Aussie business grows from a stranded NZ whale
Australian animators who invested $A16 ($NZ21) on their YouTube comedy, Beached Az, have built the little -- but hugely popular -- video into a big business.
Australian animators who invested $A16 ($NZ21) on their YouTube comedy, Beached Az, have built the little -- but hugely popular -- video into a big business.
Sydney friends Anthony MacFarlane, Jarod Green and Nick Boshier, all 29, mercilessly lampooned the New Zealand accent in their piece about a whale who meets a curious sea gull, a nudist slug and a break-dancing crab after becoming stranded on a beach on this side of the Tasman.
The clip racked up over six million hits, and spawned more than 20 episodes, a clothing range, an iPhone app and game and television distribution deal, News Ltd website news.com.au reported.
None of the three had crossed the Ditch, but their exaggerated "beached ez bro" Kiwi accents went viral.
"We started looking at ways of making some cash off these people who were watching it, engaging with it and passing it on," MacFarlane said.
The trio decided to put their characters on t-shirts, cups and boxer shorts using an online service to create the merchandise. Women's clothing retailer Supre then sold $A1.4 million ($NZ1.83m) worth of Beached Az t-shirts, creating its first men's range in the process.
"It was incredible to watch it explode," MacFarlane said. "That's when we went to the ABC and took it to the next level."
They have aired 21 more one-minute episodes on the ABC and the complete collection will be sold on DVD next month.
Greenpeace and a production company in New Zealand for local The Apprentice reality TV show asked to use the Beached Az brand, and MacFarlane said they continued receiving offers from advertising companies.
The next 10 episodes will use more advanced 3D software and take about four months to complete.
NZPA
Tue, 26 Oct 2010
Tue, 26 Oct 2010
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Aussie business grows from a stranded NZ whale
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