Shane Dawson To Make A Movie As Part Of Starz Reality Series

Shane Dawson is already make waves in traditional media through a comedy project he sold to NBC. Now, it looks like the popular YouTuber may come to premium cable, too. Dawson is one of two stars on The Chair, a Starz reality series where he will try to make the best possible adaptation of a film called How Soon Is Now

The Chair will run for 10 episodes and will pit Dawson against Anna Martemucci, a filmmaker who previously earned praise for her film Breakup At A Wedding. Both Dawson and Martemucci will adapt the same material (a script about students who return home for their first Thanksgiving since leaving for college) and both will receive mentorship from a group that includes actor Zachary Quinto; however, the final creative decisions will be up to the two directors themselves.

The winner, determined by fan voting, will take home $250,000. This may seem like an unfair advantage for Dawson, who has 5.7 million subscribers at the ready, but The Chair creator Chris Moore believes this disparity is part of the appeal. “It’s also going to be fascinating to watch as a more traditional artist finds ways to challenge an undisputed master of online promotion for attention (and votes) for her project,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Chair is Starz’s first unscripted series and will debut in the fall. May the best (or most popular) director win.