Hulu Announces New Original Series from Freddie Wong and RocketJump, Creators of Video Game High School

LOS ANGELES and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2015 /CNW/ -- Hulu has greenlit an order for a long-form comedy series from Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and RocketJump, the three companies announced today. The series will be produced by RocketJump in association with Lionsgate Television and will stream exclusively on Hulu.

Fresh off the Season 3 success of RocketJump's YouTube series Video Game High School, the new Hulu original will expand upon the global success of Freddie Wong and RocketJump's short films. Each half-hour episode of the series will chronicle the filmmaking behind RocketJump's newest short. The eight full episodes will be released exclusively on Hulu on a weekly basis and the newly-created shorts will premiere exclusively on Hulu as well.

The project marks RocketJump's first series for Hulu and first series to premiere exclusively off the YouTube network.

"As we continue to add the best talent to Hulu, it was a natural choice for us to partner with Freddie Wong and RocketJump," said Beatrice Springborn, Head of Originals, Hulu. "With so many great content creators in the media landscape – from film, to television, to YouTube – Freddie Wong and the RocketJump team undoubtedly bring their own brand of creativity and a new wave of talent to Hulu."

With over 7 million subscribers and over 1 billion video views, RocketJump has established themselves as one of the premier creators of award-winning digital content. Their breakout action comedy YouTube series Video Game High School generated over 84 million views within just its first two seasons, and was named Variety's best web series of 2013.

"We firmly believe the future of television is online, and Hulu has recognized the value of quality long-form series," said Freddie Wong, co-founder of RocketJump. "We're incredibly excited to bring our brand of over-the-top action and comedy to a new audience in a show that will change the way you look at independent filmmaking."

"We're thrilled that Hulu has greenlit the first long-form series from our collaboration with Freddie Wong and the incredibly talented team at RocketJump," said Lionsgate Digital's Jordan Gilbert. "Freddie is one of digital media's most prolific and visionary creators, and this new series underscores our commitment to build our own unique pipeline of long-form digital content for online television audiences."

The series joins Deadbeat and Casual as the third original series Hulu has ordered from Lionsgate.

About Hulu
Hulu is a premium streaming TV destination that seeks to captivate and connect viewers with the stories they love by creating amazing experiences that celebrate the best of entertainment and technology. As we pursue this mission, we strive to continue to redefine and reinvent the TV-viewing experience.

About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first installment of the Divergent franchise, Now You See Me, John Wick, Warm Bodies, Roadside Attractions' A Most Wanted Man, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com

About RocketJump
RocketJump Studios is a digital entertainment company that specializes in development, production and distribution of original web video content, TV shows and feature films.  Since its humble beginnings in 2010, as the FreddieW YouTube channel, RocketJump has since rebranded itself as a pioneer in the digital direct to consumer new media landscape. Co-founded by Freddie Wong, Matthew Arnold, and Desmond Dolly, RocketJump has amassed a catalogue of hundreds of original action, comedy and family oriented videos that have gained over 1 billion views across their 7 million subscribers on YouTube alone.  In addition to Hollywood-quality VFX laden shorts and web series, RocketJump is expanding their business into new forms of media including comics, games, podcasts and more feature length offerings.

Press contacts:
Hulu
Barrie Gruner
424-322-2237
[email protected] 

Lionsgate
Peter D. Wilkes
310-255-3726
[email protected]

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SOURCE Lionsgate