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donderdag 26 juli 2012

Jennifer Beals, Sarah Jones on Working for YouTube vs. TV

Will the day come that appearing on a YouTube series is as desirable as working in TV? It's already here, says Jennifer Beals, star of an upcoming series for YouTube's Wigs channel.

"I think it's so fascinating what's happening -- that we have this other platform for material that is incredibly intimate and it feels like you don't have to wait for somebody's permission to be creative," Beals said. "You don't have to wait for that magic, huge number in order to go tell a story. And I love that."

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Wigs, created by producer-directors Rodrigo Garcia and Jon Avnet, targets women with dramatic serials starring actresses including Julia Stiles, America Ferrera, and Jena Malone. Each bears a woman's name. Beals' series, "Lauren," will begin Aug. 13. Jones' series, "Kendra," will begin Nov. 12.

In a sign of the disappearing lines between TV and the Internet, YouTube addressed the Television Critics Association summer press tour for the first time on Wednesday. The group's twice annual press tours were long the domain of, well, television networks.

YouTube, meanwhile, once the domain of amateurs, is now creating stars of TV and film -- just as TV and film stars are turning to YouTube.

Beals and Jones (pictured), star of another Wigs serial, are both former stars of canceled Fox shows. Beals appeared on the network's "Lie to Me" and Jones on last season's "Alcatraz."

Jones said she wasn't put off by the lower pay of working online.

"It's a pioneering territory," she said. "I think to be on the forefront of that is an honor."