots (or their grandparents) said the same thing about movies when TV came along. Besides, with TV technology constantly reinventing itself, we don't have to worry about watching our entertainment on tiny iPods or computer monitors. Those are just portable and convenient. TV is there for you to sit in front of and immerse yourself in. Death by TV...mmmmm!!!

I think in terms of content, the short-term future will include multi-platform shows; projects that have different facets that can survive quite well across TV, the web, mobiles and more - each complimenting the other facets. For example, Abigail could work well as a half hour, single camera TV comedy about a messed up family with an even more messed up teenager at the
core of it; the web would see her video diary, mobile phones could carry her friends' video diaries, etc, etc.

TVSnob: Any final words for TVSnob fans?

Hayden: Yes! Please head over to Abigail's "X-Rated" Teen Diary to subscribe and
tell everyone you know to come check us out!!!

Awesome Hayden! Very much appreciated and very thought provoking. We here at TVSnob look forward to many more hilarious episodes of Goodnight Burbank and are quite anxious for the debut of Abigail's "X-Rated" Teen Diary!

To the readers of TVSnob: If you liked this interview, consider subscribing to our blog! We need your support!

October 1, 2007

TVSnob Chats With Hayden Black, Producer And Star Of Goodnight Burbank And Abigail's "X-Rated" Teen Diary