"Office" co-star signs on for Web ride

[Brian Damage]

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - A new Web series starring Craig Robinson ("The Office") as a driving school instructor will premiere on MSN August 15, financed by Volvo.

Producer Reveille, the firm behind "The Office, came up with the concept for "Mr. Robinson's Driving School" and took it to MSN -- which signed a first-look deal with Reveille about 18 months ago -- and then MSN pitched the idea to Volvo.

The Swedish automaker signed up to finance the show, its first Web series in the U.S., and is using it as the lead marketing initiative for its new C30 four-seat hatchback, which is likened to the Mini Cooper and aimed at a younger market than most of Volvo's vehicles.

Volvo was involved in the earliest stages of the show's development, with the producers working to integrate the C30's marketing themes and "attitude" into the series.

"We integrated aspects of Volvo's marketing campaign into themes for the new show without bastardizing the concept or jeopardizing the story," said Howard Owens, managing director, co-head of domestic television and head of digital at Reveille. "Volvo put no restrictions on us in terms of the kind of content we could make."

In "The Office," Robinson plays Darryl, the warehouse foreman who can barely conceal his disdain for Steve Carell's bumbling character.

"School" is the third Web series co-produced by MSN and Reveille. The others were "Chef to the Rescue" with Kraft and "The Big Debate" with Cingular as the brand partner in its first season.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter