Website Overhaul Complete! What's New and What's Ahead!

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; February 3, 2020)

     Who knew this would be so quick? Our recently-announced website overhaul is complete way ahead of schedule! Let's take a look at what's new, what's coming up, and more!

New Website Features!

     Earlier this month, we announced that our official website would be overhauled to become more like a streaming service, just with a larger variety of content, including books, comics, and more. Well, we glad to announce that this overhaul is complete! We've cleaned up everything visually, and unified that website's look, among other things! Here's everything new and worth checking out.

• Every page regarding an individual product of ours has been updated with a dark blue column to fix all legibility issues. The trailers were lumped under "Extras" and the actual film itself (if it is a film) can now be accessed via an all-new "Play Movie" button.
• All of these pages also have a new section titled "Suggested." This section contains links to pages regarding content that you might like if you enjoyed that page's content.
• On the navigation pages, all of the buttons have been converted to banners, so that they all have a unified look. Any films that were inaccessible before due to the lack of a poster are now accessible via that film's banner. All of these pages are also now arranged alphabetically.
• Pages for shows have been overhauled to make navigating episodes easier! Each season of a show is now an easy-to-navigate gallery, with each episode being that episode's thumbnail. Clicking the arrow next to Next or Previous will allow you to see more episodes.
• The home page is now even bigger! If you scroll past "About Us," you will find an "Explore" section, which allows you to browse most of our library of content, organized based on popular categories. At the bottom is a selection of popular works of ours, selected based on YouTube view counts and audience reception.

With these changes, navigating our website will be even easier than before, so take a look for yourself by clicking on the link! (CLICK HERE) But that's not all!

We're Still Working on our Web Experience!

     Our website may have a lot of new changes to it, but we're only getting started! Throughout the year (starting in March), we're going to implement more changes, including the following.

• Every page regarding an individual product of ours will be updated to begin with important information regarding the content in question, including running time, genre, MPAA rating, and more.
• The current banner for Alms Pouch is only temporary. A new banner will debut later this year.
• Banners for all of our upcoming content will be added later this year.
• If reception towards our older content increases, more older content may be re-released specifically for the website.
• Episodes of Backstage Showcase will be added to the pages for content that those episodes pertain to. The page for Backstage Showcase will remain unchanged.
• The auditions will be overhauled, including the previously-announced reopening of certain roles and updating of character designs. The pages (technology-permitting) will also be enhanced to allow for a more seamless auditioning experience.

As mentioned before, these changes will begin to be implemented in March and will continue throughout the year, though a different kind of change recently did take place.

An Update on COPPA and Our Resolutions

     Just like our website, our entire network is still a work-in-progress as we fine-tune everything to make things work best for our audience. However, in light of the recent COPPA ruling, we did find ourselves in hot water recently. Apparently, a member of our Information/Technology department marked Forest of Fear as "Safe for Kids," which kind of makes sense...until Mark Matthew found out that a film with an explicit reference to Playboy Magazine was being marketed towards kids. After firing said employee (along with a tour guide for eating one of the secretary's mints), CEO Mark Matthew decided that, in order to prevent this from happening again, the entire YouTube Channel will be marked as "Not for Kids," along with the music channel. "We make a wide variety of content for all ages," said the CEO of LEGO Studios, "but sometimes, some people just don't get the idea that we have films for a very mature audience. I personally made sure that the Johnny Thunder Saga was marked as 'Not for Kids' because I didn't want a parent to scold their child for watching a film where someone's head blows up, yet we have people who think that this is funny. We already have too much to worry about with the new studio. I don't want something else to get in the way as well." This change has already gone into effect.

Ground-Breaking on the New Studio!

     Speaking of the new studio, the facility has just broken ground, with construction crews already on site to dig the foundations for the new structures. "This is a momentous occasion for us," said Mark Matthew at the ground-breaking ceremony. "At the end of this year, LEGO's iconic Steven Spielberg Movie Maker Set turns 20 years old, so this studio will pay tribute to that icon of LEGO at the turn of the millennium, as well as give us the flexible filming space that we need. The two sound stages that will be located on this site will allow us to create even more engaging indoor environments for filming, and our facilities will ensure that our entire cast and crew remains happy." The new studio is expected to open by the end of the year. Until that happens, there is something else worth looking forward to.

More "Pharaoh's Quest" Excitement!
     That's right! Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra is almost here! We're entering the last month of production, with only one set left for filming! We're so excited, we can't help but share a screenshot from some recent filming!

As you can see, we're all done filming outside the Scorpion Pyramid, where the film's finale takes place. However, this is the last screenshot that we can share. Due to the nature of the interior sets, they are operating on a strict closed set policy. No photographs of those sets can be distributed until after the film has been released.

Other Things Worth Mentioning

     With all of this going on, it's also worth mentioning all of the smaller changes that we will be making throughout the spring. First, in tandem with the additions to the website, the rest of the network will be updated to match the new visual look for the website. We want our network to be as visually seamless as possible, so updating the wiki and press room to match the website's new look only makes sense. We are also reviewing our interactive content, since the removal of annotations on YouTube have made The Lost Ruby: An Interactive Adventure and Shady Acres Super Sleuth unplayable, as well as makes the original cut of Late for the Soccer Match unwatchable. However, to better assess the situation, we will make those films and games hidden only and experiment to see if we can get them working again. If not, here's a breakdown of what we will do.

• The original cut of Late for the Soccer Match will be removed completely, as the special edition already exists.
• Mystery at Shady Acres will be edited online to remove all references to the game and Shady Acres Super Sleuth will be "turned off" before being completely removed. The Lost Ruby will change form to remain available online, then will have its YouTube version removed.

These changes will begin to take effect in March, around the time we move ahead with more website changes and continuing to review Project U.

Before we wrap up, we wanted to share our brand-new classic logo, which has a much more professional polish to it! From now on, this will be the new classic logo used for branding purposes and will be rolled out across our network throughout the year. We also have a new, post-Digital Decade front end logo for our films that will debut with the release of Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra. Stay tuned!

Lead Out
     With our re-structuring and new content, 2020 is going to be a big year for us! Check back as we announce and reveal new and upcoming content!