Shutdown (web series)
Encyclopedia
"./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 23, 2007. It is broadcast at the official site, shutdowntv.com, Youtube
and Stage6. ./shutdown was created by David Gonzalez and Michelle Osorio. It is produced by Kill9 Studios, which, at the time of production, also consisted of ./shutdown producer Cristopher R. Spencer and actor Mattzog Bellucci. The show's most popular episode has been viewed over 700,000 times.
show after directing a special with the creators of Pure Pwnage
at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show
in January 2007. 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." . The first episode featured guest appearances by Troma Studios founder, Lloyd Kaufman
and Suicide Girls model, Chloe Suicide. In December 2007, the show began releasing its episodes in High Definition
quality.
. 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.
Help desk
A help desk is an information and assistance resource that troubleshoots problems with computers or similar products. Corporations often provide help desk support to their customers via a toll-free number, website and e-mail. There are also in-house help desks geared toward providing the same kind...
employees at a fictional Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
-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
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
topics like anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, 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 23, 2007. It is broadcast at the official site, shutdowntv.com, Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Stage6. ./shutdown was created by David Gonzalez and Michelle Osorio. It is produced by Kill9 Studios, which, at the time of production, also consisted of ./shutdown producer Cristopher R. Spencer and actor Mattzog Bellucci. The show's most popular episode has been viewed over 700,000 times.
History
Michelle Osorio conceived of doing an InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
show after directing a special with the creators of Pure Pwnage
Pure Pwnage
Pure Pwnage was an Internet-distributed, mockumentary series from ROFLMAO Productions. The fictional series purports to chronicle the life and adventures of Jeremy , a Canadian and self-proclaimed "pro gamer"...
at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
in January 2007. 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." . The first episode featured guest appearances by Troma Studios founder, Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...
and Suicide Girls model, Chloe Suicide. In December 2007, the show began releasing its episodes in High Definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
quality.
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 lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. Simon and Zedd have a brief problem when their roommate
Roommate
A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
, Nichole, moves out suddenly without paying a huge electric bill. They are saved by Lise
Lise
*Lise-village in Široki Brijeg municipality*Lise is a variant of Lisa:*Lise Meitner*Lise Mayer*Lise Myhre , Norwegian cartoonist*Lise Thériault*Lise Thibault*Lise McCleerey international real estate trainerIt may also refer to:*Claude 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
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
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.
- 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 vice presidentVice presidentA vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of 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 RevolutionDance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
. Her other geek indulgences include cosplayCosplay, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
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.
External links
- The ./shutdown Official Site - http://www.shutdowntv.com/
- Kill9 Studios Youtube page - http://youtube.com/kill9tv