Twitter to make a TV show about…nothing
Posted by andreaitis on May 25, 2009
I saw this and thought: Well, of course. Why not turn Twitter loose on TV, if for no other reason than it’s the N.H.T. New. Hot. Thing. Can’t blame the Twitter guys, who wouldn’t take advantage of the surge in popularity? But I feel compelled to translate this story about the up-and-coming collaboration.
The San Francisco-based web phenom has partnered with Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment to develop an unscripted TV skein…
Stop right there. An “unscripted TV skein”? What does that even mean?? Maybe we’ll get a clue in the rest of the sentence.
…described as “putting ordinary people on the trail of celebrities in a revolutionary competitive format.”
Nope, no clue. Not even a quarter to buy a clue. Sounds like ordinary people will stalk celebrities. Maybe it’s a cross between Punk’d and Amazing Race. Maybe it’s totally ripping off Shaq’s twitter technique, where he twitters his location and whoever gets to him first gets basketball tix. Maybe they have no idea what the show is about so they’re using vague phrasing, an incoherent skein of words.
Project was announced with few details…
Few details! Shocker.
…Monday by Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment. Series concept was created by novelist/screenwriter Amy Ephron, who will exec produce with Kevin Foxe and Steve Latham, Reveille’s Mark Koops and Howard T. Owens, Brillstein’s Jon Liebman and Lee Kernis.
If my math is correct, that’s seven executive producers. S-E-V-E-N. They’re already over budget.
“We’ve found a compelling way to bring the immediacy of Twitter to life on TV,” Liebman said.
Another sentence that says nothing.
Worldwide rights to the show will be repped by ShineReveille Intl.
And there’s the pitch, they’re already trying to sell rights to a show about nothing so the rest of the world can share in the compelling revolutionary twitastic television experience.
via Twitter, Brillstein develop TV series – Entertainment News, Technology News, Media – Variety
To recap: Seven executive producers, two mediums melding, a fraction of a concept. I know nothing worked for Seinfeld, but can nothing become something this time? Call me a cynic, but sounds like the traditional TV development machine is already processing them like cheese. I’d have more faith if they had done the TV pitch in 140 characters.
Update: One of Twitter’s founders, Biz Stone, posted on the Twitter blog to clear up the confusion.
There is no official Twitter TV show—although if there were it would be fun to cast! In dealing with networks and production companies we sometimes have simple agreements. Regarding the Reveille and Brillstein project reported today, we have a lightweight, non-exclusive, agreement with the producers which helps them move forward more freely.
Lightweight, non-exclusive agreement. That almost sounds like it’s an agreement to agree about something at some point which, for now, pretty much adds up to….yeah, nothing.

mrsandyclark said
Andreaitis,
As you know, I am not a tech whiz. But, I learned from Ryan Sager…well, a lot. I couldn’t make heads or tails of his posts, but I kept at it and now I learn something every single time. I never miss one of his columns now. Sometimes I’m serious and sometimes I just have fun with it. You have a humorous edge that comes through and I will learn something.
It will probably be some time before I start commenting, as the three columns tonight have shown me that I have a lot to learn about tech stuff and gadgets. Thanks for all your help and I will keep reading and try some of the things I learn along the way.
Sandy