Dan Harmon to produce scripted series for YouTube Red. (Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com).
YouTube Red has ordered a six episode first season of a scripted comedy set in the world of competitive game. Community creator Dan Harmon is executive producing through his Starburns Industries production company. eSports industry and and professional gamers Michele Morrow and Jesse Cox created the still untitled series, which will premiere on the Game Grumps YouTube channel is 2017.
Michael Waldron, Steve Levy and Game Grumps’s Arin Hanson Danny Adivan and Brent Lilley are executive producing with Morrow and Cox. Morrow will also act in the series. Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe are set as as showrunners.
Get the details from this press release.
YOUTUBE ORDERS eSPORTS COMEDY FROM STARBURNS INDUSTRIES
Dan Harmon’s Starburns Industries Teams with Popular YouTube Channel Creators Game Grumps on Scripted Series to Premiere in 2017 on YouTube Red
Los Angeles, CA – October 17, 2016 – YouTube and Starburns Industries, Dan Harmon’s Emmy Award-winning production company, today announced an order for a new scripted half-hour comedy series featuring YouTube stars Dan Avidan and Arin Hanson of Game Grumps for YouTube Red. The series follows a newly formed team of eSports players trying to make it to the top in the cutthroat world of competitive gaming. Michele Morrow and Jesse Cox, eSports industry and gaming professionals, created the series. The six-episode order will debut on Game Grumps popular YouTube channel in 2017.
The show will be executive produced by Starburns’ Dan Harmon (whose producing credits include “Community” and “Rick & Morty”), Michael Waldron, Steve Levy and Game Grumps’s Arin Hanson Danny Adivan and Brent Lilley. Michele Morrow and Jesse Cox will also serve as executive producers. Morrow will also act in the series. Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe (“Rick & Morty”) will serve as showrunners. This eSports comedy will target Game Grumps highly engaged YouTube audience of over 4.3 million subscribers and the millions of gaming and eSports fans on YouTube.
“Right now, we’re witnessing the rapid growth, and growing pains, of the eSports industry at large. Jesse and I wanted to create a series that dropped a team of underdogs into the middle of this madness. Starburns Industries, Game Grumps and YouTube Red are the perfect partners for us to bring this series to life,” said series Co-Creator and Executive Producer Michele Morrow.
“We’re excited to be the ones finally bringing video game content to YouTube,” said Executive Producer Dan Harmon.
“Video games are wildly popular on YouTube and we’re thrilled to bring fans this comedy about the world of competitive gaming,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content, YouTube. “Starburns Industries and Game Grumps are combining two things their audiences’ love – comedy and video games. It will be fun to watch how these characters comically deal with their ‘underdog’ status while still trying to win big.”
In announcing the series, YouTube is building off of the success of the Game Grumps channel to launch more ambitious content for its creators. YouTube Red empowers creators to evolve the level of their content and collaborate with top writers, producers and directors to create exciting new Original series and films.
YouTube Red is a paid membership that gives you an enhanced, uninterrupted experience across YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube Gaming. Members also get exclusive access to new Original series and movies from top YouTube creators. YouTube Red is currently available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, with plans for additional international expansion next year.
Dan Harmon is represented by CAA and attorneys Shelby Weiser and Robert Offer. Starburns Industries is represented by CAA and attorneys Mitchell Manger, Brad Small and Matt Galsor at Greenberg Glusker.
Michele Morrow and Jesse Cox are represented by attorney Lawrence Kopeikin and manager Antranig Balian of Mortar Media.
ABOUT YOUTUBE
Launched in May 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube is a Google company.
ABOUT STARBURNS INDUSTRIES
Co-founded by Dan Harmon, Dino Stamatopoulos, Joe Russo and James A. Fino in 2010, Starburns Industries is an innovative and imaginative full-service production company, specializing in stop-motion, traditional 2D, and CG animation. In addition to specialized live-action projects, the studio creates groundbreaking animation for film, television and new media distribution. Starburns’ award-winning prolific slate of programming includes the critically acclaimed comedy Community, animated series Rick & Morty, genre-defying Harmonquest, scripted live-action series Great Minds, and the Oscar-nominated film Anomalisa.
ABOUT GAME GRUMPS
Game Grumps launched in July, 2012. The main show is hosted by Arin Hanson and Dan Avidan, who despite their apparent lack of ability to play video games, get over three million views daily. Game Grumps produces three shows and thirty minutes of content a day – which has generated over a billion views since launch.
What do you think? Do you subscribe to YouTube Red? How do you like the sound of Dan Harmon’s new scripted comedy? Tell us.
