Ray William Johnson, Supergravity Pictures Partner For Documentary Film

Ray William Johnson has ceased hosting duties on his =3 web series, but the 33-year-old web personality still has a vested interest in the online video industry. In order to share his views about traditional and online media practices, Johnson’s Mom & Pop Empire has partnered with Supergravity Pictures for a documentary that will shed light on the monopolistic actions of the cable industry.

The currently untitled documentary, which will be co-produced by Johnson, Kaja Martin, and Supergravity founders Max Benator and Marc Hustvedt, “will bitingly and hilariously shed light on the closed­ door machinations that granted cable companies their horrendous monopolies and the reality that history is repeating itself as the internet falls prey to the same monopolistic, big media practices,” according to a press release. So, expect a factual, critical take on the established and new media entertainment industries in the vein of a Michael Moore doc with Daily Show commentary.

This topic is a familiar one for Johnson, who endured a contentious falling out with his one-time partner network, Maker Studios. “Cable monopolies have had this coming for a long time,” he added in the release.

Johnson gained fame as the host of =3, a web series that has led his YouTube channel to 10.8 million subscribers and 2.8 billion views. In July 2014, he handed over =3 to college student Robby Motz, but he has maintained a presence on his channel through sketches and other projects.

The documentary is the third film Supergravity has picked up since its launch in November 2014, and its first non-fiction project. It is also producing a pair of films led by YouTube stars: The Chosen, starring Kian Lawley, and Man Up, starring Justin Chon and Kevin Wu.

The documentary, which is currently searching for its director, does not have a definite premiere date, but the release notes Supergravity plans to debut the film both in theaters and online.

Full Disclosure: Marc Hustvedt is one of the founders of Tubefilter.