Exclusive: The ACT-I-VATE Experience: The Documentary

Act-i-vate: The primer CREDIT: View full size image

Newsarama Note: Due to an issue with Brightcove, our video hosting service, and Microsoft's Internet Explorer, when more than one video is listed on a page, none of them will play. For our IE using friends, you can click this link to get to part 1 of The Act-i-Vate Experience, with links to the rest of the film below.

Dean Haspiel loves comics. From the critical hit The Alcoholic with writer Jonathan Ames to American Splendor, from the HBO series Bored to Death to his very own webcomics collective, Act-i-Vate, Haspiel wants to get comics in front of anyone that will give them a chance.

Seth Kushner loves comics, too. His webcomic SCHMUCK debuts today on the Act-i-Vate site, as a special Thanksgiving premier. Before getting published with the group, however, Kushner decided to document exactly who these creative folks are and what they intend to do with the website and comics in general. The result was a 30 minute documentary that has been shown at various comic book conventions, festivals, and special events. Now, for the first time anywhere online, and exclusive to Newsarama, we have the entire film for your viewing pleasure. Witness interviews with creators from Act-i-Vate, see their artwork as it's made, and find out for yourself why this is one of the coolest projects around

When you're done, make sure to visit  Act-i-Vate and check out the comics for yourself, see Culture Pop Productions, Kushner's website, for more short films (including a feature on Paul Pope), and learn more about these and other comic creators local to New York at NYC Graphic Novelists. Now, enjoy the show!

Special Thanks to Dean Haspiel, Dave Brody, and Chris Rodriguez