TORONTO — Odd Job Jack has come full circle with its Gemini Award nomination for best cross-platform project, a category that's only into its second year.
Ten years ago, when the series creators thought up the storyline of a hapless temp worker, it was to be a Sit.com — their trademarked term for an animated web sitcom with interactive elements.
They produced it for TV in 2001, though, because the Internet bubble had burst, there was no broadband network and no one saw the Sit.com as a commercially viable project at the time, says executive producer Jonas Diamond.
"Back then that was an afterthought for the broadcasters," Diamond said in a recent interview at Smiley Guy Studios in Toronto, where the show is put together.
Jack Ryder, a university grad who can’t get full-time work and does odd jobs through a temp agency, is shown in a scene from The Comedy Network’s adult animated comedy series Odd Job Jack. (The Canadian Press/The Comedy Network)
"They couldn't have really cared less about interactivity at the time."
How things have changed.
Now, the show's website, oddjobjack.com, is a big part of the brand, boasting 13,000 registered users from around the world and four-million views of its games.
What's more, the site has gained the attention of the people at the Gemini Awards, which will hand out the trophy for best cross platform project for just the second time at a gala on Oct. 16. The main Gemini Awards gala takes place Oct. 28 in Regina.
The award, say Gemini officials, "recognizes interactive projects that enhance the user's enjoyment of the television program or series through such platforms as mobile, the Web and other portable devices."
Last year, www.regenesistv.com nabbed the inaugural trophy. This year, oddjobjack.com is up against Life With Derek, season 2 podcasts; www.falconbeach.ca; www.idol4.ctv.ca; and www.tsn.ca/nhl.
Having such a category in a national television awards show validates the new-media work that is going on in this country, say the Odd Job Jack creators.
"Canada is a leader in new media I think, internationally," said Diamond.
"And interactive content is kind of a moving target too, which is another [reason] why this is a good award, maybe, because it keeps people striving to make [more]," added director-editor Adrian Carter.
Like its TV counterpart — which airs on Sundays and is also up for a Gemini for best comedy program or series — oddjobjack.com chronicles the journeys of Jack Ryder, a university grad who can't get full-time work and works odd jobs through a temp agency.
Canadian actor-filmmaker Don McKellar is the voice of Jack while numerous other celebrities — including Tom Green, James Woods and Sandra Oh — are used for guest characters, many of whom are featured on the website.
Oddjobjack.com also has games, full and shortened episodes (called mobisodes), and free master Flash files and bitmaps of the art used in the first season.
Having the creators of the TV series also working on the website is key to its success, say the producers.
"We have a great creative back-end essentially that handles both the TV show and the new-media component," said Diamond, whose brother, Jeremy, is the head writer of the series. The other key members of the Smiley Guy team are director-editor-musical composer Denny Silverthorne and illustrator David Craig.
Money, of course, also plays a pivotal role.
Oddjobjack.com is sponsored by Molson and Coors Light, and receives grants from the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund as well as the Telefilm Canada New Media Fund, two organizations that benefit the entire industry, says Diamond.
"I think that's allowed [the industry] to get a bit of a first-mover advantage in trying to position ourselves as a country that can do both TV and new media and create a nice integration between the two," he said.
"But ... it's not a business right now that makes money, per se. The TV show makes the money but the new-media aspect is really a carry-on and it's very difficult to generate revenues that actually pay for the production, whereas video games of course are hugely profitable."
Carter, Jeremy Diamond and Silverthorne conceived of the Jack storyline while studying at the Canadian Film Centre's Habitat New Media Lab in 1997.
It's ironic that the Internet bubble burst in 2000, say the creators, because it made Jack's storyline that much more relevant.
"When we started, we all came out of school, we didn't know what we were doing so it was kind of an applicable idea for us and the Internet bubble was building so everyone got jobs and everyone was making tons of money and we were like, 'Oh maybe, maybe there is no need for this kind of story any more,"' said Jeremy Diamond.
"And then it burst and everyone lost their jobs and then we were like, 'OK, we're back in
business.' Everyone's going to appreciate this story again."
