The Free TV industry has neglected to provide content for young Australians, which is driving them away from network television.
That's according to 26-year-old writer/producer, James Cripps, who believes the lack of content has pushed young Australian audiences away from network television and onto the internet.
Cripps has spent the last few years in both creative and assistant roles for some of the biggest production companies in Australia.
He’s also worked as researcher/script coordinator on the successful mini series ANZAC Girls in 2013.
Cripps said there was a lack of engaging Australian drama on television that people of his age and younger would want to watch.
"This has not only turned the younger audience off Australian TV, but also Australian content," he said.
"We want to make Australian content that young people will get excited about. We want to change the current norm and the programming decisions of the older generation.”
Cripps and director Dre Muller – his long time film school buddy and creative associate – are now attempting to win this audience back by producing a fresh seven part web series, KICK ON KIDS.
The series offers the tag line: “Five youth. One summer. Not much sleep.”
It is a comedy-drama that interweaves independent music, upcoming fashion designers, raucous comedy, heartfelt storylines and young characters trying to find their place in the world.
Cripps said, initially, the audience for KICK ON KIDS would be built on the internet.
"But it’s fast turning into a trend that a web series with an audience is then picked up by a network," he said.
"If we can engage with and maintain an audience through this strategy, then over time we can start steering things in a better direction – bringing our young audience with us back to free-to-air television. We want to do this for our audience, and our industry, which has lost this market.”
Cripps and Muller are running a crowd funding campaign to raise production and post funds for their the series.
Click on the link to support the campaign.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kick-on-kids/x/8462017 – /story