When nerds, creativity and determination collide, you get entertainment like Door Monster. The charming group creates weekly comedy sketches on geeky topics like Marvel superheroes and “Dungeons & Dragons,” which they post on YouTube as well as on their own website. You can feel the love put into the making of every video, and now they’ve decided to go big — they’re making their own TV show.
Door Monster has pushed against the struggle of finding funding for their content for a while. The comedy group’s early videos had comparatively poor quality, not because of bad content (in fact, they rock), but because of low-budget production. They filmed a web series totaling an hour, “The Guards Themselves,” for an incredibly low $5,000.
Through the support of fans, Door Monster has now raised almost $150,000 to start their most epic and ambitious project ever.
What is “Skyvault”?
The working title of the series is “Skyvault,” which will be about a fantasy adventure about three people who go looking for greater purpose among the stars, which are all based on Texas geography. They’re given the ability go to any world they want, but only if they obey a mysterious group that gives them commands.
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The writers have described the show as a mix of “Indiana Jones,” “Firefly” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Throwing down three incredibly popular names like these knocks expectations for “Skyvault” through the roof, and if their cleverly written sketches indicate what the show will be like, then they have the potential to really pull it off.
What will it cost?
As much as $150,000 sounds like, for an entire 12-episode comedy it’s barely enough; it’s like getting plain vanilla ice cream when you really wanted a hot fudge sundae. But the production company has cleverly allocated its funds toward one big, higher-quality pilot episode. Their plan is to pitch the pilot to Netflix and hopefully get picked up, which would grant them the funds to continue making sundaes with the series.
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It’s a pretty big risk to put $150,000 worth of eggs in one basket. But with more than 10 years of experience operating on a minimal budget, Door Monster has the skills to make it happen, not to mention all the heart.
What happens if it doesn’t work out?
Door Monster has promised that even if they don’t get picked up, they’ll still make the series. It might take longer, and it will definitely be lower-budget, but they’ve agreed to pursue their creative agenda no matter what. Every fan who donated to the Kickstarter has been promised a free download of the finished product, no matter what it looks like. Now that’s determination at its most honorable.
If Netflix doesn’t pick “Skyvault” up, Door Monster plans to look at other streaming sites and YouTube channels that might want to partner with them to make the series happen. They’re still working on the pilot; they finished casting, but there’s plenty more to do before they’re ready to go knocking on doors.
What does Monster Energy have to do with it?
To be honest, Monster Energy really should be keeping its nose out of Door Monster’s business.
Monster Energy has decided to fight Door Monster as they pursue legally trademarking their name. Considering Monster’s painfully sweet beverages have nothing to do with doors or nerdy videos, Monster’s legal action is clearly petty and useless.
Door Monster got its name from the Halloween setup of one of its creators, Kyle Sullivan. When trick-or-treaters come to his house for candy, they find what looks like an enormous monster behind a set of large, castle-like doors. Pure, funny and clever, this little trick became a memorable treat for neighborhood kids over the years.
And Monster doesn’t want them to have that name. Monster Energy is known for being one of the biggest trademark bullies out there, claiming trademark infringement against any small business with a title even related to the word “monster.” Not only does this take up time and energy that Door Monster could be spending on their awesome projects, but the lawsuit will also cost thousands of dollars from their fan-donated budget just to keep the name.
Classy move, Monster Energy. Door Monster followers don’t appreciate your effort.
Door Monster has worked hard to produce quality content for years, and it’s finally time for them to step into the spotlight. Along with “Skyvault,” Door Monster is also continuing an old college film project, “The Guards Themselves,” this time with better equipment.
With so many new adventures in the making, the future looks bright for Door Monster. If the group gets the funding they need from producers, along with the continued support of their dedicated fans, some high-quality content will be coming soon, and hopefully on a larger platform than they currently have. Even if they don’t make it to Netflix, they’ve promised to continue creating just because they’re passionate about their work, and if that’s not inspiring, then I don’t know what is.
