2012 Writers Guild Award Nominee

Official Selection, Cologne Conference 2010 - Cologne, Germany

Nominee, Best Web Serial, Best of Clicker 2010

Best of Lists: The Guardian, LA Times, Clicker, Bostinnovation, Boston Globe, Fast Company, YouTube

International Press: Turkey, Germany, UK

"The best of the straight-ahead dramas (on the web)" Los Angeles Times

"Made for grown-ups in a grown-up way." Los Angeles Times

"One of the 25 Web Shows You Need to See." Guardian, UK

"A touching dramedy." Fast Company

"Touching... darkly funny." Boston Globe

"A fresh and strong voice." New TeeVee

"Downsized represents an upgrade in episodic drama." New TeeVee

"Think HBO's Hung meets Up in the Air, only worthy of the hype." Daytime Confidential

"Downsized has succeeded in giving relevant drama a home on the web." Tubefilter

"An adept ensemble cast with no real weaknesses." Tubefilter

"Some of the most thoughtful visual compositions you'll see in any web series." Tubefilter

"Believable writing." Tubefilter

"Downsized is beautifully crafted and shot as well as perfectly acted." Visioweb.TV

"In these times, Downsized is right on the mark." Visioweb.TV

"Tales of economic woe inspired by the Great Recession." New TeeVee

 *

It's safe to say, along with most Americans, I've had a lot on my mind lately. Having known several people who had been downsized due to the economic crisis, usually the stories I would hear about their situations were so odd that they almost felt satirical, despite the fact that they were absolutely real. I wanted to find a way to make this odd economic crisis enjoyable-- a way to memorialize what it was like to live through it. I came up with a few storylines-- touching on corporate life, suburban life, and the scramblers in between, and ranging in mood from satire to drama. I called it "Downsized."

I hope you enjoy.

Daryn

Daryn Strauss, Director and Writer

(photography by Meredith Zinner)

A 2012 Writers Guild Award nominee, Daryn Strauss has been profiled by Clicker, Hollywood Reporter, Web Series Network, Script Magazine and in the book Creative Girl by Katharine Sise. In 2010, she launched Digital Chick TV (www.digitalchicktv.com), a one-stop-shop for finding female friendly video online. She has written guest episodes for various online series including The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and made a guest appearance in award-winning Then We Got HELP! She was also a writer/producer for the Digitas NewFront in 2012.