Episode 5: The Campaign
EVAN, SCOTT, HECTOR, and AMANDA enter an office meeting room.
SCOTT
I can’t believe we actually have an office. STREAM feels legit now!
EVAN
We don’t have an office. We’re just using this space while nobody’s in it.
AMANDA
This building really needs better security at night, what if someone wanted to break in?
HECTOR
Isn’t that exactly what we just did?
AMANDA
I mean…yeah. So, about STREAM.
SCOTT
We need to market this thing, otherwise it’s gonna launch and nobody’s gonna know what it is. Ideas?
EVAN
Basic idea: We should market it as a TV streaming service. We don’t need anyone thinking we’re like a water company.
HECTOR
Why would anybody think that?
EVAN
People can be stupid I guess, I don’t know.
SCOTT
To be fair they’d have to be pretty stupid to join STREAM on launch day. We don’t really have a lot of good content.
AMANDA
Doesn’t matter, if we market this correctly, things will work out. We don’t have a lot of money though.
HECTOR
Can I admit to something here?
EVAN
Oh no. What?
HECTOR
I may have already bought us a couple online ads.
EVAN shrugs.
EVAN
That was gonna be my idea so I guess it’s good we already got started.
SCOTT
Does it have any results yet?
HECTOR
Haven’t thought to look.
AMANDA
Why don’t you check now and tell us?
HECTOR opens up his computer and looks at the ad analytics.
HECTOR
Yeah I’m not sure what I’m looking at here.
AMANDA
Let me see…oh.
SCOTT
How is it?
AMANDA
Pretty bad.
EVAN
Should we delay the launch?
AMANDA
No, maybe word of mouth will help us out. Let’s just all go home and uh…hope for the best.
Everyone leaves the meeting room discouraged.
LATER: EVAN is sitting at home, watching a late night show. The host is doing a monologue.
HOST
A new TV streaming service called STREAM is set to launch tomorrow, consisting only of failed TV pilots and short-lived shows that can’t be found anywhere else.
The crowd gasps.
HOST
Shows on the service include Terror In America, Delta, and 56663938201.
The crowd laughs.
HOST
Coincidentally, Terror In America is also what we are going through thanks to She Who Shall Not Be Named.
The crowd gives the HOST a standing ovation. EVAN turns off the TV and texts the group chat with SCOTT, AMANDA, and HECTOR, which quickly turns into a phone call.
EVAN
Can you believe this?!
SCOTT
I know, we’re doomed!
EVAN
No, it’s publicity! This is great news for STREAM.
AMANDA
I don’t know, felt like a cheap shot to me and it’s not like it’ll convert anyone into a subscriber. Launch isn’t for another week.
EVAN
Can’t we move it up?
AMANDA
I mean…
EVAN
What’s stopping us? This is the advertisement STREAM is going to get. We all know what Hector tried didn’t work.
HECTOR
I’m with Evan here, let’s just move up the launch date.
AMANDA
To when?
EVAN
Why not right now?
Nobody answers him.
EVAN
You guys still there?
SCOTT
You know what? Let’s do it.
Episode 6: The Launch
EVAN, SCOTT, AMANDA, and HECTOR rush back to their office meeting space.
AMANDA
Again, this building has awful security.
SCOTT
Anyone else nervous about how things are gonna go today?
EVAN
What happens is out of our control.
HECTOR
What are you talking about, it’s entirely in our control. That’s our job!
SCOTT
Should we check to see if anyone’s signed up?
EVAN
Sure. Who wants to make bets on the number?
HECTOR
I say 10.
EVAN
$10 bet, fine.
HECTOR
No, 10 subscribers.
SCOTT
10?
HECTOR
What, just trying to be a little optimistic here.
AMANDA
Just check.
EVAN
Fine….whoa.
HECTOR
New guess, nobody.
EVAN
We just hit 100,000 sign-ups.
SCOTT
100 THOUSAND? Maybe we’re onto something here! How are the shows doing?
EVAN
Let’s see…yep, Terror In America’s leading the pack. What would we do without late night shows and anti-president jokes? Rounding out the top 3 are Delta and 5666.
AMANDA
Let me look…holy crap, Terror In America’s like 80% of our streams.
HECTOR
Which one was that again? That’s a sitcom right?
AMANDA
Again, with all due respect, you are a terrible judge of TV shows and I hope you’re never in a focus group.
HECTOR
I’ve been in 5 of them actually. Some credit me with being responsible for some of the biggest flop dramas in recent history.
SCOTT
How do we capitalize off this? Do we really only have a pilot of these shows?
EVAN
We have a second episode of Delta, I guess we could hype up the big series finale. On the other hand though we have plenty of shows with, like, 0 views.
SCOTT
We can worry about that later. Is it too early to say we have a hit on our hands?
AMANDA
Oh, we definitely have a hit on our hands.
HECTOR
I’m looking online and there’s actually some discussion of Terror Of America.
SCOTT
I thought it was Terror In America?
EVAN
It is.
HECTOR
Whatever. Nobody else found it funny from the looks of it.
AMANDA
Do they like it?
HECTOR
Yeah. They can’t wait for the next episode.
SCOTT
Do we think we did a good enough job advertising the fact that STREAM doesn’t have full series?
AMANDA
Absolutely not.
EVAN
They said it in passing on that late night show.
AMANDA
Not everyone heard of us through that apparently.
EVAN
We need a plan.
SCOTT
Only one thing we CAN do: order Terror In America to series.
Everyone nods in agreement.
EVAN
But how?
SCOTT
That, we figure out later. Congratulations on a solid launch day everyone.