14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube's fictional character Lonelygirl15 that gathered millions of fans from all over the world is now stepping into the online competition with a new website, namely EQAL, which brings new technology to its users: a social entertainment service. Moreover, it seems like the producers are preparing a new show, scheduled to be released next week, but there's only a few details about it. According to TechCrunch, the company has managed to raise $5 million "in Series A from Spark Capital and individuals such as Conrad Riggs, Ron Conway, Marc Andreesen, and Georges Harik."
The same source informs that the next video series prepared by the company will be all hosted at the main Lonelygirl15 website, probably due to its popularity and ability to promote new content.
"EQAL plans to produce different versions of its shows for different countries, all of which will be distributed through LG15.com. These shows will contain occasional nods and references to each other, and their plots may even cross over at times," Mark Hendrickson of TechCrunch wrote.
"It's an exciting time for online entertainment. There are a slew of independent producers, digital studios, and social media companies sprouting up, not to mention the fact that traditional media isn't exactly ignoring this whole 'internets' thing. We've always wanted to stay independent and produce interactive shows that we could put our hearts and souls into, and sometime last fall we realized that raising money would give us the ability to remain independent and produce amazing shows on our terms," the EQAL team wrote on their newly-launched website.
Although they have just launched a new website and service, the group behind Lonelygirl15 will continue to product both Lonelygirl15 and KateModern videos so, in case you're a fan, check out their website for new releases.