Fox Entertainment and Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat announced a new partnership Tuesday that will give the former first look at film and television productions developed from microseries under the latter’s Codeblack, Essence and Revolt brands. Following initial platform runs, Fox Entertainment Global will also distribute the verticals worldwide.
“Hartbeat has a powerful creative voice and an exceptional instinct for stories that connect with audiences,” Hannah Pillemer, head of scripted at FOX Entertainment Studios, said in a statement. “This partnership gives us an opportunity to identify bold ideas in the vertical space, see what resonates in real time and give those stories a path to grow into film and television. This strategic, audience-driven approach to developing IP fits naturally with how we’re growing FOX Entertainment Studios.”
This partnership pipeline between Fox Entertainment and Hartbeat will kick off with an initial slate of 25 live-action vertical series, set to live on the My Drama platform. That platform, created by Fox’s strategic partner Holywater Tech, will feature a special Codeblack destination for these microseries, making it the first dedicated branded channel on My Drama.
“It’s an exciting next step for My Drama as we continue to expand the platform and create new ways for brands and creators to connect directly with audiences,” Anatolii Kasianov and Bogdan Nesvit, co-founders and co-CEOs of Holywater Tech, Hartbeat in a statement.
This partnership between Fox Entertainment and Hartbeat comes as microseries and verticals take on a greater significance in Hollywood. Hartbeat announced in September a partnership with aTwist to bring an exclusive, original microseries slate to the platform. Fox Entertainment inked a deal with Dhar Mann in January for a 40-title microdrama slate.
“My vision has always been to bring the biggest cultural brands serving our audience together in one destination, and the partnership with Essence and Revolt makes that real,” Jeff Clanagan, founder of Codeblack and president and chief cistribution officer of Hartbeat, said in a statement. “Codeblack, Essence and Revolt have spent decades earning this audience’s trust. Now that audience has one home for stories made for them, in the format where they already spend their time. Holywater Tech brings the technology and platform expertise to deliver that experience the way this audience expects it. Vertical is where those stories start, not where they stop. The culture builds the audience, the audience chooses the stories, and with FOX the stories that win become film and television for the world.”
The post Fox Entertainment Partners With Hartbeat for Vertical IP Development, Distribution appeared first on TheWrap.
