The Digits is an interactive “Appisode”, that involves a trio of lovable live action characters who travel the galaxy fighting evil. Iseri’s mission with The Digits is two-fold in helping 7-to-13 year olds love math and to feel good about their intelligence.
The Oregon Governor’s Office of Film and Television has overseen production rebates for such high profile series as Leverage, Portlandia and Grimm. The state’s recognition of Iseri’s work underscores the project’s potential to boost the local economy through hiring local talent, creating elaborate scenery, props and buying other goods and services to produce The Digits.
Vince Porter, executive director of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film and Television echoes the relevance of supporting new media. “We’re very interested in Next Generation storytelling,” he said. “We’re proud to support an ambitious project like The Digits as an example of new entertainment business models that can have a positive effect on the way children learn. The fact that it’s happening here in Portland is incredibly exciting.”
Iseri, a native Oregonian, couldn’t be happier with the news from the state film office. In 2009, Iseri gained global web fame with
Scotty Got an Office Job, a comedic web series that chronicled the absurdities of working in cubicles and with officemates. The series ran for 3 seasons, the 3
rd being sponsored by Klick, an international marketing company based in Sydney. The viral success caught the eye of tech writer Liz Shannon Miller, who called Scotty “an inspiration” for freelancers worldwide, which was picked up on GigaOm and then the NY Times.
Now back in his home state of Oregon, Scotty no longer has an office job but a startup, and he founded The FUNDA Organization LLC as the parent company of upcoming projects like The Digits.
“It feels like Oregon’s Film and TV office has given The Digits wings and we’re ready for take-off,” said Iseri. “After securing funding from investors this recognition at home is a huge impetus for us. We’re proud to be an Oregon based company, and can’t wait to show off what we’ve been working on. The support of the state is fantastic and shows that new media business models can be a part of the traditional entertainment industry. Filming begins in Portland next month!”
The Digits refer to the three intergalactic space characters, in a rock band, comprised of female-lead Pavi, Gorgolax, an alien drummer and Ray Ray, a loyal cyborg on the keyboards. They’re out to stop the evil Marvwell Doomfinger whose mission is to use music to make the galaxy stupider. The interactive show is a first-of-its-kind project combining live action video designed for touch screen tablets like the iPad and the Kindle Fire, which allows children to control the outcome of the story, and learn important math skills on the way.
The Digits is aimed at older elementary school students, where research shows math comprehension begins to trail off. Other subjects then take the forefront in young people’s lives until middle school, but more often than that, they may have gotten the message that they lack math skills, that math is not fun, or that they’re simply not good at it. The Digits, in Iseri’s words, seeks to give parents a cool “booster rocket to middle school” in getting children to love math.
Last week, web series creator Scotty Iseri received some good news on the startup venture he’s bringing into existence in September 2012; The 
great job Scottie!!