When I interviewed Tom Holland back in September for that incredible FRIGHT NIGHT reunion at the Nuart, he was eager to discuss Strike.TV, an online network of sorts created during the recent writers strike. The goal was to generate ad revenue through original programming (written, directed and performed gratis) which would then be donated to the Writers Guild Foundation Industry Support Fund (which, according to the website, is now a part of the Actors Fund's Entertainment Assistance Program).
Well, now it's live. Check out the front page, and you'll find a bunch of new short films featuring folks like Bob Newhart, Kristen Wiig, Timothy Dalton, Joanne Whalley and Mindy Kaling. Some of these appear to be one-offs, but others, like Steven E. De Souza's "Unknown Sender", are intended to be actual series.
This is the case with Tom Holland's "5 or Die", a gory little piece of work that uses a RING-like gimmick to scare the crap out of teenagers. Tom freely admits that he's "feeling his way" with this series. Though he's very excited about connecting with his fans online, this is also something of a new medium for him. He's a filmmaker, first and foremost, and a damn fine one at that. But I've every confidence he can make this work.
Here's the first installment of "5 or Die":
