AwesomenessTV To Produce “Shovel Buddies” Film Off Hollywood’s Black List

Each year, a select group of Hollywood executives choose films for the “Black List,” a roster of the best un-produced screenplays from the previous year.  Acclaimed films that once appeared on this list include The Wolf of Wall Street, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Hangover.

Now, AwesomenessTV and Film 360 will bring one of 2013’s Black List entries to fruition. The teen-focused entertainment company and the production studio have teamed up to produce Shovel Buddies, which was #8 on the 2013 Black List.

Shovel Buddies, written by Jason Hellerman, follows four teenagers as they attempt to complete the bucket list of a friend who has died of leukemia. “Along the way,” reads a press release, “they learn more about themselves, their own relationships and the true meaning of friendship.”

Film 360 initially approached Big Frame, the talent management company owned by Big Frame, with a plan to create a version of Shovel Buddies based around teenage digital stars. Big Frame brought the film to Brian Robbins of AwesomenessTV who will produce it alongside Film 360. British filmmakers Simon Atkinson and Adam Townley will direct.

No casting decisions have yet been announced, but AwesomenessTV is likely to fill Shovel Buddies with the online media personalities with whom it is partnered. This is the strategy AwesomenessTV used for Expelled, which became a VOD hit shortly after its December 2014 premiere. Big Frame’s managers are also co-producing Bad Night, which will serve as a vehicle for stars Jenn McAllister and Lauren Elizabeth.

Shovel Buddies does not yet have an official release date. Stay tuned for updates about the film’s cast and additional details.