‘Psych’ Goes Social

USANetwork is launching PSYCH The S#cial Sector, a new eight-week multiplatform murder mystery this Friday, February 15. Building on the success of the Emmy-nominated, fan favorite HashTag Killer, The S#cial Sector centers around an online reality competition in which contestants are sequestered in an unknown location and one contestant is voted off each week. When Shawn and Gus (series stars James Roday and Dule Hill) discover the eliminated contestants are turning up dead, they enlist self-professedPSYCH–Os to become their Digital Assistants and help find the location of the reality show’s house and catch the killer. Fans will help Shawn and Gus solve the case through a series of real-time communications, mini-games, crowding-sourcing challenges and an interactive Fan Theory Board where fans can post video responses to weekly challenges from the PSYCH characters. Directed by Kirsten Nelson (co-star Chief Vick), this parallel digital storyline can be played via desktop or tablet at SocialSector.usanetwork.com and Tweeted using #SocialSector.

“PSYCH The S#cial Sector is the next evolutionary step in storytelling as it engages our fans by bringing them into the story with their own social and video-based content which they can share with other viewers and become part of a fantastic show experience,” said Jesse Redniss, senior vice president, Digital, USANetwork. “This Social TV activation reflects our ongoing efforts to push the boundaries of storytelling across every screen and harness the immense power of fandom by creating a deeper connection our viewers.”

When The S#cial Sector opens, fans find Shawn (Roday) enjoying his latest web addiction, the online reality TV show “The S#cial Sector” – a last-man-standing competition featuring six contestants and a mysterious host, sequestered in an unknown location. The Host explains to viewers but NOT to the contestants that this is a deadly game – when a contestant is eliminated, they die. Shawn and Gus will interact with their Digital Assistants as they attempt to figure out where and why the contestants are being killed off. An integral part of solving this case is The Fan Theory Board in which Shawn and Gus will elicit help from the Digital Assistants, comment on those theories that intrigue them the most, and pull the best theory of the week directly into the game. Fans will also earn points on Club PSYCH to receive tangible goods, invaluable signed collectables and show related rewards.

“My involvement in The S#cial Sector has made an impact on me as an actor and director because I appreciate how these Social TV extensions are changing our craft by going beyond the linear experience to direct engagement with our fans,” said Kirsten Nelson, co-star, PSYCH. “As this launches, I’m looking forward to seeing how our fans plunge into this social murder mystery and interact not only with Shawn and Gus, but with each other to help solve the crime.”

The S#cial Sector was overseen by the executive producers Chris Henze, Kelly Kulchak and Steve Franks, as well as the writers of the project Brittany Hilgers, Tory Walker and Daniel Carter. It was created in conjunction with 30 Ninjas, a creator of cutting-edge transmedia entertainment, and SocialSamba, the leader in social storytelling technology, as well as Ralph, a creative agency specializing in creating content for the entertainment industry, and Theatrics.com, a collaborative video storytelling platform enabling the incorporation of user generated content.