Press Release
Creators Ben Acker and Ben Blacker have teamed up with Quixotic Transmedia to produce a Kickstarter campaign for The THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR, the popular stage show and Nerdist Industries podcast. Running from October 8, 2012 to November 7, 2012, the 30-day campaign aspires to usher the hit show into multiple forms of media including a graphic novel, motion comic, web series, and concert film.
Over the years, The Thrilling Adventure Hour (TAH) has become a national phenomenon with monthly sold-out performances, a popular podcast, and a line of TAH-inspired merchandise from decoder rings to martini glasses. With more than 100 consecutive shows under its belt, the TAH brand is celebrating its eighth birthday with a natural and eagerly awaited step into other facets of entertainment. “TAH has become the largest and most rewarding part of our creative lives,” said co-creator Ben Acker. “After eight years of listening to Thrilling Adventure Hour, we’re ready to finally give everyone a chance to see and experience these worlds for themselves.”
The initial goal for the Kickstarter campaign is a hardcover graphic novel that recreates the TAH experience in print. Archaia Entertainment, the 2012 and 2011 Eisner Winner for Best Graphic Album New and 2011 Eisner Winner for Best Anthology, has committed to publishing the anthology should TAH reach its funding goal. Written by Acker & Blacker, the 136-page anthology will feature top artists from comics such as Ben Edlund, Jackson Publick, Dustin Weaver, Tom Fowler, Randy Bishop, Evan Larson, Chris Moreno, Natalie Nourigat, Joel Priddy, Doc Shaner, Jeff Stokely and more. “Kickstarter is playing a vital role in helping emerging comic book creators share their stories with the world,” said Archaia publisher Mike Kennedy. “Archaia has always championed quality genre entertainment, regardless of its origins, and The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a unique and hilarious experience sure to feel at home in the Archaia library.”
With Archaia as its publisher, the graphic novel is slated to premiere at Comic-Con International 2013, accompanied by a live stage show. Backers are also invited to the book’s launch party at Meltdown Comics in LA, where they can meet the creative team and purchase original artwork from the book. Should the campaign exceed its initial funding goal of $55,000, all additional earnings are dedicated toward more exciting expansions of the TAH experience in other media:
• Stretch Goal #1: A scripted webseries written by Acker & Blacker and directed by acclaimed music video director Chris Storer, which documents the backstage chaos and comedy behind the curtain and stars the cast of the stage show and tons of special guest stars.
• Stretch Goal #2: A motion comic pilot based upon one tale from the anthology with vocal performances by the cast of the stage show. The motion comic will be co-produced by Jump Creative, the innovative 3D motion comics producer behind Reed Gunther and Marksmen.
• Stretch Goal #3: A concert film of a live staged performance directed by celebrated comedy director Neil Mahoney (Freak Dance, Paul F. Tompkins: You Should Have Told Me).
In exchange for pledges, backers can choose from an impressive list of exclusive rewards. Along with pre-orders for the book and concert film, backers can enjoy VIP access during stage shows, portfolio reviews, do-it-yourself podcast kits, associate producer credits on various productions, even seats for a private 100-person recording of the show. And don’t forget the many famous faces in the TAH family photo, whose offerings range from the collectible (swag bags) and kooky (personalized crayon drawings) to the downright cool (a night of scotch and industry talk).
As an added bonus, all backers will receive new and never-before-seen content only available on Kickstarter. Comedy is sure to arise from cast and crew promoting the campaign via social media. Of particular note is the “epic showdown” between TAH segments Sparks Nevada and Beyond Belief. Since only one anthology tale is being adapted into a motion comic, the casts of each segment will smear their rivals while lobbying fans to pledge their support with specific reward tiers. “Kickstarter is just another outlet to connect with fans and provide entertainment worthy of their time and investment,” said co-creator Ben Blacker. “That’s why it was crucial to host a campaign in the spirit of the show. Fans should feel rewarded for getting involved.”
To design and produce their Kickstarter campaign and overall brand strategy, Acker and Blacker turned to Joe LeFavi, longtime TAH fan and founder of Quixotic Transmedia, a popular transmedia consultancy in the entertainment industry. “Everyone behind our Kickstarter campaign genuinely believes in The Thrilling Adventure Hour,” said LeFavi, who will also serve as editor of the graphic novel and a transmedia producer on its brand extensions. “Acker and Blacker have fostered such an amazing community of peers and fans alike, and it’s our goal to ensure that TAH can grow and mature across multiple forms of media for years to come.”
Find the campaign on Kickstarter today at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tah/thrilling-adventure-hour-the-graphic-novel-and-bey.
About Thrilling Adventure Hour
The Thrilling Adventure Hour (TAH) is a live staged show in the style of old-time radio performed monthly at the famous Largo of the Coronet Theater in LA. Running since 2005, each show features three stories brought to life by a talented troupe of actors and comedians such as Paul F. Tompkins (Best Week Ever), Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds), Busy Philipps (Freaks & Geeks), James Urbaniak (Venture Bros), John DiMaggio (Futurama), as well as a parade of A-list guest stars like Nathan Fillion, Patton Oswalt, Jason Ritter Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Neil Patrick Harris, Ed Helms, Zachary Levi, Chris Hardwick, Andy Richter, Patrick Warburton, Dave Foley, Colin Hanks, Adam Baldwin, and more! This multi-faceted cast portrays all manner of characters from an ever-evolving array of recurring worlds and genre backdrops including space westerns, goofy super-heroics, fast-talking mediums and a British time-traveler… just to name a few.
About The Creators Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Ben Acker & Ben Blacker have been a writing team for over a decade. Along with having written every episode of The Thrilling Adventure Hour for 100+ consecutive shows, they’ve written TV shows such as CW’s Supernatural and Nickelodeon’s Supah Ninjas, as well as the film Drones among other things. The Thrilling Adventure Hour is the thing they write most and best. They love it and they just want to write more in more media. Today comics. Tomorrow the world.
About Quixotic Transmedia
Proudly serving as the Wonkavator for forward-thinking entertainment brands, Quixotic is a fun, accessible, and fully customizable hub for vertical and horizontal transmedia brand development. The one-stop destination for brand innovation, Quixotic provides the friendly and informed perspective of a brand strategist, the imaginative solutions of a creative agency, and the turnkey, full-service support of a transmedia producer. With a focus on transmedia brand development, we specialize in packaging and producing original brand extensions for top entertainment properties, building the bridges for those worlds to widen their scope and extend across multiple forms of media. In support of this mission, Quixotic has fostered a vast network of quality vendors in every facet of the industry, ensuring that clients make the right friends and align their brands with industry pioneers capable of bringing their ideas to life. Learn more about how you can change the way that you share stories with the world at www.quixotictransmedia.com.
About Archaia
Archaia is a multi-award-winning graphic novel publisher with more than 75 renowned publishing brands, including such domestic and international hits as Mouse Guard, Return of the Dapper Men, Bolivar, Rust, Gunnerkrigg Court, Old City Blues, Awakening, The Killer, Tumor, Syndrome, Artesia, and an entire line of The Jim Henson Company graphic novels. Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation for producing meaningful content that perpetually transforms minds, building one of the industry’s most visually stunning and eclectic slates of graphic novels. Archaia was named Graphic Novel Publisher of the Year by Ain’t It Cool News, Comic Related, and Graphic Policy, which honored the publisher two years in a row. Archaia was honored with nine 2011 Eisner Awards nominations and two Awards for Best Graphic Album and Best Anthology. So far in 2012, Archaia has been further honored with six Harvey Award nominations, two Harvey Awards, six Eisner nominations and three Eisner Awards, and both Gold and Silver awards from ForeWord Reviews. In addition to publications, Archaia has successfully emerged as a prolific storyteller in all facets of the entertainment industry, extending their popular brands into film, television, gaming, and branded digital media. For more information, visit the Archaia website at www.archaia.com.
