TV Geek recounts the fascinating stories of cult-classic series, reveals the nerdy Easter eggs hidden in TV show sets, and demonstrates the awe-inspiring power of fandom, which has even been known to raise TV series from the dead. Subjects include: - How the live-action Star Wars TV show fell apart - The logistics and history of the crossover episode - The underrated geeky TV shows of the 1980s - The hidden details of Game of Thrones - Five Scandinavian crime thrillers that became binge hits - The Walking Dead, and the power of fandom TV series now have the same budgets, stars, audience figures and cultural impact as Hollywood movies, and TV Geek provides an insightful look at the fascinating history, facts and anecdotes behind the greatest (and not-so-great) shows. This is the ultimate, nerdy television guide for TV geeks everywhere.

TV Outside the Box: Trailblazing in the Digital Television Revolution explores the new and exploding universe of on-demand, OTT (Over the Top) networks: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crackle, CW Seed, Vimeo, AwesomenessTV, and many more. Featuring in-depth conversations with game-changing content creators, industry mavericks, and leading cultural influencers, TV Outside the Box is essential reading for anyone interested in the dynamics of a global media revolution – while it’s happening. Readers will discover: How the new "disruptors" of traditional television models are shaping the future of the television and feature film business. You’ll hear directly from the visionaries behind it all – from concept genesis to predictions for the future of streaming platforms; their strategies for acquisitions and development of new original content; and how the revolution is providing unprecedented opportunities for both established and emerging talent. What’s different about storytelling for the progressive, risk-taking networks who are delivering provocative, groundbreaking, binge-worthy content, without the restraints of the traditional, advertiser-supported programming model. Through interviews with the showrunners, content creators, and producers of dozens of trailblazing series – including Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards, Transparent, and many more – you’ll learn how and why the best and the brightest TV content creators and filmmakers are defining the new digital entertainment age – and how you can, too.

The Essential Cult TV Reader is a collection of insightful essays that examine television shows that amass engaged, active fan bases by employing an imaginative approach to programming. Once defined by limited viewership, cult TV has developed its own identity, with some shows gaining large, mainstream audiences. By exploring the defining characteristics of cult TV, The Essential Cult TV Reader traces the development of this once obscure form and explains how cult TV achieved its current status as legitimate television. The essays explore a wide range of cult programs, from early shows such as Star Trek, The Avengers, Dark Shadows, and The Twilight Zone to popular contemporary shows such as Lost, Dexter, and 24, addressing the cultural context that allowed the development of the phenomenon. The contributors investigate the obligations of cult series to their fans, the relationship of camp and cult, the effects of DVD releases and the Internet, and the globalization of cult TV. The Essential Cult TV Reader answers many of the questions surrounding the form while revealing emerging debates on its future.

A lively, thought-provoking book that zeros in on the timely issue of how anti-intellectualism is bad for our children and even worse for America. Why are our children so terrified to be called "nerds"? And what is the cost of this rising tide of anti-intellectualism to both our children and our nation? In Nerds, family psychotherapist and psychology professor David Anderegg examines why science and engineering have become socially poisonous disciplines, why adults wink at the derision of "nerdy" kids, and what we can do to prepare our children to succeed in an increasingly high-tech world. Nerds takes a measured look at how we think about and why we should rethink "nerds," examining such topics as: - our anxiety about intense interest in things mechanical or technological; - the pathologizing of "nerdy" behavior with diagnoses such as Asperger syndrome; - the cycle of anti-nerd prejudice that took place after the Columbine incident; - why nerds are almost exclusively an American phenomenon; - the archetypal struggles of nerds and jocks in American popular culture and history; - the conformity of adolescents and why adolescent stereotypes linger into adulthood long after we should know better; and nerd cultural markers, particularly science fiction. Using education research, psychological theory, and interviews with nerdy and non-nerdy kids alike, Anderegg argues that we stand in dire need of turning around the big dumb ship of American society to prepare rising generations to compete in the global marketplace. Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

With millions of viewers looking to the Web as their source of entertainment and news, high-quality Web video is in demand like never before. Whether you’re an expert in video production or are just getting started, you need to know how to produce the best video possible for the Web and then make sure it gets seen by a wide audience. Here to guide you on everything about planning and shooting, editing, choosing a distributor, marketing your video, and making a profit, author and producer Jennie Bourne takes you through the steps to getting your video from concept to prominence on the Web. Web Video gives you practical, step-by-step instruction and advice from top experts in the field, with hands-on projects and footage available for download at the author’s Web site, www.webvideobook.tv. You’ll learn everything you need to know to create great video, get it noticed, and make it pay off, including: Web video production techniques for a variety of genres, including events, interviews, how-tos, video blogs, and news and dramatic shows What it takes to make your video a viral hit on the Web How to shoot high-quality video that stands out, with real-world tips from Web video professionals Editing techniques that draw in viewers and hold their attention Compression and formatting tips to make your video look great Advice on creating a distribution plan that fits your needs How to profit from advertising or selling your video

For the first 70 years of television, broadcasters dictated the terms of the viewing experience, deciding not only when but how much of a program an audience could watch. Binge-watching destroyed that model by placing control of the experience in the hands of the viewer. In this book, media scholar Emil Steiner chronicles the technological and cultural struggle between broadcasters and viewers, which reached a climax in the early 2010s with the emergence of streaming video platforms. Through extensive interviews and archival research, this groundbreaking project traces the history of binge-watching from its idiot box roots to the new normal of Peak TV. Along the way, Steiner exposes the news campaigns waged by disruptive technology companies that exploited a long-simmering, revolutionary narrative of viewer empowerment to take over the broadcast industry. Binge-watching, an individual's act of gaining control and losing control through the remote control, exposed a debate that had been raging since the first TV set was turned on--one that asks, "Who controls the story?"

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside)and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr. With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!