When I started creating story for the web one of the appeals was the do-it-yourself nature of the space.  It’s fairly easy to get some websites up and bring characters to life without a big machine.  Compared to television, you’re lean, mean and very fast.

I’m an impatient type.  I like to get things up and moving and I’m easily frustrated when I have to wait for someone else to do something for me.But there’s another side to the coin.  There’s too much to do.  Too much that I should be doing.

I find myself at a new stage in the development of the web creator: the stage of partnership building.  I have a bunch of new best friends; individuals, organizations and services that are essential partners in a transmedia storyteller’s life.I don’t mean the team I work with — although they are the most important people in the process of getting the story out there.  They are my old best friends.

Internet Networks: I’m talking partnerships with people outside our immediate organization — like the Internet networks that carry our show.  I recently posted about MingleMediaTV, DigitalChickTV and Clicker — sites that carry Ruby Skye P.I. — and their value to independent web creators.  Each of these sites are curated, they specialize in web series and narrative content and have built audiences that are hungry for story content.  That makes it easier for viewers to find our show than on free-for-all video sharing sites like YouTube and Metacafe where there’s a huge audience but also a huge amount of content.

Web Series Creators: No, they’re not the competition.  They’re collaborators.  Together, we’re trying to build an industry.  So few people know much about creating for the web, distributing and promoting online story, building audience and all the other details of this work, that is fabulous to talk to anyone who is working in the space.  There’s an incredible amount of generousity and camaraderie  in the developing community of web series creators, transmedia storytellers and interactive fiction types.  I see a lot of people promoting and supporting each others’ work.  I’m looking forward to the first Toronto Web Series Creators Meetup this week.  I know I will learn an incredible amount from everyone else’s experiences.

Distributors: There is quite a lot of distribution you can do on your own.  Ruby Skye P.I. is on a dozen sites including three (soon to be four) Internet networks.  But the world is full of screens, countries, languages and someone with knowledge and relationships can help you spread your project further and faster than you can on your own.   A distributor is someone who can help you get your content on lots of screens for the magical and elusive commodity known as money.  Even more tantalizing is that mythical thing known as a distribution advance: money for the right to air an unmade product.  There are rumours that distributors can help you get such a thing.

There are downsides to distribution deals.  Buyers may want your project geo-blocked or taken off the web all together.  But a distributor can guide you through.

There are a few distributors working in the digital space.  Wendy Bernfeld of the Rights Stuff spoke to the IPF web creators this past spring.  She got me really excited about the possibilities, plus I loved her running shoes.

Fireworks/Content Film have take on a number of digital projects including Riese.

A distributor is definitely someone to have in your transmedia rolodex.

I’m hoping to be adding even more friends to may list of nearest and dearest this year — because doing it all yourself will kill you.