ABSTRACT
In their bid to break into Hollywood, independent television creators replicate but also break away from industry practices, ethics and logics, forging distinct models and narratives of success. I call this activity “off the line” for the ways in which creative workers blur the boundaries between creative and technical labor, ownership and execution, tradition and innovation or improvisation. This chapter uses the case study of Scott Zakarin to explore how an independent production and open distribution promoted creativity and innovation off the line. Known to some as an original innovator of the “web series” for the early sale of The Spot to NBC in the mid-1990s, Zakarin fostered innovation in the production and release of serial stories but his work also raised questions about its effect on workers and the ethics of developing flexible storytelling practices for profit.
