Many kids rejoice when they learn that they’ll have a substitute teacher for the day, and Recess Therapy is making that news even more exciting. The brand is expanding with Celebrity Substitute, a new YouTube series that brings stars like Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield into the classroom.
Celebrity Substitute is produced by Zach Stafford, Danielle Perelman, and Sean Walsh. Each episode takes place at a public school, where high-profile guest stars will draw upon their areas of expertise as they attempt to educate local children. Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the face of the Recess Therapy brand and the host of Celebrity Substitute, is himself a graduate of New York City’s public schools.
For the inaugural installment of Celebrity Substitute, which hit YouTube on October 22, Shapiro-Barnum returned to his old stomping grounds to visit a school in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His celeb subs, Pugh and Garfield, show up to teach a lesson in drama. Ultimately, it’s the kids who provide most of the dramatic (and comedic) lines.
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Over the past year, Recess Therapy has forged new connections with the world of pop culture. A key step in that process occurred this past January, when the stars of Recess Therapy showed up on the red carpet at the Golden Globes.
Since then, celebrities have started showing up more frequently on Recess Therapy. Some of the channel’s videos, such as the one that introduced the legendary Corn Kid, are helmed by Shapiro-Barnum alone. But he’s also been joined by guests like Charli XCX, who used her appearance to promote her summertime smash hit Brat.
Like Charli XCX, the first guests on Celebrity Substitute have something fresh to promote. Garfield and Pugh are the co-stars of the new film We Live In Time, and their public school appearance gives the film a boost. (Celebrity Substitute and sponsor Amazon returned the favor by providing the school with supplies.)
As a show that can be plugged into any tentpole or promotional tour, Celebrity Substitute has the potential to serve as Recess Therapy’s answer to YouTube-based hits like Chicken Shop Date and Hot Ones. Those shows have parlayed their celebrity cred into Emmy consideration. Can Celebrity Substitute do something similar for the Recess Therapy brand?
At the very least, the new show will provide a dose of catharsis for all public school teachers past and present. We’ll see how the next two subs — Blackpink’s Lisa and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles — stack up as Celebrity Substitute rolls into its second and third episodes.
