“BUT I’M CHRIS JERICHO!" is an interactive digital media property built around WWE superstar, actor, television personality, writer and musician Chris Jericho. At its center is an original comedy web series starring Chris Jericho as a fictionalized version of himself. In this tongue-in-cheek portrayal of his life, Chris is a former wrestler struggling to make it big as an actor. Despite being on top in the wrestling ring, Chris now clings to the bottom of the acting rung, and must try and contain his frustrations in the face of absurdities in the entertainment industry, as well as the ineptitude of his well-intentioned supporters. Yet despite all of this craziness, Chris Jericho only knows one speed - full throttle. Hard work and determination got him to the top of the wrestling game and he’s hell bent on doing the same in his new career. After all, he’s Chris Jericho! There are ten webisodes starring Chris Jericho on his quest for thespian greatness. There are also eleven bonus webisodes starring other characters from the series. Fans can learn acting tips from A.J. Mirkin in “The Secrets of the Mysteries of Acting Unlocked" or follow Chad’s fan vlog “The Jericho Express" or watch one of Ryan’s audition tapes. And for those fans seeking more active participation, the web series also offers an element of gamification - the #BICJ Game.Residing on butimchrisjericho.com, the #BICJ Game is interactive and keeps fans engaged. Each webisode includes a unique hash tag embedded in the script and players must watch the webisode to see it. Once that webisode’s hash tag is revealed, players use it on Twitter to create their funniest and most compelling tweets. The webisodic hash tags act as creative springboards as players compete to have their comedic tweets get the most votes on butimchrisjericho.com. The website automatically searches for the hash tags on Twitter by webisode and lists the tweets to be voted on by fans. Fans log in with their Twitter account to play the game and to vote. Points and badges are awarded according to the number of votes earned or entries submitted. Based on performance (upvotes, points earned, frequency) a player falls into a certain reputation and experience level. There is a leaderboard that resides on the website that shows a player where they stand. Ranking on the leaderboard is relative, not cumulative, so a player’s rank is displayed as a comparison to others with similar scores. In addition to the #BICJ Game, the But I’m Chris Jericho! website offers information about the series, cast and crew and includes features such as behind-the-scenes videos, bios and photos. Fans are also able to connect to various social medial channels associated with the butimchrisjericho.com community via icons located on the website.
