Lionsgate has its first original series for the upcoming Comic-Con subscription service. The film studio will launch the reality series Her Universe Fashion Show on the SVOD platform sometime in 2016.

Her Universe Fashion Show will follow the contestants of the titular competition, who will design geek-inspired outfits for a chance to have the clothing modeled live on stage at San Diego Comic-Con 2016. The series is based on the competition started by female geek clothing line Her Universe, founded by actress Ashley Eckstein. Lionsgate made the announcement on July 9, 2015, at San Diego Comic-Con.

Eckstein will executive produce the series alongside Ashley Tisdale and Jennifer Tisdale. Her Universe, Lionsgate, and Blondie Girl Productions will produce the series.

“Five years ago, when we launched Her Universe, fangirls were an afterthought and ‘Geek Fashion’ was nothing more than a men’s boxy t-shirt,” Eckstein said to Variety. “Together, with my partner, The Araca Group, we set out to build an empowering community and merchandise line for fangirls to step into the spotlight and feel celebrated and stylish! Five years later, Geek Fashion is a trending topic and we cannot wait to show the world that it’s here to stay.”

“The Comic-Con SVOD service is about creating and delivering content specifically for and about this amazing and passionate fan base,” said Comic-Con SVOD’s VP and GM Seth Laderman, who was recently hired to oversee the growth of the subscription service.

“With Ashley Eckstein and Ashley and Jennifer Tisdale, we have an incredibly dynamic, creative and talented team with a broad range of experience in franchises that our Comic-Con audience loves,” Laderman added. “We believe that they will deliver a program that speaks directly to our core fans.”

Filed under: Articles, Lionsgate, News by Bree Brouwer
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Maker Studios has been somewhat quiet since it announced a host of new series, additions of its talent roster, and creative partnerships at the 2015 NewFronts. In one of its first major deals since then, the digital media company and multi-channel network has added to its team through company known for its work across social media platforms. It has acquired Instafluence, which unites brand campaigns with social media influencers.

Instafluence is one of several companies that caters to both brands and content creators by serving as a matchmaker of sorts. It helps its clients–a list that includes VH1 and PacSun–generate cost-effective impressions on social media by directing their messages through popular social media stars, who tend to have millions of followers across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, and Snapchat.

A major part of Maker’s work is its efforts to secure lucrative brand partnerships for the creators in its network, and Instafluence, whose employees will relocate from Tempe to Culver City to work at Maker HQ, will surely become a significant part of those efforts. The deal is somewhat reminiscent of Fullscreen’s recent acquisition of McBeard Media, which also brought a social media agency under the control of a major multi-channel network.

According to information from Maker, Instafluence’s network has over the past year coordinated over 10,000 sponsored posts that have resulted in 150 million consumer engagements.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Maker Studios, News by Sam Gutelle
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Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion are making a web series about their adventures on the convention circuit, and what better place to premiere the trailer for that series than at Comic-Con. During the 2015 edition of the annual four-day gathering, Tudyk and Fillion shared an inside look at Con Man, the series they will bring to Vimeo On Demand in September.

Con Man stars former Firefly castmates Tudyk and Fillion as two actors from a sci-fi show called Spectrum. Spectrum was canceled too soon (just like Firefly), emerged as a stalwart at nerd conventions (just like Firefly), and became known for its dedicated fanbase (just like Firefly). In the show (and, to a certain degree, in real life), Fillion’s character moved on from Spectrum to have himself a successful acting career, while Tudyk’s struggled to land roles that live up to his most famous turn.

As a result, Tudyk’s protagonist is relegated to life on the convention circuit, where he encounters a number of quirky personalities. As its trailer demonstrates, Con Man will be rife with cameo appearances; guests will include Felicia Day, Seth Green, and several of Tudyk and Fillion’s former Firefly chums.

Tudyk and Fillion launched Con Man on Indiegogo in March, and it quickly became one of the most successful projects in the crowdfunding site’s history. It raised more than $3.1 million, smashing through several stretch goals along the way. What began as a three-episode series ballooned to 12 installments, which can be preordered for $14.99 from Vimeo On Demand. The vast majority of the series’ 47,000 backers will not have to pay that price, as they have gained access to the series as a funding perk.

Con Man was always assured to be a hit among the “Browncoats” who still lament Firefly’s demise. The series trailer, however, showcases a much broader appeal. Anyone who has ever attended a pop culture convention–and even those who have not–should be excited about Con Man’s upcoming arrival.

Filed under: Articles, Con Man, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Machinima has a new web series on the way from the Transformers franchise. The fan culture-based YouTube network, a self-described as a “many-2-many” service, has partnered with toy manufacturer Hasbro to introduce a new animated series based on the Transformers Generations: Combiner Wars brand.

Announced at Hasbro’s San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 9, 2015, the unnamed Transformers web series will take place during the middle of the Combiner Wars within the franchise’s universe. The Machinima animated series will introduce new lore and characters alongside fan-favorites. More details on the series, including a release date, will be revealed in the near future.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring one of the biggest franchises in the world to Machinima. Our audiences are huge fans of the comics, movies, toys and video games, and for us to continue the legend with the Combiner Wars is a unique storytelling opportunity,” said Machinima’s Chief Creative Officer Daniel Tibbets in a release.

“We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Machinima on this groundbreaking, new digital series,” said Tom Warner, Senior Vice President for the Transformers franchise for Hasbro. “As one of the top global producers and distributors of digital entertainment, they’re the perfect partner to help launch a totally new kind of Transformers animation—one that, for the first time ever, is specifically designed for the teen and adult fans who’ve grown up loving the Transformers brand.”

Warner added, “We look forward to delivering amazing action, storytelling and characterization that these fans demand, as the Combiner Wars play out across toys, comics, digital games and of course, the brand new animated digital series.”

Machinima currently reaches over 170 million unique viewers a month.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Machinima.com, News by Bree Brouwer
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Amazon Studios has unveiled a sneak peek of its newest original series. The digital studio behind the hit series Transparent released the official trailer for Hand of God, a psychological drama starring Ron Perlman.

Directed by Marc Forster and written by Ben Watkins, Hand of God stars Perlman as Pernell Harris, a corrupt judge who suffers a traumatic breakdown and believes God is calling him to greater things — like vigilante justice. What ensues in each hour-long episode is Harris’ attempt to track down and exact revenge on the rapist who destroyed his family’s happiness. Hand of God co-stars Dana Delany as Harris’ wife Crystal, Garret Dillahunt as KD, and Julian Morris as Reverend Paul Curtis.

Amazon originally ran the pilot for Hand of God in its third pilot competition back in August 2014. A few months later in October, Amazon ordered a full season of the show after the pilot managed to garner an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars from viewers.

Season one of Hand of God will start streaming Amazon Prime Instant Video the fall of 2015.

Filed under: Amazon, Amazon Studios, Articles, News by Bree Brouwer
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16-year-old website Urban Dictionary has long served as a place where users can offer simplified definitions of complex slang terms and give creative names to all manner of unspeakably profane sex acts. Vine, on the other hand, is a relative newcomer to the web, have served up its signature six-second videos for just two-and-a-half years.

While these two platforms hail from different eras in the Internet’s history, a new app is combining them into a single amusing package. SayWhat, available on both the App Store and Google Play, invites its users to combine 10-second videos with crowdsourced definitions.

According to its website, SayWhat is intended as a tool for non-native speakers who want to understand some of the more intricate words and slang terms the English lexicon has to offer. Users who download the app will be asked to explain terms like “throwing shade,” “salty,” and “Murica,” but they are not allowed to write out their definitions. Instead, they must record a ten-second video in which they act out the concept however they see fit. The app’s visual approach helps break down the language barrier, and it’s liable to produce some ridiculous results along the way.

It’s hard to imagine SayWhat evolving beyond a fun distraction, but Urban Dictionary has existed in the “fun distraction” space for a long time, and there’s surely space for a video version, too. So if you speak English (or Spanish or Mandarin, which the app also supports), get out there and start telling the world what “ratchet” means to you.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, SayWhat by Sam Gutelle
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Jenn McAllister and Lauren Elizabeth Luthringshausen are set to join the list of YouTube creators who have starred in feature films, and in a new trailer, they have put their acting chops on display. McAllister and Luthringshausen take center stage in a brief video promoting Bad Night, which will arrive on Vimeo On Demand on July 21st, 2015.

In Bad Night, McAllister and Luthringshausen (the latter of whom recently surpassed one million subscribers) co-star as AP Art History classmates who find themselves in serious trouble after attempting to pull off a high-profile art heist. The two YouTube stars will be surrounded by an impressive supporting cast. Familiar faces who appear in the trailer include Matt Walsh, Jack McBrayer, and Jim O’Heir.

Bad Night, which was first announced in February, comes from production company GRB Entertainment, directors Chris and Nick Riedell, and producers McAllister, Luthringshausen, AJ Tesler, Byron Austen Ashley, and Rana Zand. Ashley and Zand work for Big Frame, which represents McAllister and Luthringshausen.

Bad Night is one of several feature films set to arrive close to the start of VidCon, which will bring the most popular YouTube stars and their fans to Anaheim beginning on July 23rd. Both McAllister and Luthringshausen will attend the three-day event, and their respective acting skills will surely draw praise from many of their fans–or at least from the fans who will pay $14.99 to buy Bad Night. If you’d like to make sure you see the film, you can preorder it from Vimeo On Demand.

Filed under: Channels, Uncategorized by Sam Gutelle
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For two years, YouTube users have used the video site’s Creator Academy to learn about the fundamentals of online video success. At this point, the Creator Academy channel is filled with a mountain of tips from the web’s biggest stars, but for viewers who wish to see YouTube best practices boiled down to an even more concise essence, a ten-episode web series provides the basics. Creative Strategist Matt Koval hosts 10 YouTube Fundamentals, which delivers a quick dish of YouTube 101.

10 YouTube Fundamentals covers everything from proper posting schedules to collaborations with other channels. It began as a presentation developed by the site’s Creative Strategy team, and in an e-mail, Koval–himself a former YouTube content creator–describes it as “our top-rated resource.” Each episode is driven by input from top creators, who show up to share their secrets. The first episode, which discusses the concept of sharability, features appearances from Richard Wiseman of Quirkology as well as Rhett and Link.

10 YouTube Fundamentals certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to YouTube, but it serves as both a helpful tool for experienced users and an ideal starting point for creative people who are starting to think about sharing their work with the world. All ten episodes of the series are now available; peruse them if you’re looking for some ideas on how to up your YouTube game. And if you find yourself searching for more advanced content strategies, there are dozens more Creator Academy videos you can use to continue your education.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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AwesomenessTV has added its own production to the recent trend of DIY web series. The YouTube multi-channel network teamed up with young adult home and room decor company PBteen to create the craft-based Revved Up Rooms, which debuts on July 15, 2015, and is hosted by YouTube star Meg DeAngelis.

In Revved Up Rooms, DeAngelis will show viewers how to craft a new DIY project every week. All six episodes will also feature sets designed by PBteen and featuring Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma products. Viewers will have the chance to win one of these room sets (valued at $2,500 each) by entering the competition at PBteen.com/RevvedUpRooms before August 31, 2015.

“Our initial attraction to AwesomenessTV stems from its impressive reach and influence on the global teen audience,” said Felix Carbullido, Chief Marketing Officer at Williams-Sonoma, Inc., in a release. “After meeting Meg DeAngelis, we were impressed by her relatable personality and are delighted she’s agreed to showcase our teen home furnishings in Revved Up Rooms. We can’t wait to share this new content with our existing PBteen customers, as well as engage with additional teens worldwide.”

“At AwesomenessTV our job is to create great content for our highly engaged audiences which is why we paired PBteen with Meg DeAngelis for Revved Up Rooms, an ideal showcase for the brand and its products,” said Beth Greve, AwesomenessTV’s Chief Revenue and Partnerships Officer. “Authenticity is critical to reaching Gen Z and Meg has the perfect voice for this series.”

New episodes of Revved Up Rooms will debut every Wednesday at 5 PM PST on after the series’ July 15 launch on AwesomenessTV’s YouTube channel. You can learn more about the show and the products used in each one by visiting the show’s official site.

Filed under: Articles, AwesomenessTV, Branded Entertainment, News by Bree Brouwer
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Dude Perfect has released a new video proving bigger isn’t always better. The sports-based YouTube supergroup partnered with Marvel and actor Paul Rudd to promote the upcoming film Ant-Man with a dizzying competition (literally) that awarded its winner the smallest trophy around.

In the collaboration video, the guys from Dude Perfect, who boast over 6 million subscribers on their channel, square off against each other and Rudd in round two of the Dizzy Sports Battle series. Each contestant spins face-down around a baseball bat for up to 15 seconds before attempting to hit a tennis ball, kickball, baseball, and hockey puck as far as they can. The champion’s final reward is a mini trophy made up of tiny versions of the sports items used in the battle.

What follows is a comical series of utter sports fails, with Dude Perfect and Rudd falling over from dizziness and often failing to make contact with the balls all together. Rudd manages to make it to the last round before getting dethroned by Dude Perfect’s Cory Cotton and Ty Toney, who square off to win the honor of victor and the ant-sized trophy.

The Dude Perfect gang is part of the Whistle Sports YouTube multi-channel network, which is dedicated to content based on sports and athletics. Whistle approached Disney (Marvel’s parent company) several months ago with the idea of having Dude Perfect, whose motto is “Go Big!”, team up with Rudd for the Marvel-based promotional video. Whistle currently reaches 50 million viewers and closed a Series B round of $28 million in January 2015.

Marvel’s Ant-Man hits theaters nationwide on July 17, 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, News, Studios, The Whistle Network by Bree Brouwer
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Zealot Networks has a new company to add to its ever-growing portfolio. The digital media company, formed by ex-Maker Studios CEO Danny Zappin, has bought social content aggregator and publisher ViralNova for about $100 million, split roughly 50/50 in cash and stock.

ViralNova launched in May 2013 as a way to highlight content that strikes an emotional chord — usually inspirational or funny — with its audience. The site’s list-based articles and emphasis on media make it similar to sites like BuzzFeed or Upworthy.

Variety reports ViralNova had 17.6 million unique visitors in May 2015 alone, according to comScore. The site’s CEO Sean Beckner (who’s turned down buy-out offers before) claims his site is on track to make $35 million in 2015.

Zealot, which helps young companies and startups expand their businesses, plans to do just that for ViralNova. “We want to build on the audience component, and we see ViralNova as an anchor to grow that,” Zappin said. “The next phase for us is to take what the creative companies in our portfolio do and put it through a network and monetize it.”

Zappin also noted the site will give Zealot access to digital publishing tools it didn’t have before. Zappin’s company will use these tools to launch new brands under its banner, with a focus on original video content in the food, lifestyle, travel, music, and entertainment categories.

ViralNova joins other recent acquisitions in Zealot’s roster of burgeoning companies. In March 2015, Zappin’s company acquired the digital and brand marketing agency Threshold Interactive. A few months later in June, Zealot picked up Northside Media, a Brooklyn-based magazine and event company. Other Zealot properties include talent management firm Converge Media Group and YouTube licensing company AudioMicro.

ViralNova’s 24 employees will continue to be based in midtown Manhattan.

Filed under: Articles, News, Zealot Networks by Bree Brouwer
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Each month, YouTube’s Ad Leaderboard shares the ten branded videos from the past 30 days that have received the most viewers. Since introducing this feature, YouTube has spun off a number of related charts, including a Trailer Leaderboard that tracks movies, TV shows, and video games. With the summer movie season in full swing, YouTube has debuted a new Leaderboard that highlights the most popular movie trailers of Q2 2015.

Unsurprisingly, the Force is strong with the most popular movie trailer on YouTube’s list. The second teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has generated a whopping 67.8 million views since its arrival on April 16th. Go on, add another tick to that count. You know you want to:

Here, via Think With Google, is the rest of the top five:

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2, 67.8M views

Studio: Disney Pictures

Media Agency: OMDE

2. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Official Teaser Trailer [HD], 57M views

Studio: Warner Bros.

Media agency: [Pending info]

3. Jurassic World – Official Global Trailer (HD), 27M views

Studio: Universal

Media agency: [Pending info]

4. Terminator: Genisys Official Trailer #2 (2015) – Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie HD, 19.7M views

Studio: Paramount

Media agency: MEC

5. Marvel’s Ant-Man – Trailer 1, 17M views

Studio: Disney Pictures

Media Agency: OMDE

Beyond the new Leaderboard, YouTube has also shared an infographic that asserts the video site as a crucial part of the movie trailer industry. In a June 2015 study, 69% of respondents between the ages of 13 and 24 said they use movie trailers to decide which movies to see, and a previous study asserted that 81% of all trailer watches did so on YouTube.

More stats, including a few about the increasingly mobile habits of online trailer viewers, can be found in YouTube’s infographic:

Filed under: Articles, Featured, infographics, News, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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