YOUTUBE CASE
My second degree is in Film (FGV, '19), and I've always wanted to create something in the field. My former intern is an actress, and one day we decided to join forces. I would write, and she would act. And that's more or less how MADU was born.
What was done?
When we made the final decision to produce something, the first question was: what? That’s when I was introduced to the world of web series, which was completely unfamiliar to me at the time.
That's when I realized:
LGBTQIA+ content had an
underserved audience
The reason is very simple: traditional media offers a tiny percentage of productions that represent, portray, or engage with the LGBTQIA+ community.
So, there was an opportunity there
After all, all the productions I played had similar characteristics. Some were bigger productions than others, but basically had the same vibe and the same plot. I wanted to do something different.
MADU is a sitcom: it has drama,
but it is much lighter
The idea was to make the stories and characters more realistic, with an everyday feel, and most importantly: that everyone would feel comfortable watching together: people belonging to the acronym and not.
I wrote the entire series in practically one day. When I put out the call for actors, I got over 80 applications. I auditioned over 12. I didn't have a dime, but what I spent was taken out of my own pocket. I had no support.
I had a lot of trouble, but the result...
Between 05/13/2020 and 06/24/2020, MADU exhibition period
We reached more than 50 countries, I had to translate subtitles into Spanish in a hurry to meet demand. We even reached countries where it is forbidden to belong to the acronym, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, Pakistan and more.
Over 4,500 subscribers in one month
No ads, no boost. Just Content!
The public approval rating reached 99% (there's always that 1%), even with several flaws of an amateur production.
From R$0 to USD
In addition to the numbers, MADU also brought another surprise: we signed contracts with content distributors, and also with a platform that teaches languages through web series. They rented MADU for two years.
Second season coming soon!
With a little more money in my pocket, I was able to develop a better season. It has already been recorded, but is in the editing process and will then go through the post-production process. It will be on YouTube soon!