Web Series Network Interview With Julian Breece, Creator of "Buppies" Web Series Starring Tatyana Ali From 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air'

(L-R) Buppies cast: Chante Frierson, Tatyana Ali, Robin Thede.

Web Series Network.com interviewed Julian Breece, the Creator of the new web series 'Buppies' starring Tatyana Ali from the popular 90's series 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air.' Julian weighs in on how the project came about, getting distribution through BET.com, the Cover Girl sponsorship deal, funding, what differentiates 'Buppies' from the rest, and much more!

Rich Mbariket: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Julian Breece: I’m an L.A. based filmmaker, born and raised in Washington, DC. I went to Harvard College and moved out here to attend USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program. Around the time I graduated, my college buddy, Aaliyah Williams, had just left her job at a top advertising agency to make movies. She ended up producing my first film, which screened at Sundance back in January. From there we started Game Theory Films, a full service production company that produces feature films and new media content.

RM: Take me back to the day you conceived this project. How did it come about?

JB: The idea for “Buppies,” popped in my head during film school. Most of my college friends had gone directly into the work world and I was intrigued by the identity crises many of them faced. It's a very post-Cosby dilemma. When you’re black and college educated it's easy to feel pressured into a very narrow view of success. You have to get the big job, to get the big house and the nice cars. But once my friends got those things a lot of them still felt empty. They had no idea who they really were or what they really wanted. I think “Buppies” explores that particular identity crisis in a fun but sincere way.

RM: What is part of the Buppies brand because there are a lot of web series out there. What differentiates you from the rest?

JB: The easy answer is that “Buppies” is different because it has a black principal cast. It’s one of the few show on the web or anywhere else that does. But more than that “Buppies” is unique because it truly embraces and respects the web series format. It’s not a movie cut into a pieces or a traditional TV pilot thrown up on the web. We didn’t think of it as something to cut corners on because it’s for the web. We looked at tons of other webseries as case studies, identified what did and didn’t work, and developed a show tailored to the kind of viewer most likely to watch serialized content on the web. Let’s face it, in 10 years the quality standard for content on TV will also be the quality standard for original content on the internet. New media is an exciting space right now and Aaliyah and I wanted to delve into it while the soil’s still wet.

RM: How did you land the BET.com distribution deal?

JB: It's pretty incredible actually. BET became aware of “Buppies” after a marketing executive saw a trailer that I created and circulated online. That trailer got picked up by tons of blogs and received a great response.

RM: How did Tatyana get involved with the show?

JB: Tatyana got involved right after I'd finished the script. She and my producing partner, Aaliyah, were roommates in college. when Aaliyah approached her to star in the series, she also offered to help finance it which was really fantastic. Our budget was low, even by web series standards, but I'm proud that we were able come together and finance Buppies independently. There was a lot of begging and borrowing thrown in there too, but we got it done.

RM: How did you get Cover Girl to sponsor you?

JB: When BET contacted me back in the spring, Cover Girl was already interested based on that same trailer. More talks followed, more footage was shown and pretty soon it was a lock. It was great because when Aaliyah and I developed the “Buppies” script our target audience was African Americans between 18 and 35. The series also skews female so that fit right in with Cover Girl’s Queen
Collection campaign.

RM: Some content creators support using a subscription-fee model to help monetize, but the reality is that viewers aren't willing to pay to watch their favorite TV shows on Hulu and I don't think they'll pay to watch Youtube web series. Your thoughts?

JB: I think you’re right. It’s something we might see eventually, but more immediately I think web series are going to fall into what I call a “perfected broadcast model.” Right now a handful of media conglomerates are middle men in all serialized content creation, but that’s changing fast. People don't like TV commercials, and with the rise of DVR and On Demand options viewers are discovering new ways to avoid them. That reality is forcing brands to finally embrace the web as the new marketplace, and realize that it’s more cost-effective to work directly with filmmakers. That way they can have a direct hand in developing serialized entertainment that drives viewers right to their storefronts. Coincidentally that model will also keep quality content free.

RM: What tone does Buppies set for its future?

JB: “Buppies” is Game Theory's first new media project and it’s brought a lot of interest and new opportunities our way. The official site has only been live for three weeks and it’s exceeding expectations so there’s been lots of talk about how to continue it. For me “Buppies” is something I developed for the web so I’d like to see it continue in this space with longer episodes and a longer season. But right now there are several options being discussed.

RM: What else would you like to share with our readers?

JB: I’m just excited for people to check out the show and give their honest feedback. “Buppies” is an experiment in a lot of ways and we’ve already learned so much that will benefit us on the next go
round. Outside of that, thanks for watching!

Buppies airs every Tuesday at 3pm on their flagship BET.com Site. Great series. Watch now! and post comments.