Content (web series)

Content
Company type	Web series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2019
Headquarters	Brisbane, Australia
Products	Comedy web series
Parent	Ludo Studio

Content is a 2019 Australian comedy web series created by Ludo Studio based in Brisbane, Queensland, and produced for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It holds the distinction of being the first scripted comedy specifically crafted for vertical video consumption on smartphone devices. The series features Charlotte Nicdao portraying Lucy Goosey, a 23-year-old hopeful influencer, alongside Gemma Bird Matheson as her sensible companion Daisy Laing.

The initial episode depicts Lucy overturning her car while live-streaming, which earns her the moniker #Flipgirl. This viral moment ignites her ambition for digital stardom, although her early attempts falter. After trying out multiple video styles, Lucy eventually attains genuine fame but at the cost of her relationship with Daisy. The concluding episode centers on Lucy’s public apology and Daisy’s cautious effort to reconnect.

A segment of the crash shared on Facebook was widely mistaken as authentic and went viral, amassing 1.2 million views on Twitter. The series was met with predominantly favorable critiques.

Plot

After graduating, Lucy Goosey experiences a car crash during a Facebook live broadcast, propelling her into a quest for online popularity. To leverage the crash's viral success, she experiments with live streams featuring mukbangs, yoga sessions, and bushwalking adventures. When her Instagram account is hacked—revealing private messages and an embarrassing photo—Daisy suffers a setback by losing a job promotion.

Lucy’s unsuccessful makeup tutorial culminates in a viral tirade against internet beauty influencers, which ultimately secures her Instagram verification and advances her influencer career. Her decision to attend an influencer party instead of Daisy’s graduation causes tension between the friends. In the finale, Lucy issues a public apology on YouTube; Daisy watches but only briefly attempts to reach out before pulling away.

Writing and production

Content was penned by Anne Barnes and produced by Ludo Studio for ABC. Executive producer and director Daley Pearson originally planned a comedy centered on a 19-year-old life coach but shifted focus to portray an average individual suddenly thrust into online fame.

Executive producer Que Minh Luu proposed creating a series tailored solely for smartphones, an idea embraced by ABC following prototype development through its Content Innovation Lab. Writer Barnes developed extensive supplementary material—including comments, tweets, and texts—to construct an immersive digital storyline.

The project underwent two years of development before Screen Queensland and Screen Australia joined ABC in funding after Ludo produced sample footage. The majority of smartphone interface animations were created by Canadian collective Shy Kids, ensuring an authentic representation of mobile phone use among young adults.

The car accident in episode one was filmed at a stunt facility using practical effects enhanced with digital techniques to realistically simulate the crash.

Going viral

Shortly after Content’’ premiered, Ludo co-founder Daley Pearson promoted it on Reddit. Concurrently, another Reddit user shared images from the show. On Twitter, user @ArsonArtist posted the crash clip captioned: "Don't stream and drive, thot," which garnered approximately 500,000 views. Many viewers believed the incident was real and criticized Lucy’s driving skills. Actress Charlotte Nicdao acknowledged the viral response with the tweet: "DAISY IM VIRAL".

Critical reviews

Jini Maxwell from Screenhub Australia awarded Content a rating of three and a half stars out of five. Watching the series on a smartphone, Maxwell described the experience as "immersive" and mentioned a "moment of panic" during Lucy's initial FaceTime interaction. The authenticity of the text messages was commended as evidence of strong scriptwriting. On the other hand, Maxwell criticized the show's tone for being "judgemental," depicting Lucy as "the ultimate millennial joke," and expressed disappointment that such a groundbreaking format was "squandered on a condescending sentiment." She concluded by expressing a wish for the series to "dare to bore me a little more."

Caitlin Welsh of Mashable characterized Lucy as "somewhat irritating and occasionally one-dimensional," yet applauded the chemistry between Nicdao and Bird Matheson, which was explored inventively without disrupting the show's premise. Welsh emphasized the series' deliberate choice not to cater to viewers unfamiliar with social media, a decision that increased its authenticity. She described it as "an unexpectedly coherent blend of a traditional TV show and peering over someone's shoulder at their phone," effectively illustrating how genuine relationships and lives are constructed and unravel through digital screens.

Bridget McManus from the Sydney Morning Herald also gave the series three and a half stars, referring to it as "a clever leap into the future" that should both "frighten – and possibly annoy – anyone older than 30."

Awards

Content received the 2020 Rose d'Or award in the category of Social Media and Video Series.

External links