This is my story.

Arrested Development , the so-post-modern-it-hurts show that met a tragic end a few years ago, has been all the buzz at LMU. Or, it was the buzz 2 years ago. I’m just now catching up with the times. The show was canceled after 3 seasons (53 episodes!) of critical acclaim but lackluster ratings. While marathoning through the 3 seasons, elements both of the show and how I watched the show hit peculiarly close to home.

We All Know We’re Dysfunctional, But We Get Along

Everyone at Revision3 is weird, in the traditional sense. I am probably the weirdest.

Like each character on ArrDev, we each have our strange nuances, quirks and reclusive hobbies. Also like the show, it all seems to work at the end of the day. All our shows get out on time. The shows get better as they go along. And most importantly, our viewers love us (even if our ratings aren’t as high as our competitors ).

Hulu Through the Hoops

Revision3 is in the online video business. It’s a little flattering to know that our content is right next to Arrested Development on Hulu , the result of NBC and FOX dating online.

It’s also scary. Hulu is strict about which shows make the cut and get in their system. With Revision3 on Hulu, we’re no longer just a Podunk little Internet TV company. We compete with network TV.

But now comes the "through the hoops" part. Revision3 is playing on many different video-serving fields (Viddler, etc.). Please keep in mind all of this is coming from a poorly-informed intern’s perspective. NBC and FOX are pretending to play nice around the teachers (making a video website for the content) but are being bullies when it comes to playing with their peers (other companies producing content). Although Revision3 is on Hulu, you would probably never know unless you went looking for it. Revision3 content doesn’t stand a chance (currently) against Family Guy clips and the featured section seems to be quite incestuous.

Growing Older is Just the Persistent Lowering of Standards

I watched all of Arrested Development on Hulu. Part of the reason why I love Revision3 so much is the integrated sponsor messages in the programming. I know that production costs must be absorbed through some form of advertising.

And that’s what made Hulu so annoying at first. The forced undirected, heavy-handed advertisements every 7 minutes almost killed the entire experience. But the brilliance of Arrested Development kept me motoring through the advertisements. Now, I don’t mind the advertisements.

That’s great for me, because I stay sane. That’s probably bad for the advertisers though. I couldn’t tell you more than 1 company that advertised on Hulu. I start checking email and Twitter during commercial breaks. Props to Hulu for making me ambivalent to lame commercials. Your advertisers, unfortunately, won’t be getting any business from me, though.

This might just be the fanboy in me, but I’ve already sunk a few hundred into GoDaddy products for side-projects, all because of Revision3. Our loyal viewers say they like our way of making money and I agree. I guess we willll see if it works out in the coming years…

I have a secret and for a while, I’ve been embarrassed to admit it. My Facebook profile is missing a piece, my Twitter account has yet to comment and at every mention of New York (a city I’ve never even visited before) I have to bite my tongue to avoid divulging this personal bit.

I watch Gossip Girl. And I like it.

I find myself rationalizing this immature fondness much more than my pretentious coffee hobby, my iPhone ownership or even my brief “Toxic” obsession. But in my Gossip Girl rationalizations, a pattern has emerged: I’m convinced that the show is actually good. So, here I am, sharing a testament to its wisdom.

A lot has changed since episode 13, but for a while, there was a strict pecking order separating middle-class Jenny and moneyed-up Blair. Blair was atop a social group that Jenny was eager to join. Jenny would do anything to fit in, but it was usually these little demeaning favors: grabbing some coffee, dropping off library books, making ice cream sundaes for the director… wait a minute – that’s not from Gossip Girl! That’s from my one-month stint as a Production Assistant! What is happening? Have we entered televisionland?

I spent this May in Prague, working as a Production Assistant (PA) on the new GI Joe movie which comes out in about a year. As I caught up on my Gossip Girl viewing, I realized the parallels between the underhanded relationship in the show and the ones I was building on the set of GI Joe. But it’s much more insidious – it was for Jenny also. Everyone grins and bears it because it’s the standard for entry-level work, and most of the crew approves. It’s “paying your dues.” It’s the we-all-had-to-do-it-too story. Indeed, these are the same excuses for making a bunch of freshmen run through the Tenderloin late at night after guzzling a bottle of laxative. And it wasn’t until Jenny actually called it “hazing” – she actually said the word “hazing” in the show – and that’s when I realized what I was doing.

But being a PA isn’t exactly the same as earning your place on the football team. As a PA, you are getting paid and you are trying to get access to an incredibly exclusive industry. It’s a way of developing and demonstrating your work ethic. So, there’s nothing really wrong with it. You just get to prove your passionate commitment to… making lattes.

Don’t get me wrong – I met some incredible people in Prague – some who disagree with the “hazing” tendency of PA work, some who don’t. I’d even consider returning to the PA life for its stress-threshold-increasing virtues, but for now, it’s not for me.

That’s why I love interning at Revision3. It’s a collaborative methodology with a positive atmosphere. I might make a few photocopies while I’m here, but at least they’ll serve a purpose beyond showing my loyalty to Blair.