For the fourth time, Defy Media is using prank videos as vehicles for social good. The multi-channel network and production company has launched another season of the Prank It Fwd web series, and this time, Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth joined the fun by pranking Smosh.
As with the other seasons of Prank It Fwd, the series’ fourth round is hosted by Greg Benson, built on a combination of practical jokes and positivity, sponsored by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, and led by creators from within the Defy Media network as well as celebrities from TV and film. One of this season’s centerpiece pranks takes place at a Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 press junket, where Smosh stars Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla believe they are pulling a fast one on Lawrence. Instead, Lawrence reveals herself to be in on the joke and part of a counter-pranking effort led by Hutcherson, Hemsworth, and a young Smosh fan with muscular dystrophy.
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Several other new Prank It Fwd videos will arrive across the Defy Media network over the next couple of days. Clevver teamed up with The Today Show’s Hoda Kotb to give a young man an “Entourage for a Day,” Simple Pickup assisted a prom for senior citizens, and Benson focused his efforts on a local animal rescue shelter.
Defy Media Chief Content Officer Barry Blumberg has called Prank It Fwd his network’s greatest accomplishment, and as the campaign returned, he offered more praise for it. “We kicked off Prank It FWD in April 2014 aiming to turn the prank convention on its ear and add value into the world. Since then, a campaign built on promoting change through positive pranks has grown into a global movement, making an impact with viewers that has far exceeded our expectations and continues to change the lives of deserving recipients in ways we never could have anticipated,” he said in a press release. “We’re proud to bring back another season with more great talent and life-changing surprises that promise to drive this important program even further and inspire others to prank it forward with us through the holidays.”
Check out the Prank It Fwd videos across YouTube. Watching and sharing the series lets you get in on the charity: For each 1,000 views it gets and each social media share tagged #PrankItFwd, Defy Media will donate $1 to DoSomething.org.
