New and Returning Youth-Focused Series Redefine Co-Creation, Extend the Creative Boundaries of Fan Collaboration

Today AT&T* launches the second year of AT&T Hello Lab. It’s a groundbreaking collection of original entertainment created by, for and with Millennial and Gen Z audiences on social media. Fans not only engage directly with their favorite creators; they also participate in driving stories forward.

AT&T Hello Lab advances the art of storytelling through social media platforms. The program continues to redefine the narrative process through fan collaboration. This year will feature 2 new projects as well as 2 returning series.

To reach a broader audience, we will make the shows available on demand on DIRECTV NOW, AT&T’s new rules free way to stream live TV, in addition to social and online video platforms.

The highly successful first year of AT&T Hello Lab featured 10 series across social media, all fueled by fans and 2-way interaction. The program garnered 117 million views, 832 million impressions and 30 million fan engagements.

In collaboration with Fullscreen Media’s Strategic Content Group, year 2 of AT&T Hello Lab focuses on 4 large-scale projects. These projects will be produced and distributed later this year:

  • Rooster Teeth’s “Schooled” returns for a second season on March 15. The video game competition puts kids up against professional gamers. Look for a twist this year on the Achievement Hunter YouTube page.

  • “@SummerBreak” also returns this year for a fifth season, now officially part of the AT&T Hello Lab program. The show follows a group of California teens throughout the summer. It has built a community of more than 700,000 followers, contributing to the franchise’s 492 million lifetime views.

  • “Lost Letters,” debuting fall 2017, is a fan-driven scripted narrative. It plays out across several popular YouTube channels, like last year’s successful interactive YA series “The Disappearing Girl” with Collins Key, which garnered 31.1 million views.

  • AT&T Hello Lab will also debut a mentorship program. It pairs emerging talent of underrepresented communities with entertainment industry veterans. The mentor teams create films that we will release on DIRECTV NOW and other platforms.

“AT&T Hello Lab engages younger audiences who expect a personal relationship with their media, and who are typically not reached through traditional TV or online advertising,” says Valerie Vargas, vice president of Advertising & Marketing Communications at AT&T. “AT&T Hello Lab lets the audience connect with their favorite creators, drive story lines forward and access content through multiple touch points.”

AT&T Hello Lab focuses on new forms of entertainment that give fans a stake in co-creation.  This co-creation emphasizes audience listening, cultural trends, and fan behavior insights, as well as more traditional social tactics for engaging the audience. All Hello Lab programming aims to bring the audience closer to the content, and the content closer to youth audiences.

“By making a longer-term strategic commitment to original entertainment, AT&T drives greater collaboration with the creator community and enables us to stay at the forefront of audience trends,” said Bryan Thoensen, senior vice president, Fullscreen Media’s Strategic Content Group. “This year we’ll put a new spin on fan favorites like Schooled and @SummerBreak, while also welcoming in a new class of creators to connect with audiences by breaking new ground in storytelling.”

Learn more at @ATTHelloLab.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation’s best data network* and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.** We’re one of the world’s largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions. 

Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and YouTube at youtube.com/att.

© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

*Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q3+Q4 2016 across 121 markets.

**Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; and voice roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

About Fullscreen Brandworks

Fullscreen Brandworks partners with major brands to tap into the power of social media with original entertainment, influencer marketing, multi-platform social content and targeted media through the Fullscreen media network. Fullscreen Media’s Strategic Content Group (SCG), a group within Fullscreen Brandworks, creates friendship-fueled entertainment franchises that are scalable, immersive and measurable for partners seeking lasting connections with their audiences. Helmed by Bryan Thoensen, SCG has brought to market AT&T’s SnapperHero, the first-ever episodic show built exclusively for Snapchat, which was shortlisted at Cannes and won a Streamy Award; @SummerBreak, an unscripted, award-winning YouTube franchise; and AT&T Hello Lab, a multi-year commitment at the forefront of mobile entertainment.  

Fullscreen Media

Fullscreen Media is a global leader in social-first entertainment experiences serving creators, brands and consumers. Fullscreen Media is comprised of three key businesses. Fullscreen Creator Network is the biggest network empowering creators through a variety of services, from audience development and programming support to management, content production and merchandising. Fullscreen Entertainment reaches consumers through creator-driven experiences from Fullscreen Live, original content from Fullscreen Productions and the pioneering Rooster Teeth studio, and subscription video on demand services “Fullscreen” and “Rooster Teeth.”

Fullscreen Media was founded in 2011 by CEO George Strompolos and is majority owned by Otter Media, a joint venture between AT&T and The Chernin Group. For more information, visit FullscreenMedia.co

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