Reality Bytes - The Series

By now you've heard about “Reality Bytes” and have watched it as it moves through pre-production. Here's something new. The producers of “Reality Bytes” are unveiling another layer to this multi-platform webisode. “Beyond Reason,” the soap behind the soap. Co-Producer Tristan Rogers announced this new layer, a writing contest, on his message board, and how fans can now take part in the fun.

This contest came about after Co-Producer Kate Lang wanted to have a way for fans to participate in the process of helping to create a show. Then she and Tristan created a way for fans to share their own ideas. She states, “There are a great many writers out there who would love a chance to write for a soap. This is a way for them to be read and share what they write with others. At the same time, they have the chance to have a scene of theirs enacted. It's a thrilling prospect for me. I thought others might enjoy the idea and take a chance with it.”

Read more: Beyond Reason: From the Pen of the Fans

Example Scene 1

INT. FITZGERALD STUDY – NIGHT

Jameson Fitzgerald sits at his desk. He picks up the phone and dials.

INT. LARSON LIVING ROOM.

Antonio Larson lounges on a chaise. A phone rings. He picks it up impatiently.

ANTONIO
Yes?

INT. FITZGERALD STUDY

JAMESON
Kyle Weston was just in my home asking me about that bimbo of yours that’s missing.

INT. LARSON L.R.

ANTONIO
She wasn’t a bimbo you pretentious bastard.

INT. FITZGERALD STUDY

JAMESON
Wasn’t? Is she dead?

INT. LARSON L.R.

ANTONIO
You just keep your mouth shut. I’m handling the situation. Just like I handled your situation.

Antonio hangs up the phone. There is a knock at the door.

EXT. LARSON MANION
John Weston stands at the door with a search warrant in his hand.

Read more: Beyond Reason: Scenes

The City of Reason, Pennsylvania, is situated along the coast of Lake Erie. It's an old-money town. Two of the oldest families of Reason still control much of what happens there. They are the Larson family and the Fitzgerald Family. The Larsons built an empire on coal and the Fitzgeralds built theirs on tankers. Neither family has escaped its share of scandal over the years.

Much of the City of Reason is middle-class, but for a mid-sized burb, Reason has a very cosmopolitan style. This is a legacy of one of the most beloved citizens of Reason, Mrs. Emily Fitzgerald. Her fine art collections brought one of Reason's most notorious citizens, Marshall McDowell into town. After stowing away on a Fitzgerald tanker, Marshall quickly swiped a lot more than Emily's art. Before leaving Reason, in handcuffs some ten years later, Marshall had stolen the hearts of most of the town.

Emotions run high in Reason. Some say it's because the old mansions off the lake are haunted. Others say it's because the warring over the control of Reason by the Larsons and the Fitzgeralds keep things always on the brink of disaster. After you've spent a little time there, though, it becomes hard to recall that there's a whole other world out there...beyond Reason.

Read more: Beyond Reason Characters

Reality Bytes is a story with multi-generational tones that offers a peek at life in front of and behind the camera, an experience that that both Ben Hogestyn and his character Jacob Kaplan share.  Soap fans have long been clamoring for multi-generational stories, and the role of Jacob will certainly play into that.  Ben came up through the ranks of daytime drama from two different perspectives.  He experienced it on one side, as the son of Drake Hogestyn (ex-John, Days of Our Lives), and he has seen it first hand, as an actor in his own right.  Ben recently shared his thoughts on daytime and the role of Jacob.

Q:     In reality, you already have a unique perspective on what it means to have a multi-generational connection to the soap world.  You were raised by Drake Hogestyn, an icon in the soap world.  How did that affect your decision to become an actor?

Read more: Ben Hogestyn Ready to Take on Jacob Kaplan