Shutdown (web series)

"./shutdown" is an online sitcom about a group of Help Desk employees at a fictional Southern California-based technology company named "Morbotech". The season consists of webisodes running 4-10 minutes long. ./shutdown focuses on Simon and his fellow coworkers, dealing with end-user complaints, as well as day-to-day geeky life problems like rent. The show also takes place outside the office and deals with many geek topics like anime, computers, video games, and comic books. The show also addresses the topic of homosexuality, as the lead female character, Hally is dating another woman, Alex. The first episode was posted July 23rd, 2007. It is broadcast at the official site, shutdowntv.com, Youtube and Stage6. ./shutdown was created by David Gonzalez and Michelle Osorio [ [http://us.vdc.imdb.com/name/nm1203748/ Michelle Osorio ] ] . It is produced by Kill9 Studios, which also consists of ./shutdown producer Cristopher R. Spencer [ [http://us.vdc.imdb.com/name/nm2607391/ Cristopher R. Spencer ] ] and actor Mattzog Bellucci. The show's most popular episode has been viewed over 700,000 times. [ [http://www.stage6.com/Shutdown/video/2077923/-/shutdown-1x07:-DDR-Hero-(part-4-of-4)---720-HD Stage6 · Shutdown · ./shutdown 1x07: DDR Hero (part 4 of 4) - 720 HD - Video and Download ] ]

History

Michelle Osorio conceived of doing an Internet show after directing a special with the creators of Pure Pwnage at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January 2007. [ [http://michelleosorio.com/blog/2007/01/18/ces-2007-episode-65-pure-pwnage-videos-continued/ Michelle Osorio » Blog Archive » CES 2007: Episode 6.5 - Pure Pwnage videos continued ] ] Kill9 Studios was formed that same year. Its members created the concept for "./shutdown" to "celebrate the geek lifestyle, instead of exploit and poke fun at it like most mainstream media." [ [http://youtube.com/kill9tv YouTube - kill9tv's Channel ] ] . The first episode featured guest appearances by Troma Studios founder, Lloyd Kaufman and Suicide Girls model, Chloe Suicide. In December of 2007, the show began releasing its episodes in High Definition quality. [ [http://theflounder.com/?p=76 » Blog Archive » Episode 5 of ./shutdown ] ]

Plot

Simon and his co-worker, Zedd are introduced to a new help desk associate by their boss, Mark. Hally and Simon end up staying late her first day on the job because their co-worker, Chaz has disappeared and left work to do. Simon and Hally quickly make friends in the first few episodes, but it is revealed early in the season that she is a lesbian. Simon and Zedd have a brief problem when their roommate, Nichole, moves out suddenly without paying a huge electric bill. They are saved by Lise whom they had met the same day at a comic book store. She moves in and joins the show's main ensemble. "./shutdown" follows these main characters through work and personal life situations, constantly making references to pop culture, "i.e." Star Wars, World of Warcraft, Night of the Living Dead and Goatse.

Characters

*Simon - Simon is a Help Desk associate at Morbotech, a technology company. He is originally from the East Coast and went to college with his best friend, Zedd. However, he dropped out. He constantly tries to impress Hally, whom he has a crush on, but usually fails to make his feelings clear due to his social awkwardness. Played by Mattzog Bellucci.

*Zedd - He's the genius of the group, usually giving offhand comments that solve problems the team has been struggling with for minutes or hours. He is the most involved in what would be considered nerd activities, such as Dungeons and Dragons and larp. Played by Ben Peterson.

*Hally - Hally is a confident, career-driven new recruit to Morbotech's Help Desk. She moved to California from her home town of Austin, Texas. She has become good friends with Simon, but is dating Alex. Played by Pin Young [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2953440/ Pin Young ] ] .

*Chaz - Chaz is the slacker on the team. He fails to complete his workload and is rarely at his desk. His uncle, Bill Hicksley, is a VP at the company. He is constantly flirting with girls, but has yet to win any of them over on the show. Played by Timothy Cross.

*Lise - Lise is an employee at Comics N Stuff where she first meets Hally, Simon and Zedd. She ends up moving in with the boys and becomes Chaz' trainer in the art of Dance Dance Revolution. Her other geek indulgences include cosplay and CQB. Played by Courtney Buck.

*Mark - Mark is the team's obliviously peppy Help Desk Manager. He usually pops in and out of scenes without spending any time with his employees. He is always in a good mood even though his attempts to cheer his employees up usually fail. Played by Jeff Hillman.

*Alex - Alex is an aggressive career-oriented woman. She has refused to spend time with Hally and her friends, opting to stay in her truck and yell at her subordinates about work over the phone. Played by Cristyn Chandler.

*Bill Hicksley - Introduced in Episode 2, Bill Hicksley VP of Morbotech and Chaz's uncle. Like Chaz, he is constantly flirting with girls and tells stories of past conquests but provides no evidence to support his claims. Played by David Finley.

*Nichole - Mentioned in Episode 2 and formally introduced in Episode 3, Nichole is the original roommate of Simon and Zedd. She is a party animal. She decides that Simon and Zedd are too immature to live with and moves out of the apartment in favor of flying to Tahiti with a married man whom she met the night before. Played by Brittney Manlapig.

Episode Breakdown

References

Links

*The ./shutdown Official Site - http://www.shutdowntv.com/
*Kill9 Studios Youtube page - http://youtube.com/kill9tv
*Fan-created sydication of ./shutdown news feed - http://syndicated.livejournal.com/shutdowntv/
*Stage6 (downloadable HD versions) - http://www.stage6.com/Shutdown