Final web cartoonists face off on Penny Arcade’s “Strip Search” reality show at www.stripsearch.tv

With only three episodes to go, three artists remain in competition to win Strip Search!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle, WA – June 6, 2013 – With only three artists now remaining from a talented pool of 12, Penny Arcade’s “Strip Search” will select its winner at 7:00 PM PST on Tuesday, June 18^th, 2013!  Over the course of 28 episodes, the participants have drawn, riffed, and improvised their way through a series of challenges which have ranged from the intense to the bizarre.  The winner in the season finale episode will earn $15,000 cash, space at Penny Arcade’s Seattle office for one year, and support from the company’s robust business and merchandising resources.

The “Strip Search” project was initially greenlit by a Penny Arcade Kickstarter stretch goal last year and has been airing new episodes each Tuesday and Friday at www.stripsearch.tv.  Penny Arcade co-creators Mike "Gabe" Krahulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins have been presiding over the competition, ultimately serving as judges in head-to-head elimination challenges where two artists at a time face off against each other – selecting topics from the Wastebasket of Broken Dreams, and working against the clock while striving to craft a winning comic strip!

The 12 participating artists were culled from a rigorous selection process of nearly 1,000 entrants worldwide. The process spanned a wide range from younger and less experienced artists like 20-year old Abby Howard and 22-year old Alex Hobbs to webcomic veterans like Erika Moen and Katie Rice.  The artists all lived together in a lakefront mansion in Seattle, WA, where Penny Arcade is based. 

In addition to the elimination webcomic creation rounds, challenges have run the gamut and have included a variety of skills that successful web cartoonists must master – trade shows, audience development, merchandising, and more.  The first 28 episodes are available at www.stripsearch.tv, so new viewers can catch up on all of the earlier shows.  The website also includes background information on each of the artists, as well as samples of work created over the course of the season.  The final showdown will air over three episodes at the Strip Search website: Friday, June 7; Friday, June 14; and Tuesday, June 18.

About Penny Arcade

Equal parts online comic and commentary, Penny Arcade (www.penny-arcade.com) keeps its finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, prompting conversation and controversy alike from community members to industry experts. What started as a hobby for Jerry “Tycho” Holkins and Mike “Gabe” Krahulik has grown into an online phenomenon now entering its 15^th year, serving over 70 million page views a month to millions of readers worldwide. In addition to the comic strip and global PAX events (www.paxsite.com), Penny Arcade has expanded its reach to include the PA TV web broadcasting channel, The Penny Arcade Report, a growing line of merchandise, a video game series and management of Child's Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a gamer-driven charity for children that spans the globe.