Taryn Southern has been on the hot end of an explosion ever since her satirical music video, Hot 4 Hill, became a viral hit in 2007 and she found herself being interviewed on Good Morning America, MSNBC, Inside Edition, FOX, NBC, and CNN. She has gone on to star in and produce several major web hits, including Private High Musical, now purchased by MTV. She currently can be seen on CBS comedy Rules of Engagement. She also guest stars in web hits Black Box TV and The Temp Life.
DCTV creator Daryn Strauss chatted with actress-producer-writer-digital chick extraordinaire Taryn Southern about what makes a good viral video, religious cults, and the digital revolution.
DARYN: So, I’m just anticipating how this interview is going to look in print: Daryn and Taryn? Maybe I should use a fake name?
TARYN: I love it! Sounds like the title of a web series about two hipster chicks living in Silverlake.
DARYN: Distributors, please email me. Did you ever anticipate the power of viral video?
TARYN: I don’t think I fully understood the power of viral video until lonelygirl15 became a YouTube sensation. It was amazing to me that a piece of content could outperform television networks – and on a global scale. That was back in 2006, I believe, and the rest is history.
DARYN: A friend of mine recently did a YouTube parody of Lady Gaga called Baby Gaga which ended up causing this huge controversy all over the news, and it was just a little video about a dancing kid! He ultimately took the video down. In 2007, you wrote and appeared in an equally controversial (and hilarious) YouTube video, Hott 4 Hill, in which a teacher shows her support for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Presidential election through a sexy love song. Did you have any idea that this video would make so much news?
TARYN: I did…and yet, I didn’t. At the time, I definitely calculated that doing a spoof on the Obama girl song would earn a bit of attention from HER fans. That being said, I never anticipated that Chris Matthews would want to interview me, or that I would end up singing on Geraldo at Large. Ironically, I think I ended up getting more mainstream attention than online attention – not because my video was so great, but it happened to be released on a week with very little news. The political pundits needed something to talk about, and a lesbian love song for Hillary seemed to fit the bill.
DARYN: What do you think makes a good viral video?
TARYN: I think anything done well can make a GOOD viral video, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a VIRAL viral video. I would characterize most viral videos as either memes – memes have the ability to change, alter, and forward along the content so that it changes along with its audience, i.e. the Double Rainbow video – or as newsworthy/topical. Autotune the News creates awesome viral videos every week. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but it also translates to real internet hits. There’s a reason why some of the most popular YouTube channels are built on spoofs and satires of pop culture, music, and politics.
Taryn in Private High Musical
DARYN: You moved into episodic online content with Sorority Forever, which you starred in, and then Private High Musical, which you also wrote and produced. I can’t tell you how hard I laughed at Private High Musical. You seem to be drawn to parodies. What is it about parodies that resonates with you? And where do you think that inspiration comes from?
TARYN: First off, thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed Private High Musical. Honestly, the inspiration for that just came from watching High School Musical and being astounded at how cheesy it was! I thought, really?? This is what’s getting all that attention? I felt like I had to throw my own little take out into the ether. The one thing I really tried hard to NOT do though is write a direct parody of High School Musical. In other words, I changed up the characters a bit, wrote original music, and didn’t play on any of their musical themes. I wanted people to be able to watch and evaluate the series without having to watch any bit of High School Musical.
DARYN: I imagine that you have to add lots of extra producing duties when you are dealing with musical numbers. Did you also write the lyrics and the music in Private High Musical? Did you go into the studio first and record the tracks?
TARYN: Yes, the music came first. I just knew I wanted songs about certain subjects, and then wrote the series and characters around the 6 songs. As far as the producing end goes, there are a lot of additional elements to think about with musicals – mixers, recording engineers, choreography, playback, etc. Sometimes I concern myself so much with the music that I forget about equally important production elements.
Taryn as Nancy Roder in The Temp Life
DARYN: You’ve done a few online guest spots this year, but I REALLY want to talk about Nancy on The Temp Life. How hilarious is she! That was a totally new character for you! How did that come about?
TARYN: HAHA! Nancy is my FAVORITE. I really have to thank Wilson Cleveland for that. He just called me one day and asked me if I’d like to create my own character on the Temp Life. I really consider Nancy to be my 10-year old self – that weird kid in school who loved reading sci-fi books, watching Animal Planet, and making web pages using rudimentary HTML. Nancy’s odd voice came from a memory of a woman who went to my church when I was young. It always creeped me out.
DARYN: You also host a lot of live red carpets. What is that like? How do you prepare for an event like that?
TARYN: I love doing the live online red carpet premieres. They aren’t nearly as stuffy as award shows – all the actors are there to have a good time and the live component keeps me on my toes. Outside of making sure I know the actors and trying to attend a pre-premiere screening, I don’t do much preparation. I just go out there and have a good time, as though I’m attending the premiere myself!
DARYN: And you are producing your first feature called The Co-Op, which is about a cult-like group in LA. Personally, after being in some weird acting classes, I have a fascination with groups like this myself. What motivated you to do this project?
TARYN: I was always fascinated with religion and religious organizations. What defines a cult? How is a ‘cult,’ as we see it, different from mainstream religious organizations? I’ve read a lot of books on some of the most terrifying figures in cult history… and realized there were some stories that needed to be told. That’s how the Co-Op came about.
DARYN: Do you have a release date set yet? Is it something you plan to release online?
TARYN: I’m honestly not sure yet. We are still doing interviews with cult leaders and experts from around the country, but we’re hoping to have a finished cut by 2011. As far as distribution is concerned, we have a LOT of ideas.
DARYN: Lately, there has been a shift in online content towards interactive storytelling. Is this something that is influencing your writing now?
TARYN: Yes and no. I love that interactivity is now a consideration factor in the development process, but I don’t believe a story needs audience interaction to be successful – even in the digital space. If a story relates to an audience and makes them feel connected, I think a storyteller has done their job! What I find really inspiring now is stories with different dimensions – i.e. ways to see one story through the eyes of multiple characters. This is, in my opinion, the true gift of the digital storytelling – audiences can now navigate through various perspectives in a manner similar to how they navigate the web.
DARYN: What are the changes you’ve seen in the online space in the past two/three years?
TARYN: It’s exploded with content. YouTube has become a mammoth, and people no longer laugh when you talk about throwing out your cable for an AppleTV or GoogleTV. I’ve also seen an increase in the quality of content, and sites like Tubefilter and now Digital Chick TV are helping us organize and evaluate all of it. It’s such an EXCITING time!! I really feel like we are all part of a revolution, and that’s why I love being a part of this community.
DARYN: You’re always doing a million things! What’s going on for you right now?
TARYN: Right now I’m currently working as a recurring character on the CBS series Rules of Engagement, and working on a music comedy CD to release in 2011. My first video comes out this November! I’m still shooting web stuff on the weekends and whenever time allows. I just did an episode of BlackBox TV, a Funny or Die series, more episodes of The Temp Life, a comedy series that Jessica Rose is producing, and Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes’ Elfquest fan trailer. I’m honestly having so much fun right now…I feel so blessed to be able to work with such creative people!
For a good Halloween creepout, check out Taryn in the most recent Black Box TV episode, Leave Me Alone.
Good interview.