Haven plus Twitter. For me, it’s like chocolate plus peanut butter. Heaven. Starting with this Friday’s episode, one of the stories on Haven will be played out on Twitter, with references during the episode. And not just for one episode; this story will have a 7-week arc. No show has ever incorporated Twitter to this extent before.
To follow the story on Twitter you’ll need to be following @VinceHaven, @DaveHaven, and @ColdInHaven and/or use the hashtag #HavenNews – Vince and Dave, after all, are the brothers who run the local paper the Haven Herald. In the alternative, you can follow the special page they’ve set up on the show’s site – http://www.syfy.com/haven/havennews
Here are all the deets:
SYFY’S HAVEN SERIES WILL LAUNCH UNPRECEDENTED FULLY INTEGRATED TWITTER STORY LINE BEGINNING FRIDAY, AUGUST 12
NEW YORK – August 10, 2011 – Syfy’s popular series Haven will become the first television series to create a storyline that flows between the show itself and the micro-blogging service Twitter when it launches a special seven-episode arc beginning Friday, August 12, at 10PM (ET/PT).
“The Haven writers and producers have done an amazing job of crafting a story line that seamlessly moves between the TV show and Twitter,” said Craig Engler, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Syfy Digital. “Although there have been simple integrations before, no one has fully and organically integrated Twitter into the fabric of the show in the way Haven is doing. If you watch Haven and use Twitter, you’re in for a real treat.”
In the story, Vince (Richard Donat) and Dave (John Dunsworth), who run the newspaper in Haven, join Twitter as newcomers to the medium. Viewers who follow their characters (@VinceHaven, @DaveHaven) will see them interact with a mysterious Twitter user (@ColdInHaven) who knows more about Haven – and Vince and Dave – than anyone should.
Said Executive Producer Lloyd Segan: “Although Twitter has been featured in TV shows before, this is the first time a storyline from a television series has been fully integrated with the popular online service. The story has been created in such a way that viewers who don’t follow the Twitter plot can still enjoy the show. For those that do, there will be a special meaning to events in Haven during these seven episodes.”
As the special plot unfolds on Twitter, viewers will catch glimpses of it in the show itself, where they’ll be directed to follow the Twitter conversation through special promos. The outcome to the Twitter story will be revealed in the second-season finale on Friday, September 30.
“Twitter has become the default platform for TV fans to talk, in real-time, about the shows they love,” said Robin Sloan, manager of media partnerships at Twitter. “Syfy has embraced that conversation, and now it’s breaking new ground with this Haven storyline. It incorporates Twitter more deeply into the show’s plot than anything we’ve ever seen before.”
Viewers can follow the story on Twitter with the hashtag #HavenNews as well as on www.syfy.com/haven.
Syfy and Twitter will be working together during the seven-week event to measure viewer engagement around the Haven Twitter storyline. The findings will be shared in an online case study, with best practices for any network to use when integrating Twitter directly into a storyline.
Now in its second season, Haven, starring Emily Rose, is based on The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. The series follows FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose), who takes up residence in the small town of Haven, Maine, and soon discovers the town’s many secrets.
A longtime refuge for people with an eclectic range of supernatural abilities, Haven also holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of Audrey’s lost past. Among the townspeople are Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), a handsome local cop with his own supernatural affliction, and Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour), a smuggler and reluctant aide in solving Haven’s troubles.
I am SO IN. Haven is one of my top five current shows, and Twitter is how I spend most of my time; it’s like this was MADE for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Tweet this one up, my friends, and make sure to use the #HavenNews hashtag.
Haven airs Fridays at 10/9c on Syfy.
