AT&T Hello Lab Originals Announces Expanded 2018 Slate
AT&T* Hello Lab Originals, a joint venture with Fullscreen, has a new slate of 3 original series debuting in 2018. Geared toward millennial and Gen Z audiences, each series includes multiple points of story engagement, in addition to the scripted series —like social media interaction, companion vlogs, experiential elements and a podcast.
- “Starter Pack” which premieres on Facebook Watch on Aug. 20, merges digital creators and traditional talent to tell the story of a graduate of a prestigious art school turning her talent to an unexpected medium.
- “Guilty Party” returns to YouTube on Oct. 2 for the second installment of the fan-favorite series with an all-new storyline. Last season’s popular weekly vlogs will make a return, joined by a new podcast series “Suspect” where fans can further immerse themselves in the world of true crime.
- “The Bright Fight” centers around promoting online positivity and social responsibility directing from some of today’s biggest digital creators. Video content premieres on the digital creator’s social channels on Oct. 16.
“With each of these shows, we’re talking about the realities of the connected generation’s daily life through humor, drama and empowering content,” said Valerie Vargas, senior vice president, Advertising and Creative Services, AT&T. “We hope viewers find a community within each of these shows that speaks to them and encourage each other to spread positivity and make constructive change in their own world.”
“We begin our development process with the audience and what they need,” said Maude Standish, VP of Programming, Fullscreen. “What are they already getting? What are they asking for? Data truly drives initial programming and all our creative decisions. And it’s important to remember that this kind of entertainment is a magic spell cast by us and completed by the audience. They are critical to the success of all our programs.”
Fullscreen empowers talent and brands to build and monetize highly engaged, social-first audiences through best-in-class strategy, creative services and technology.
Details on the 2018 series:
“Starter Pack”
Ayana is left unprepared for adulthood after getting her master’s degree from a prestigious art school. On top of Ayana being broke, she and her meme-artist boyfriend Bryce just split up. Feeling pressure to prove herself, Ayana gets her dream job at a local museum and is determined to find “art” in the medium she previously deemed “the scum of the internet” – memes.
Episodes tackle current issues facing the digital community, such as IP, ownership and profit around digital content, through humor and entertainment. All creative department heads for “Starter Pack” were female, and real meme artists created authentic original memes for the show.
“Starter Pack” viewers can watch the series every Monday on Facebook Watch (facebook.com/ starterpackshow/) starting Aug. 20 and catch mockumentary episodes direct from the cast Wednesday-Friday. Fans can also look forward to a pop-up experience in downtown Los Angeles Oct. 5-14 with cast meet-and-greets, interactive photo elements, and, of course, meme art.
The diverse cast consists of digital creators and traditional talent including: Jasmine Luv, Anthony Padilla, Dytto, Michael Yo, Jessica Marie Garcia, Alyson Stoner, Lauren Giraldo, Kenny Knox, Lucas Cruikshank, Motoki Maxted, Mikaela Long and Ka5sh (pronounced cash).
“Guilty Party: History of Lying”
After an arsonist destroys a historic building on the fictitious Colvin College's campus leaving a wake of destruction, the enigmatic Professor Moynihan assembles a class of viable suspects within his mysterious “History of Lying” seminar, where the guilty party will be exposed.
In a first-of-its-kind integration, we’re giving fans never-before seen access to the show’s talent. They can catch weekly vlogs, accompanying the “Suspect” podcast hosted by the two female protagonists of the show. They’ll also get the chance to play the role of detective each week through specially created “homework” from the “Guilty Party: History of Lying” Google Classroom curriculum. “Suspect” will feature real interviews with experts in various fields, like body language expert, crime expert, the court of public opinion and more. Viewers can also play detective each week to uncover who was behind the school arson.
New episodes will be released every Tuesday, starting Oct. 2, on the “Guilty Party” YouTube channel and cast vlogs. “Suspect” will air on major podcast streaming platforms each week in the days following the premiere.
Starring cast members from the first season of “Guilty Party” include Teala Dunn, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, Jessie Paege, Miles McKenna, Tiffany Alvord, Vale Genta and Alexis G. Zall as well as new faces to the series: Andrea Russett, Gabriel Conte, Connor Trinneer, Audrey Whitby, Nick Fink and Sebastian Genta.
“The Bright Fight”
Influential digital creators, Scotty Sire, Nabela Noor and the Dobre Brothers, are using their reach to raise awareness for causes important to them, like environmentalism, body positivity and cyber bullying. AT&T and Fullscreen’s Later Haters campaign, which promotes positivity and kindness online, will encourage fans to take time to reflect, recharge and radiate more online love and positivity.
Starting Oct. 16, the team of influencers will release 3 videos each on their channels surrounding the issue they are passionate about to empower their followers and viewers to make a positive change. Each digital creator will also host fan activations related to their chosen cause and share in their final episodes.
