Fact Checkers Unit: Making a Hit Web Series
Fact Checkers Unit is an award winning web series currently in its second season. Season 1 was produced with NBC and Samsung, featured Jon Heder, Karolina Kurkova, Pauley Perrette, Alex Trebek, Dave Navarro and won a BANFF Award. Season 2 is produced with MTV and Samsung and features Moby, TPain, Run DMC, Mary Lynn Rajskub, TJ Miller. Learn the story of how a sundance short film made the unusual journey to a hit web series from the producers including putting together financing, sponsorship, distribution, celebrity cameos and the wild ride of production itself.
Presenters
Tom founded SXM a top digital studio producing online entertainment for top brands including Disney, NBC, CBS, Comedy Central IKEA, Samsung, Coca-Cola and Smuckers. SXM series have been viewed more than 100 million times online, garnering multiple awards at BANFF, NATPE, Cannes and Webbys . SXM series have been covered in publications worldwide and SXM has been profiled by publications such as Fast Company. Titles of our series include CTRL, Fact Checkers Unit, Easy To Assemble, Matumbo Goldberg, Kitchen Jam, Diagnosis Stories, Extreme Retreat and many more.
writer/actor/producer, "FCU: Fact Checkers Unit"
Dan’s career in Film, TV & Commercials began in 1998 when he worked as a development executive for New York based production company Good Machine. In 2002, he went on to work with filmmaker Wes Anderson and was an associate producer on the film “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou."
After working with Wes, Dan struck out on his own, co-writing and directing “FCU: Fact Checkers Unit” – a short film starring comedy duo Pete and Brian, Bill Murray and Kristen Schall that follows the exploits of a pair of self-serious Fact Checkers for a gossip magazine. The film attracted over one million views online and screened in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Following the success of Fact Checkers, Dan struck a deal with SXM, NBC Universal and cell phone maker Samsung to continue the story of the Fact Checkers over the course of an eight episode web series, featuring the latest line of Samsung phones and a string of guest stars such as Luke Perry, John Heder and Alex Trebek. The series premiered on Hulu.com and attracted 4.5 million views worldwide. In addition, Dan has directed campaigns for Sunkist, Sony and ESPN.
Beers is a prolific writer as well as director. He was one of the writers on the 20th Century Fox Animated feature “RIO” and the upcoming “ICE AGE 4.” He has written pilots for 20th Century Fox and MTV and has projects in development with Mr. Mudd, Oliver Platt, producer Scot Armstrong, Film Nation, and director Ken Kwapis.
Dan currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and twin daughters.
Saturday, March 10
