NEW YORK (Real Life) --Pierce Portocarrero, award-winning Second Life machinima director and creator of "Game Over," announced yesterday that his work inside Second Life has earned him a real life job at Virtual NBC .

Portocarrero earned nominations for best custom animation, best visual design, and best technical achievement for his machinima, Game Over at last year's Machinima.org awards in New York. Game Over, a story of love, loss and destruction in a fantasy world, was filmed in Second Life. Executives at NBC saw the seven-minute film, and invited Portocarrero to film a pilot for a nine-episode comedy series taking place in SL.

The plot for the new series revolves around a traditional American family -- a mother, father, son and daughter. The son and daughter are away at university, and the four enjoy "family time" by gathering together in Second Life. "The family is separated geographically," Portocarrero said. "It's about the experiences and adventures they go through."

A title has not been decided yet. The machinima's characters and the set design are to be determined, but Portocarrero suggested the U.S. television show, "The Simpsons" would be an appropriate point of reference. The voice talent for the characters will be provided by NBC. Portocarrero was impressed and excited after meeting one of NBC's comedy writers for the series. "They totally understand the world of Second Life." Portocarrero's pilot will have its premier in Second Life in July. The audience's response will determine whether the show continue after the first season.

Just a few years out of the Savannah College of Art & Design, Portocarrero packed a rental car with his computer, monitor and some clothes, and made the 12-hour drive to New York yesterday from his family's farm in Georgia. "You don't really need much when you live in a virtual world," Portocarrero said.

In the Big Apple last night, Portocarrero met up with his Savannah College roommate, Ryan Ford, an oil painter, who will help him look for a place to live. Pierce stayed the night at the apartment of Jerry Paffendorf and Christian Westbrook, two employees of The Electric Sheep Company, the virtual content developer that has become a power player in Second Life.