Canvas Media Studios To Adapt Four Young-Adult Novels

With his team at Pemberley Digital, Bernie Su adapted several works of literature into web series led by teenage and young adult stars. Now, with his new production company, he will have a chance to add to that library. Canvas Media Studios, founded last year by Su and David Tochterman, has inked a deal with New Leaf Literary & Media through which it will adapt four young adult (YA) novels into digital series.

According to Variety, which first reported the agreement between Canvas and New Leaf, the four titles included in the deal are Cora Carmack’s “Losing It” series, which follows a college student trying to lose her virginity; Mindee Arnett’s “The Nightmare Affair,” a sci-fi boarding school story; Kelly Fiore’s “Thicker Than Water,” in which a high-school student begins selling drugs; and April Genevieve Tucholke’s “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Between the Spark and the Burn,” a pair of gothic romance novels. Canvas will work with creators to translate these stories into serial formats, which will then be distributed on both digital and traditional platforms.

Canvas’ productions are typically characterized by their “transmedia” elements. Characters in Su and Tochterman’s programs often have their own social media accounts, which keep fans immersed in fictional worlds even when they’re not actively watching. As all of the books included in the New Leaf deal are led by young protagonists, a bevy of social media integrations can be expected.

“We are looking forward to tackling contemporary young adult novels after our previous success with this genre and demographic,” said Tochterman. “It’s a great match between New Leaf’s library and Canvas’ brand of creating series franchises for millennial audiences.”

Other projects produced by Canvas include Vanity and Socio. No release dates have been announced for any of its collaborations with New Leaf.