Hollywood Tapped for Original Xbox Live Videos

Hoping to expand the offerings of the online Xbox Live Video Marketplace, console manufacturer Microsoft has tapped Hollywood producer Peter Safran to create a series of original shorts that will debut exclusively on the service.

Launched in late 2006, the Xbox Live Video Marketplace allows Xbox 360 owners to download films and television shows, usually for a fee. The scripted shorts will mark the service's first original production as well as the first original dedicated series to be created for and distributed by a video game console.

"We definitely look at this as the first of many," global Xbox Live marketing manager Scott Nocas told The New York Times.

The content will be targeted towards the male-centric 14-to-34 Xbox 360-owning demographic. It is is expected to begin arriving this fall, with Safran's Safran Company hoping to enlist other Hollywood veterans, though not A-list stars, in the production process.

Founded by Safran, who served as a producer on Meet the Spartans and as an executive producer on My Baby's Daddy, the Safran Company operates in several fields, including talent representation and digital production.

While the content will debut on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, Safran noted that the shows may eventually appear elsewhere.