AOL, Koda Communications & Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets Announce Series Launch of ‘Connected’
March 02 2015 - 3:36PM
Business Wire
AOL’S First Long Form Digital Series Will
Launch March 31st
#IAmConnected
AOL Originals’ Dermot McCormack, Koda Communications' Ram
Landes and Warrior Poets’ Morgan
Spurlock announced today that their upcoming digital
series, Connected, will launch on March 31.
The first long-form series for AOL Originals, is set to roll out
four episodes every two weeks with a total of 20 episodes airing
overall at http://www.AolOriginals.com. Adapted from the
award-winning Israeli docu drama series from Koda Communications
(“Mehubarim Plus”), Connected will be set in New York City,
featuring real people, real problems and real emotions. Dermot
McCormack of AOL Originals, Ram Landes and Ami Teer of Koda
Communications as well as Morgan Spurlock of Warrior Poets serve as
executive producers on the show.
Connected is an innovative docu-drama series capturing
American life through the eyes of extraordinary New Yorkers.
Connected will feature six personal stories, weaving
together the people, lives and experiences that make up the fabric
of New York City. Each character was given a camcorder to
intimately document their own lives over the course of six
months.
"Connected marks a new genre in the world of reality
television, capturing authentic, real life stories in a way that
we’ve never seen before,” said Dermot McCormack, President of AOL
Video and AOL Studios. “We’re excited to bring this new form of
storytelling exclusively to the AOL audience on all screens."
What emerges in this unique new series is a groundbreaking
format that merges the documentary, drama and reality genres. The
stories are filmed and told by the characters themselves, thus
remaining organically grounded in their real life conflicts and
dilemmas. By revealing their individual life stories and
relationships, the characters create a larger narrative of who we
are as a society and establish the reminder that we are all
universally Connected.
“This series pulls back the curtain on the world of
over-produced, fabricated reality TV, and what emerges is raw
emotion and real storytelling,” said Morgan Spurlock, Executive
Producer of Connected and President and Founder of Warrior
Poets. “The characters are truly brave and aspirational in what
they share with the world.”
The subjects include Nina Ferrer-Mannino (interior
designer, architect photographer) and husband Stefano
Mannino; Jonathan Bricklin (aspiring writer and owner of
SPIN in New York) with his girlfriend Susan Sarandon;
Derek Gaines (stand-up comedian and host of MTV’s Broke A$$
Game Show); Eli and Ido Bendet-Taicher (married high tech
executives); Lori Levine (CEO & founder of Flying
Television celebrity marketing) and fiancé Jan van Arsdale;
and Rosie Noesi (radio & TV host) and boyfriend
Joshua Baggett.
Sprint is the exclusive, premiere sponsor of Connected -
a natural fit for the brand, as the show’s theme reminds viewers of
the universal bond and influence of communication within
families.
New episodes of Connected will be released every two
weeks following the premiere:
April 13: Episodes 5-8April 27: Episodes
9-12May 11: Episodes 13-16May 25: Episodes 17-20
For more information and upcoming news on Connected and other
AOL Original series follow us @AolOriginals on Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and Tumblr.
ABOUT AOL
AOL (NYSE:AOL) is a media technology company with a
mission to simplify the Internet for consumers and creators by
unleashing the world's best builders of culture and code. As the
4th largest online property in the U.S., with
approximately 200 million monthly consumers of its premium
brands, AOL is at the center of disruption of how content is
being produced, distributed, consumed and monetized by connecting
publishers with advertisers on its global, programmatic content and
advertising platforms. AOL's opportunity lies in shaping the future
of the digitally connected world for decades to come. Follow
@AolOriginals on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr for more
upcoming news about Connected and other AOL Original Series
ABOUT KODA COMMUNICATIONS
Koda Communications is one of Israel's most innovative
production companies, recognized as a powerhouse of creativity and
management, as well as an executive force of cutting-edge products
for the television industry. Founded by Ram Landes in 2006, Koda
has since accumulated high esteem and recognition as a
one-stop-shop for content.
ABOUT WARRIOR POETS
Warrior Poets is a New York based production company
founded in 2004 by Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Morgan
Spurlock. Since its creation, he and producing partner Jeremy
Chilnick have produced multiple award winning films and television
programs. Films include One Direction: This Is Us, POM
Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Comic-Con:
Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope, Mansome, Where in the World is Osama bin
Laden?, and Freakonomics. Television projects include the
award-winning FX series 30 Days, the IDA award-winning CNN series
Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man, Showtime’s 7 Deadly Sins, ESPN’s The
Dotted Line, Emmy and Writer’s Guild nominated The Simpsons 20th
Anniversary Special in 3D on Ice!. Digital projects include Hulu’s
A Day in the Life, Yahoo’s Mansome, Failure Club, and Losing It
with John Stamos, and Sky Atlantic HD’s Morgan Spurlock’s New
Britannia.
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AOLCherie Gallarello,
212-652-6345Cherie.gallarello@teamaol.comorSUNSHINE
SACHSTiffany Malloy,
212-691-2800Malloy@sunshinesachs.comorMorgan Michaels,
212-691-2800Michaels@sunshinesachs.com