TNT and TBS, divisions of Turner, and Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, are teaming up for a first-of-its-kind partnership designed to give the Wattpad community the opportunity to have their stories adapted for the TNT and TBS networks. The first project of the partnership will be theTales from the Crypthorror block, the eagerly anticipated horror programming from Turner’s TNT and executive producerM. Night Shyamalan. Working together they will also extend their collaboration to sourcing content for both TNT and its sister network TBS. In addition, the deal includes access to Wattpad insights and data, which will assist in identifying fresh talent and trends across genres and pop-culture. Here’s whatJustin Williams, senior vice president of digital ventures for TNT and TBS, had to say in his statement.
“Our partnership with Wattpad is a perfect intersection of content and fan engagement, where fans actually have the chance to directly influence and, in some cases even have their material optioned and developed by our networks. We’re especially excited to kick off our collaboration with a focus onTNT’sTales from the Crypthorror block, which will tap into Wattpad’s strength in the horror genre.”
Beginning with theTales from the Crypthorror block, TNT and Wattpad will invite writers to bring their story ideas forward through contests and other opportunities that will be announced on the official Turner profile on Wattpad. Slated to premiere next year, thehorror blockwill be a weekly dose ofterrorandsuspensecurated byShyamalan, the Oscar-nominated writer-director ofThe Sixth Sense,The VisitandUnbreakable, and executive producer of the hit seriesWayward Pines. Here’s whatAron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios, had to say in his statement.
“There are many ways we can help the entertainment industry zero-in on new voices and stories with massive, built-in fan-bases. Through our partnership with Turner, Wattpad’s powerful insights, roster of influential writers, and hyper-engaged community of fans will help define the new scary. The eagerly-anticipatedTales from the Crypthorror block marks the future of television where leading networks source content from fans and build programming together with the audience.”
As part of a wider Turner initiative to bring new stories and storytellers to its network portfolio, the company will also tap into Wattpad’s complex, data-driven models to help identify fresh new talent and ideas from the more than 45 million Wattpad users and thousands of new stories shared daily on the platform. TBS and TNT’s development teams will review stories with an eye toward finding great ideas for television, digital and/or mobile platforms. The networks will then work with Wattpad to share story ideas and other material with the Wattpad community to receive immediate feedback from a global audience.
Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, transforms how the world discovers, creates, and engages with stories. Since 2006, it has offered a completely social experience where people everywhere can participate and collaborate on content through comments, messages, and multimedia. Today, Wattpad connects a community of over 45 million people around the world through serialized stories about the things they love. As home to millions of fresh voices and fans who share culturally-relevant stories based on local trends and current events, Wattpad has uniquepop cultureinsights in virtually every market around the world. Wattpad Studios co-produces stories for film, television, digital, and print, to radically transform the way the entertainment industry sources and produces content. Wattpad Brand Solutions offers new and integrated ways for brands to build deep engagement with consumers. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more at wattpad.com.
