Rhett & Link, ‘Epic Meal Time’ Tease New Shows Alongside Collective Digital Studio

By 05/05/2015
Rhett & Link, ‘Epic Meal Time’ Tease New Shows Alongside Collective Digital Studio

As with many other presentations that have taken place over the past week, Collective Digital Studio’s pitch at the 2015 Newfronts was full of content announcements. Several of CDS’ creative partners–including Rhett & Link, Improv Everywhere founder Charlie Todd, and Epic Meal Time sauce boss Harley Morenstein–took the stage at New York’s SVA Theater to discuss projects they will produce alongside their partner network.

Rhett & Link, who create videos on their titular YouTube hub and their Good Mythical Morning channel, served as the event’s hosts, and they also announced Rethink, a series in which they will take “arbitrary formalities” and each give them “a treatment [to] see whose idea is better.” As an example, Rhett suggested a rethought version of the pinata, in which a papier-mache animal is filled with Kool Aid and kids throw spears at it.

Other new projects include Fake Company, Inc., in which Improv Everywhere will set up a fake office and use it prank temps; The Science of Fashion, through which Wendy Nguyen will explore the titular topic; and Shaycation, which will follow Pretty Little Liars actress Shay Mitchell on her globetrotting adventures.

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CDS presenters also shared more details about previously-announced projects. Attendees viewed the first trailer for the upcoming James Patterson adaptation Maximum Ride, which will be co-executive produced by Jenna Marbles. Morenstein’s contributed to the presentation by discussing spin-off series Epic Tool Time, which he called “so stupid that it’s smart…it’s overkill.”

Several other upcoming releases will feature a collaborative spirit. Chief among them is Prank Week, which will bring together the top practical jokers in the CDS network for a full slate of stunts, gags, and gotchas. These sort of multi-creator campaigns have worked well for CDS; at its Newfronts presentation, five of its Vine and Snapchat partners discussed how their #WaterBalloonFight, released just a day before, had already generated 80 million impressions across social media.

Here are brief descriptions for all the projects CDS discussed:

  • ReThink: Why do we wear a flat hat and awkward gown when we graduate? Why do we encourage children to assault a hollow, paper mâché animal at birthday parties? Why do we hunt for pastel-decorated eggs every Easter? Who makes these rules? Rhett & Link believe it’s time to ReThink the arbitrary stuff that has been taken for granted for too long. In every installment of this Good Mythical Morning segment, the two go head-to-head in reimagining a social convention, tired tradition, or played out product by offering a completely new, and always ridiculous approach.

  • Epic Tool Time: Harley Morenstein and the dudes of Epic Meal Time are ready to bring more epic-ness to their 6.7 million subscribers. The guys are putting away the oven mitts and grabbing power drills to create extreme gadgets that men only dream about in their new series Epic Tool Time. If there’s a device to be developed that will make men’s lives easier, Epic Tool Time will invent it.
  • Fake Company Incorporated: With more than 382 million views, Charlie Todd and the Improv Everywhere team will bring new scenes of chaos and joy to an office environment in this new digital series. A fake office will serve as a hidden camera playground where the team will surprise unsuspecting workers with the weirdest, most fun day on the job they’ve ever had.
  • Shaycation: Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell has built a social media empire across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and now she has one of the fastest growing lifestyle channels on YouTube. In Shaycation, Mitchell makes the perfect travel companion, guiding audiences on explorations to some of the world’s most exotic locations including Belize and the South of France.
  • Science of Fashion: This new original series from the creator of Wendy’s Lookbook explores the intersection of science and fashion. From the anatomy of the dress to the history of the heels, Wendy and crew will take audiences on a fact-finding, fun-filled journey.

CDS is also working on previously announced Maximum Ride, based on best-selling author James Patterson’s massively popular Young Adult fantasy franchise that has sold more than 13 million copies. The digital series will be executive produced by top YouTube star Jenna Marbles, marking the first time she has been involved in a project that does not feature her on camera. Marbles currently ranks as the top female YouTube star based on her nearly 15 million subscribers and over 1.7 billion views.

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