Fans Fund the Fate of Chill's First Original Series

Pay to play. That's the angle Chill is taking with its first original series, Vigilante Diaries.

The social video discovery site, which has venture funding in part from Kleiner Perkins and William Morris Endeavor, is betting its audience will like its new offering enough that they'll literally bankroll the first-person-shooter-themed show, which stars Jay Mewes of Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob fame

The twist: This is not crowdfunding. Rather, it's episodic funding, and the fate of the show rests in the hands of fans, who will vote with their dollars. The first two episodes will be released online for $5. From there, Chill is depending on viewers funding the show's planned 10-episode run, with a goal of $50,000 in sales. If it hits that number in 30 days, the creators will make two more episodes, with the process continuing as long as fans watch and support the show financially. And it'll all be done online via a dedicated site offering real time stats on how much money has been raised.