Ahead of the third edition of Melbourne WebFest, we are profiling all the official selections that will be screening 10-12 July at Deakin Edge. 

Their songs cover unusual topics like pedophiles, menstruation, mothers who poison their kids and where babies come from.

Now in its fourth season, Dorothy Wallace, creator of Meet The Lady Bugs, talks to us about the process and direction of a show that uses comedy and laughter to make difficult subjects easier to digest.

Meet the Ladybugs is now in its fourth season. Has the idea transformed since its conception or does it closely reflect the original idea?
The series was originally written as a television show.  The pilot and second episode were broken out into shorter webisodes to create Seasons 1 through 3.  Season four is different because the episodes were intentionally written as a web series.

As a content creator, where to you go to find information about other film makers and web series
Participating in Web Series Festivals has been a wonderful way to meet other nutty creative people like me.

What do you want audiences to take away from your series?
Ideally, I’d like kids to see it and learn about things no one wants to talk to them about.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome making this series?
I had to learn animation, music production and film editing.  It took about two years.

In what ways do you utilise social media to further your brand?
I share any news about the series on Facebook and Twitter and also send emails to fans of The LadyBugs.

What is your favourite thing about making web series? 
I love having an outlet for my creativity as a songwriter, musician and comedy writer.

I don’t do it for a living, so it means a lot to me that the web series world appreciates what I am doing.

How many people worked on this project?
I pretty much do everything myself.  However, I’ve hired very talented voice actors to perform some of the characters.

Have you achieved the goals you set for this series?
My ultimate goal is for The LadyBugs to be ambassadors for kids in troubled homes or high-risk situations.  I haven’t achieved that yet.

In your blog you mention that over the past few years you’ve had the good fortune to meet some very talented writers, producers and directors. Is there any one in particular that you feel has had a significant influence in your professional or personal life?
Teri Carson, Danielle Earle, Andrew Neilson, Tony Clomax, Lorraine Portman and Amanda Cole are some of the talented people I’ve met since creating The LadyBugs.  Every time I see their work or hear about what they are doing it inspires me to keep going.

Meet The LadyBugs on the web:

Watch Meet The LadyBugs
Meet The LadyBugs on Facebook
Meet The LadyBugs on Twitter @MeetTheLadyBugs | @DorothyWallace

Keep up to date with Melbourne WebFest on twitter: @MelbWebFest.

La Trobe University is Melbourne WebFest’s exclusive learning partner.