The Temp Life

Last updated
The Temp Life
The Temp Life (Official Title Card).png
Title card
Genre Comedy
Created byWilson Cleveland
Written byWilson Cleveland
Yuri Baranovsky
Tony Janning
Gabe Uhr
Directed byEvan Ferrante
Jato Smith
Andrew Y. Park
Starring Wilson Cleveland
Mark Rywelski
Rachel Risen
Thom Woodley
Milo Ventimiglia
Illeana Douglas
Craig Bierko
Taryn Southern
Sandeep Parikh
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes43 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerWilson Cleveland
Production location New York City
CinematographyJato Smith
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time5–10 minutes
Production companies
  • CJP Digital [1]
  • Tailslating Productions
Original release
Network YouTube
My Damn Channel (2010-2011) [2]
ReleaseNovember 29, 2006 (2006-11-29) –
January 23, 2011 (2011-01-23)

The Temp Life is an American comedy web series created and produced by Wilson Cleveland, [3] who also stars as Nick Chiapetta (AKA "Trouble"). The series, sponsored by Spherion debuted on YouTube on November 29, 2006, ran for five seasons [4] and is considered to be the first [5] and longest-running online branded entertainment series. [6]

Contents

Premise

The series revolves around Nick “Trouble” Chiapetta (Cleveland), an incompetent temp agency boss and the temps he works with.

History

In 2006 while working at a public relations firm in New York City, Wilson Cleveland was inspired by then one year-old YouTube [7] and the potential of online video to "make little TV shows on the Internet for clients to tell their stories." [8] Cleveland created The Temp Life, in 2006 for Spherion Staffing to raise brand awareness among 18-25 year-olds.

The Temp Life was among the first web series to become a new media signatory with the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild in 2009. [9] and featured guest appearances by Milo Ventimiglia, [10] Craig Bierko and Illeana Douglas [11]

The first four seasons premiered on YouTube, Blip, MySpace, Daily Motion and Facebook. Episodes of the fifth and final season premiered first on My Damn Channel and YouTube before becoming available on iTunes, MSN Video, Blip, Daily Motion, Facebook and various video-on-demand platforms including Roku and Boxee set-top boxes and Verizon Fios. In January 2010, The Temp Life became available on-demand in nearly two million U.S. hotel rooms via LodgeNet’s DoNotDisturbTV hotel room network. [12]

Reception

The Temp Life added an average of 85% more viewers with each season [13] and had reached over 18 million upload views when Fast Company called it “a bona fide phenomenon” in September 2010. [14]

The series received generally favorable reviews with critics calling positive attention to the minimal Spherion branding contained in The Temp Life episodes. In her August 25, 2010 review, AdWeek's Rachel Kaufman wrote, "It doesn’t hurt that there’s almost no pitching, just a quick logo at the beginning, and that the series is genuinely humorous" [15] and GigaOm's Liz Shannon Miller called The Temp Life "an on-the-nose sponsored series" that's "proven that you don’t need to drop the sponsor into every scene in order to spread the message." [16]

In a 2010 interview, SFN Group CEO, Roy Krause said that The Temp Life was the company's top marketing priority. Christian, Aymar (2014). Media Independence: Working with Freedom Or Working for Free?. Routledge. p. 174. ISBN   9781317690344.

In 2012 ‘’The Temp Life’’ won the Webby Award for Comedy: Longform or Series [17] and received a Streamy Award nomination for Best Branded Entertainment Web Series in 2010. [18]

Plot

Season 1 (2006 - 2007)

The first season premiered on YouTube November 29, 2006. Mark (Mark Rywelski) comes to interview for a temp job at Pedtastic - a social network for shoe lace makers and meets Nick Chiapetta (Wilson Cleveland), the company's self-professed ‘’Deputy of Trouble.’’ New temp Laura (Laura Kowalcyk) is hired to manage Pedtastic’s new office.

Season 2 (2008)

The second season premiered on September 13, 2008 with the episode titled, “Mergers and Acquisitions,” in which Nick gets conned into selling his Pedtastic social network startup for shoe lace professionals to Commodity Staffing in a “multi-hundred dollar transaction.” Nick unwittingly makes Pedtastic’s only four employees - Mark, Laura, Paul and Caitlin part of the deal by contractually obligating them to become temps with Commodity Staffing for one year. In the season finale cliffhanger episode titled, “Where in the World?” Paul and Caitlin are accidentally outsourced to a call center in Thailand and Nick falls unconscious after drinking some bad coffee.

Season 3 (2009)

The third season premiered on February 19, 2009 with the episode titled, “Dream Big!” Nick’s guardian angel Tom Cruise (played by Evan Ferrante) comes to him in a dream and convinces him to take a 33-week sabbatical and leave Mark and Laura in charge of Commodity Staffing.

Season 4 (2009–2010)

The fourth season was announced on September 10, 2009 [19] and premiered on November 15, 2009. Nick returns from sabbatical to find he and Commodity Staffing have been sued out of business and pushed out of his office space by Celltons, a cell phone button-maker. Having lost everything in the lawsuit, Nick takes a temp job transcribing video resume submissions for Celltons' Head of Human Acquisitions, Alina Deloris (Rachel Risen). When Celltons CEO, Eve Randall (Illeana Douglas) threatens layoffs, Nick plots to get Alina fired by recruiting only the least-qualified temps who apply to work at Celltons including Nancy Roder (Taryn Southern) and Stevie P. (Sandeep Parikh). Nick succeeds in getting Alina fired and convinces Eve to hire him as Celltons’ new head of Human Acquisitions.

Season 5 (2010–2011)

The fifth [20] and final season was announced on July 29, 2010 [21] and premiered on the My Damn Channel YouTube channel on December 9, 2010 with the episode titled "We're Number Two!" which finds Nick (Wilson Cleveland) living his best life. Celltons has become the number-two cell phone button company ever since Eve Randall (Illeana Douglas) fired Alina and put him back in charge of hiring temps. Little does Nick know that Eve has hired his estranged half-brother Eddie (Craig Bierko) to keep an eye on him. But Eddie has his own score to settle and secretly teams up with Alina to humiliate Nick and push him out of the company. Nick teams up with Cook (Milo Ventimiglia), the office lunch cart guy to catch a pastrami sandwich thief. Nick gets conned into hiring Thomas Clancy (Mark Gantt), the worst corporate spy in the history of corporate spies. Stevie P. (Sandeep Parikh) gets into a love triangle with Nancy Roder (Taryn Southern) and her twin sister Tammy (Jessica Lee Rose). The temps undergo corporate sensitivity training led by Counselor Rick (Tony Janning), a de-motivational speaker on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In the series finale episode titled “Return of the Eddie” which aired on January 23, 2011, Nick and Eddie reconcile and quit Celltons to open a lemonade stand in Mexico. They take all of the temps with them, leaving Alina all alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Lee Rose</span> New Zealand-American actress (born 1987)

Jessica Lee Rose is an American-New Zealand actress who first gained popularity after playing the role of lonelygirl15, a fictional teenage homeschooled character named Bree who appeared in YouTube video blogs, beginning in June 2006. In September 2006, the Los Angeles Times outed the character, destroying any mystery surrounding the possible fictionality of lonelygirl15, which thrust Rose into the mainstream spotlight while also increasing the viewership of the series. In 2007, Rose won a Webby for this role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streamy Awards</span> Excellence in online video production

The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are an awards show presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented takes place in Los Angeles, California. They were the first ever awards show dedicated entirely to web series.

<i>Trenches</i> (web series) American TV series or program

Trenches is an American science fiction web series directed and produced by Shane Felux, creator of Star Wars: Revelations. With a budget of $250,000, Trenches premiered on Crackle on February 16, 2009. The show was written by Dawn Cowings, Sarah Yaworsky, Peter Gamble Robinson and Ian Shorr. Aaron Mathias, Mercy Malick, Lev Gorn, Hong Chau, Daz Crawford, and Scott Nankivel are the main cast of the series. New episodes were streamed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through March 5, 2009.

<i>The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers</i> American web series

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, commonly called The LXD, is a 2010–2011 American web series that premiered on Hulu. The series follows two groups of rival dancers: The Alliance of the Dark, who are the villains, and The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, the heroes, who discover they have superpowers referred to as "the Ra" through their dance abilities. The entire story takes place over hundreds of years, beginning in the 1920s, up to the year 3000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray William Johnson</span> American YouTuber

Raymond "Ray" William Johnson is an American internet celebrity best known for his eponymous YouTube channel and his web series on that channel, Equals Three. In 2013, the channel surpassed 10 million subscribers and had over 2 billion views, making it one of the most watched and subscribed to channels at the time. And for a 564 day period from June 2011 to January 2013 the channel was the most-subscribed YouTube channel. During which it also became the first channel to reach 5 million subscribers. Johnson left the series in March 2014 but continued to produce it and other web series like Booze Lightyear, Comedians On, and Top 6, the first two of which were later cancelled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Helbig</span> American YouTuber and actress (born 1985)

Grace Anne Helbig is an American comedian, actress, and internet personality. She is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast This Might Get Weird (2018–present) alongside frequent collaborator Mamrie Hart and is the voice of Cindy Bear in the Max animated series Jellystone! (2021–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">React Media, LLC</span> American media company founded by Benny and Rafi Fine

React Media, LLC is an American reacting, digital media and entertainment company founded by brothers Benny Fine and Rafi Fine, creators and media entrepreneurs. React Media produces the React video series, their several timed-spoiler series, narrative web series, and created a "transmedia" sitcom on YouTube, MyMusic.

Ark is a web series set on a mysterious bio-dome spaceship – the Ark. The two main characters, Connie and Daryl, explore the vacant ship trying to learn their fate. The show's episodes run from 3 to 9 minutes in length. Liz Shannon Miller of GigaOM said that Ark has the rare combination of a sci-fi series with great production values and great writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zadi Diaz</span>

Zadi Diaz is an American producer and director, known for founding the web series Epic Fu, co-hosting the podcast New Mediacracy, and executive producer of YouTube Nation. She has won a number of Webby and Streamy Awards.

<i>React</i> (media franchise) Entertainment media franchise

React is a media franchise created and owned by React Media, LLC, consisting of several online series centering on a group of individuals reacting to viral videos, fads, video games, film trailers, or music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Cleveland</span> American actor, producer and writer

Wilson Cleveland is an American actor, producer and writer. He is known as the creator, producer and co-star of Leap Year and The Temp Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Su</span> American web series creator

Bernie Su is an American web series creator, writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the Emmy Award-winning web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries with Hank Green, a modern vlog-style adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice which won YouTube's first primetime Emmy. His five-platform interactive re-imagination of Austen's Emma, called Emma Approved, won the same Emmy two years later. Su also worked on Vanity, was Multi-channel network StyleHaul's first original online series, with Maybelline New York attached as the exclusive sponsor for its centennial celebration.

<i>I Want My Phone Back</i> American TV series or program

I Want My Phone Back is an American game show web series that premiered on November 2, 2016, on Comcast Watchable. In 2017, it was subsequently picked up by Facebook Watch where it has since aired two seasons.

<i>Suite 7</i> American TV series or program

Suite 7 is an American limited anthology series created and executive produced by Wilson Cleveland. who also stars as Matthew Brandon. The series, presented by Better Sleep Council and distributed by A&E Networks, debuted on December 17, 2010 on MyLifetime.com and Lifetime’s Hulu, YouTube, iTunes and Xbox channels.

<i>The Webventures of Justin and Alden</i> American TV series or program

The Webventures of Justin and Alden is an American comedy web series co-created and produced by Wilson Cleveland, Sandeep Parikh, Dominik Rausch and Illeana Douglas, who all make appearances in the show. The series, sponsored by Trident in association with the Streamy Awards debuted on My Damn Channel on April 27, 2010 with an introduction from Grace Helbig as well as on CollegeHumor, YouTube and Atom.com.

<i>Intricate Vengeance</i> American TV series or program

Intricate Vengeance is a 2016 television drama pilot created by Wilson Cleveland and directed by Mark Gantt for New Form, the digital studio co-founded by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Discovery Communications. The project was announced on April 5, 2016 during New Form's presentation at the annual MIPTV Media Market and released on YouTube as part of New Form's Incubator Three Series of scripted pilots.

<i>BlackBoxTV Presents</i> American horror anthology series

BlackBoxTV Presents is an American horror anthology web series created by Tony E. Valenzuela and Philip DeFranco. The first season, which featured a cast of YouTube creators including DeFranco, iJustine, and Shane Dawson, was self-funded by Valenzuela and debuted on the BlackBoxTV YouTube channel on August 17, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony E. Valenzuela</span>

Tony Edvard Valenzuela is an American director, producer and writer widely known for creating BlackBoxTV, a YouTube channel dedicated to short horror films and series. He also directed The Axe Murders of Villisca (2017), for IFC and Fight of the Living Dead.

BlackBoxTV is a commercial YouTube channel and production studio founded by director Tony E. Valenzuela. It was launched on August 17, 2010 and relaunched on April 13, 2012 as part of YouTube's $150 million original channel initiative. The channel, which has collaborated with Wes Craven, Guillermo del Toro and Anthony E. Zuiker, is home to BlackBoxTV Presents, which Variety called "the longest-running scripted drama online" in March 2016.

References

  1. ↑ Hustvedt, Marc (September 10, 2009). "Spherion-backed Temp Life Re-Staffs For New Season". Tubefilter . Tubefilter Inc. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ Baldwin, Drew (October 1, 2010). "The Temp Life Brings Season 5 to My Damn Channel". Tubefilter. Retrieved October 1, 2010– via Tubefilter, Inc.
  3. ↑ Richardson, Jillian (July 17, 2014). "The Godfather of the Branded Web Series Reveals His Secrets to Success". Contently. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ Kaufman, Rachel (August 25, 2010). "The Branding Campaign That Became an Honest-to-Goodness Phenomenon". AdWeek. Retrieved August 25, 2010– via Eldridge Industries, LLC.
  5. ↑ Frick-Wright, Peter (November 13, 2010). "Portland's Scotty Iseri turns an office job into a web series, and then some". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 13, 2010– via Oregon Live, LLC.
  6. ↑ Hampp, Andrew (August 8, 2010). "If You Build a Web Series Around It, Will They Come?". Ad Age. Retrieved August 8, 2010– via Crain Communications, LLC.
  7. ↑ Turner, Amy-Mae (February 19, 2011). "10 Fascinating YouTube Facts That May Surprise You". Mashable. Retrieved February 19, 2011– via Mashable, Inc.
  8. ↑ Manarino, Matthew (October 10, 2013). "Wilson Cleveland has a Bright Idea for Web Video". VideoInk. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ Horowitz, Lisa (September 29, 2009). "Writers Guild East Signs 11 Digital Media Producers". The Wrap. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  10. ↑ Liebman, Lisa (November 22, 2016). "The Gilmore Girls Cast Power Ranking". Vulture. Retrieved November 22, 2016– via New York Media, LLC.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Hustvedt, Marc (March 9, 2010). "Illeana Douglas Drops Into The Temp Life". Tubefilter. Retrieved March 9, 2010– via Tubefilter, Inc.
  12. ↑ Baldwin, Drew (October 1, 2010). "The Temp Life Brings Season 5 to My Damn Channel". Tubefilter. Retrieved October 1, 2010– via Tubefilter, Inc.
  13. ↑ Hampp, Andrew (August 8, 2010). "If You Build a Web Series Around It, Will They Come?". Ad Age. Retrieved August 8, 2010– via Crain Communications, LLC.
  14. ↑ Macsai, Dan (September 1, 2010). "The Web's Best Branded Videos Sell and Entertain". Fast Company. Retrieved September 1, 2010– via Mansueto Ventures, LLC.
  15. ↑ Kaufman, Rachel (August 25, 2010). "The Branding Campaign That Became an Honest-to-Goodness Phenomenon". AdWeek. Retrieved August 25, 2010– via Eldridge Industries, LLC.
  16. ↑ Miller, Liz Shannon (November 17, 2009). "The Web Series Universe Starts Coming Together Thanks to Too-Wacky Temp Life". GigaOm. Retrieved November 17, 2009– via Knowingly, Inc.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ "The Temp Life". IMDB. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  18. ↑ Axon, Samuel (April 11, 2010). "Streamy Awards 2010: Here are the Winners". Mashable. Retrieved April 11, 2010– via Mashable, Inc.
  19. ↑ Hustvedt, Marc (September 10, 2009). "Spherion-backed Temp Life Re-Staffs for New Season". Tubefilter. Retrieved September 10, 2009– via Tubefilter, Inc.
  20. ↑ Kaufman, Rachel (August 25, 2010). "The Branding Campaign That Became an Honest-to-Goodness Phenomenon". AdWeek. Retrieved August 25, 2010– via Eldridge Industries, LLC.
  21. ↑ Baldwin, Drew (July 29, 2010). "Temp Life to Return With Record-Breaking Fifth Season". Tubefilter. Retrieved July 29, 2010– via Tubefilter, Inc.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.