Big media has been testing the YouTube waters tepidly for years, but Disney dove in headfirst when it agreed to acquire Maker Studios for nearly $1 billion in March.
Christopher PateyOne year in to its acquisition by Disney and Maker Studios has started to showcase just what the combined company looks like.
The digital producer touted several partnerships with Disney divisions during its NewFront presentation in New York on Tuesday, including docuseries I Am Maker, which it is producing alongside World of Wonder and ABC Family. The series will give viewers a behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a YouTube star today.
Maker has also teamed with ABC’s Lincoln Square Productions on American Woman, a docuseries described as an “irreverent” look at the women who made America great.
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Disney’s superhero studio Marvel will collaborate with Maker to create content and programming based on its lore and current releases, while X Games will pair the best action sports athletes with Maker content creators to develop year-round content.
In total, Maker showed off 15 new series, including Camp, an adaptation of James Franco‘s novel Palo Alto: Stories. Set in a fictional camp in the Bay Area, this short-form scripted series will follow campers as they explore sexuality, fears and growing up.
Other scripted series include Party Girl, a comedy from Lisa Schwartz that tells the story of an overachieving superstar (Schwartz) who is forced to take a humiliating job and learns that it isn’t easy to make an honest living, and This is Why You’re Single, a show that follows two shallow, narcissistic best friends on their search for love.
Digital stars also get top billing in many Maker series, including Toy Detective starring unboxing star EvanTube and Fashpad starring fashion vlogger P’Trique.
Maker has also announced new additions to its network, including stylist-designer Rachel Zoe, actress and comedian Taryn Southern and wrestling commentator Paul Heyman, among others.
“Maker is the best home for embracing self expression,” Zoe said on stage during the presentation.
