Maker Studios Unveils Original Programming, Collaborations With Networks and Agencies, and Advertising Solutions at Digital Content NewFront

NewFront showcases upcoming programming with James Franco, CutiePieMarzia, The Gregory Brothers, P’Trique, and David Milchard and Matthew Clarke of “Convos with my 2-year-old,” among others

New York(28 Apr 2015)

Maker Studios, the global leader in short-form video and the largest content network on YouTube, today unveiled a slate of original programming and strategic initiatives at the company’s second annual Digital Content NewFront at Skylight Clarkson SQ in Soho, New York. 

The presentation featured appearances by designer and entrepreneur Rachel Zoe, David Milchard and Matthew Clarke of “Convos with my 2-year-old,” fashion icon P’Trique, actress and host Taryn Southern, and digital comedian Lisa Schwartz. 

Maker President Ynon Kreiz, Chief Content Officer Erin McPherson, Head of Sales Jason Krebs, and Chief Strategy Officer Courtney Holt presented. Featured executives included Charlie Echeverry, Chief Revenue Officer, MiTú Network; Juan Davila, Global Head of Business Development & Senior Vice President, LiquidThread; and Scott Donaton, Chief Content Officer, DigitasLBi.   

Maker showcased upcoming original content from its vast programming offering and announced collaborations with media brands, agencies, and several divisions of its parent company, The Walt Disney Company. Maker also introduced its proprietary ad solution Maker Select, as well as new talent signings. The theme of the event was Who Are You?, encouraging creators, marketers, and media executives to find their voice, as content must have personality to connect with millennial audiences.

ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING SLATE

Maker’s upcoming slate of original content includes:

• CAMP – A coming-of-age story, adapted from James Franco’s “Palo Alto: Stories,” set in a fictional summer camp in the idyllic woodlands outside of the Bay Area. Campers explore their own sexualities, confront their teenage fears, and grow up together – navigating drama, making each other laugh, and forging the greatest memories of their young lives. From short story to short-form, the series is the first in a line of original content from the Rabbit Bandini_LAB, part of Maker_LABS.

• Fashpad – From the creators of CrashPad comes a new rapid-fire roundtable where fashion sensation P’Trique hosts guests in the Quad to highlight what matters most in the world…fashion!

• Fast or Fancy – What happens when Daym Drops and Amy Pham team up to face off with their taste buds? Find out on this new series where high and low food culture battle for bragging rights. White Castle slider or Minetta Tavern Black Label burger? Red O braised short rib taco or the El Chato Taco Truck's al pastor taco? Fast or Fancy?

• The Look of Knowing: Part 2 – Inspired by the hit mini-series The Look of Knowing, CutiePieMarzia continues her adventures in the next chapter of this dark and quirky story—this time featuring Maya’s two pugs. Its “Coraline” meets “The Cowardly Dog” meets the unique vision and storytelling of CutiePieMarzia.

• Maker Tales – Classic fairy tales such as King Midas, Pinocchio, Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood are reimagined as music videos by some of Maker's biggest stars including Tessa Violet, Iman Crosson, Dodger, Timothy DeLaGhetto, and more.

• Nursery Rhyme Mashups – Join Maruki, Tooki, and Chuki on their animated adventures, where they combine classic nursery rhymes with modern musical genres for a perfect sing-along series. 

• Party Girl – A scripted comedy created by Lisa Schwartz that tells the story of an overachieving superstar, played by Lisa herself, who is forced to take a humiliating low-wage job and learns that it ain’t easy to make an honest living.

• Polaris Animated Universe – The most popular online gamers and animators collide in an original anthology series bringing mash-ups, parodies, and fan-favorite moments to life from popular “Let's Play” series and podcasts. Fresh and spontaneous, each format is an homage to the storied franchises and larger-than-life personalities that unite the gaming community around the world. 

• The Taryn Show – Who’s better at matchmaking, your friends or Tinder? What does a Facebook poke actually feel like? What if we could only communicate in 140 characters or less? Welcome to the world’s first late-night interactive digital experiment in web culture that features sketch comedy, interviews, and whatever else the interweb asks for—hosted by resident web geek Taryn Southern. 

• This is Why You’re Single – A scripted series about two shallow, narcissistic, and oftentimes reprehensible BFFs who find themselves in relatable but elevated situations as they search for love (or a sugar-daddy, whatever’s easiest) in this absurd and excruciating look at dating in the modern world.

• Toddler Tonight – From the creators of “Convos with my 2-year-old” comes a new comedy that takes an irreverent look at kids through the lens of celebrity. “Entertainment Tonight,” “TMZ,” and “Fashion Police” get the toddler treatment by putting a paparazzi lens on kids eating what they shouldn't, taking dance classes and sitting on the beach, a.k.a. doing what kids would normally do, but having adults provide comedic, color commentary along the way.

• Toy Detective – A live-action mystery adventure that follows unboxing superstar EvanTube as he solves mysteries for toys (as Ace Ventura did for pets) with the help of sister Jillian and other YouTube friends. The EvanTubeHD Detective Agency quickly gets in over its head, falling victim to hilarious hijinks and ridiculous twists on their quest to solve crimes.

• Traveling Band – A fresh new format from Portal A—a medley of music, comedy, and travel—the musical group The Gregory Brothers star in a semi-scripted mockumentary following their travels around the world, collaborating with unusual guests and being caught in unexpected situations. What happens when they realize 30 minutes before curtain in Vietnam that they have to make food and feed everyone in the audience? It's the tour of a lifetime and we're along for the ride.

• American Woman – In collaboration with ABC’s Lincoln Square Productions comes an irreverent docu-series about the women who made America great. Maker talent will ride through revolutionary history in search of the tough mothers who helped create our young nation, starting with the original 13 colonies, a map and a dream to uncover the women behind the men. 

• I Am Maker – Emmy Award-winning producers World of Wonder team with Maker and ABC Family to share an unprecedented look at what it takes to become a YouTube star today. Inspired by the roots of Maker, the series is an aspirational docu-series that follows a group of content creators who live together and are mentored by the biggest online talent.

*All series titles are working titles.

COLLABORATIONS WITH DISNEY DIVISIONS 

Maker has been working with divisions across The Walt Disney Company including Marvel, ESPN,and ABC’s Lincoln Square Productions to develop new and unique content. Maker and Marvel will focus on original digital content and programming based on Marvel lore and current releases, celebrating the global Marvel fan universe; starting this summer Maker and the X Games will pair the best action sport athletes with the most innovative content creators worldwide, delivering cutting edge content throughout the year; and Maker and ABC’s Emmy® Award-winning Lincoln Square Productions will collaborate on nonfiction storytelling around politics and culture—kicking off with the original series American Woman, and continuing with a slate of other programming  leading up to the 2016 election.

AGENCY AND NETWORK INITIATIVES 

Maker will work with leading agency DigitasLBi to create a Digitas_LAB, an industry-first opportunity focused on co-creation of content, production, cross-platform distribution, and media. The Maker_LAB model merges data-driven insights with creative content and distribution.

MiTú, an online video network and leader in Hispanic influence, will collaborate with Maker on a content arrangement with Starcom MediaVest Group’s LiquidThread. The initiative will fund the development of original series, social media programs and influencer formats, leveraging Maker and MiTú’s technology and creativity across platforms.

AD PRODUCT SOLUTIONS 

Maker has teamed with Outrigger Media and their OpenSlate platform to launch Maker Select, a new proprietary ad solution for media buying. Maker Select combines industry-leading tools on targetable metrics like content quality, brand safety and subject matter expertise with OCR (Online Campaign Ratings) guarantees for demographic targeting and transparency for ad placements.Maker Select will not only be available within the Maker network but throughout YouTube.DigitasLBi and Starcom MediaVest Group, among other media brands, will offer clients access to Maker Select providing them proprietary data, targeted audiences, guaranteed viewership, favorable pricing, and ultimately a lens on the most valued programming on YouTube. 

Maker also showcased the Maker Offers ad product dedicated to scaling branded entertainment and social influencer campaigns. Announced at last year’s NewFront, Offers allows brands to activate campaigns across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and more, all while providing campaign performance metrics across platforms. In its first year, Offers has run hundreds of campaigns through its platform. 

TALENT SIGNINGS 

New talent who have recently joined Maker include Rachel Zoe, world-renowned designer, author, entrepreneur and the ultimate arbiter of style; Taryn Southern, actress and comedian; Lisa Schwartz, multi-faceted online comedian—from parodies to heartfelt vlogs; Meghan Camarena also known as Strawburry17, one of the stars of the hit web series “Video Game High School,” on TV in “The Amazing Race” and “Fake-Off”, and multi-faceted digital talent and creator—from gaming to food to DIY; Ssundee, one of the biggest kid-friendly Minecraft gamers online; Paul Heyman, professional wrestling commentator and legend; Jerry Purpdrank, comedian and global Vine superstar; Christian DelGrosso, global Vine phenomenon; and SierraMarieMakeup, top fashion and beauty guru, to name a few.

About Maker Studios

Maker Studios is the global leader in online short-form video and the largest content network on YouTube. Maker specializes in reaching millennial audiences across multiple programming genres. Maker’s network includes 55,000 independent creators from more than 100 countries, attracting over 10 billion views per month, with a growing scale driven by its robust technology platform, direct-to-consumer distribution and data analytics. Maker is home to many of the world’s leading online talent and award-winning original programs such as “Epic Rap Battles of History.” Maker Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in New York, London and Singapore. For more information visit www.makerstudios.com.