Women who take their shopping very 'Srsly'

NOT long ago the actress Danielle Gibson had her first real getting-recognized moment. She was on her way out of the Madewell fashion outpost in SoHo when a woman stopped her. "She said, 'Excuse me, are you in the 'Srsly' videos?' " Ms. Gibson recalled. "I said 'Yes, that's me. I'm sorry I look disgusting. But fun fact we filmed a video in this store.' And she was like, 'Oh, I know.' "

It was a full-circle moment for Ms. Gibson, who along with Alexandra Fiber produces and stars in the comedy Web series "Srsly," (pronounced "seriously") an anthology of videos on urban-girl moments. The video shot in the Madewell store that Ms. Gibson was in that day starred the stand-up comic Emmy Blotnick as a shopper unsure about buying a dress, with Ms. Gibson and Ms. Fiber as her vaguely supportive friends. It was shot in high-definition, using Madewell's stripe-curtained dressing rooms, and when the young women posted the video "Fitting Room" on their blog at srslytheshow.com, they included a link to the hot-pink silk dress Ms. Blotnick wore.

Any viewers outside of the "Srsly" faithful might feel their product-placement antennas spring up at this collaboration. But Ms. Gibson and Ms. Fiber, both 24, have never been compensated by the many brands they've mentioned in their videos, which pay homage to experiences like dealing with haughty boutique sales clerks and feeling polish indecision at the nail salon. They simply consider their tastes, which first bonded them as seniors at New York University - both love Burberry trenches, Breton striped shirts and the coffee shop Everyman Espresso to be as much a part of their comedy as the comedy itself.

"We knew we wanted our videos to be funny," Ms. Gibson said over lunch at Morandi in the West Village. "But we also wanted them to be girlie."

The products and places name-checked in their videos are always those to which they are giddily devoted off screen, and the sincerity of their excitement shows. "I just got a candle from Le Labo, and it's changing my life," Ms. Fiber said.

A video called "Credit Card" in which a customer-service rep runs a litany of charges by Ms. Gibson for verification unfolds mostly as a list of brands. But each one seemed to fit seamlessly into the image that they have built young, posh, cultured, fashionable and there was a good reason. "We just brought up our accounts," Ms. Fiber said, "and wrote down what we'd bought recently."

Such shout-outs have led to valuable opportunities for them, if not direct payment. The car service Uber approached the women about a collaboration, later agreeing to provide gift certificates for a raffle at a recent "Srsly" show that offered premieres of videos and stand-up acts by guest stars in the videos. But the two women are rigorous about maintaining authenticity: they turned down advances from a men's athletic gear brand as well as the racy photo blog MeInMyPlace.com.

When Ms. Fiber received an out-of-the-blue e-mail from Madewell, she couldn't believe it. "I used to say to Danielle, 'Wouldn't it be awesome if we did something with Madewell, and they gave us all these free clothes?' " Ms. Fiber said. (That wasn't quite what happened. The brand just wanted them to guest-post on their site's blog.) But Ms. Fiber and Ms. Gibson seized a bargain that had nothing to do with wardrobe and one that's informed many of the deals they've struck: They arranged to shoot a video in the store.

Location fees generally exceed the budget for a Web video. What largely sets "Srsly" apart is the videos' aesthetically pleasing settings. The airy Madewell shop joined locations including Crunch Gym, Milk Bar, Van Leeuwen and Pas de Deux.

"We've never paid a location fee," Ms. Gibson said. "We just e-mail and say we're legit, we're professional, and we won't mess anything up."

A love of girlie mise en scene and candles aside, the question remains: When there's no cash to be had, why pay such dogged attention to finding the right place and purse for every video? They believe it's what bonds them to their audience. "Sketch can be just sketch, but being relatable is what keeps people coming back, wanting to watch more," Ms. Gibson said.

Barry Blumberg, executive vice president of the branded-content behemoth Alloy Entertainment, said he thought that "Srsly" was onto something. "Brands that you love can be a mutual touchpoint for talent and their audience," he said. "Look at Oprah. These girls have a real relationship with their viewers. You talk about things you love, and you foster trust."

Ms. Fiber recalled one of her favorite viewer comments about a "Srsly" video: "Someone wrote, 'I want to be friends with these girls,' " she said. "I was like, 'I want to be friends with you, too.' "

It's an innovative route for aspiring actresses. And the star makers keen to give "Srsly" a bigger stage aren't of the Hollywood variety. Glamour magazine joined with Ms. Gibson and Ms. Fiber to create video content to be shown first on Glamour's Web site during Fashion Week. Glamour's editor in chief, Cindi Leive, said in an e-mail that she had to have the women behind "Srsly" in because "the girls under 30 in my office wouldn't shut up about the series they were like a cult!"

The Glamour partnership is a milestone for them. An array of guest stars like the stand-up comics Justin Shanes, Annie Lederman and Joe Pera have appeared in "Srsly" videos. Running their Web series is nearly a full-time job for two women who expected to be living part to part.

"Before, I felt so disempowered, but we made our own opportunities," Ms. Fiber said. "That's why I don't care as much now if the casting director at 'Blue Bloods' doesn't know who I am." She paused. "That being said, I do have an audition after this for a nonspeaking part in a play."

So after lunch the young women left with an eye out for laugh-worthy material and maybe some lust-worthy new stuff to brighten their day?

"No, we never go shopping," Ms. Fiber said.

"Yeah," Ms. Gibson chimed in. "I hate it."

Copyright 2012 The New York Times News Service