Lights, Camera, Interaction: New Tubi Program Lets Fans Green-Light Movies and TV Shows
Issa Rae is part of the new initiative helping creatives bring projects to the small screen.
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
The Tubi Stubios program allows fans to be part of TV and film studio productions.
Ad-supported streaming service Tubi unveiled the beta launch of Stubios on Tuesday, a fan-centric program that lets creators and Tubi viewers to collaborate on the process of producing new films and TV show. The streamer invites fans to jump in on the action, with hopes to foster the ideas of a new crop of filmmakers and TV showrunners right from the conception phase through to fruition. Stubios is interactive, and viewers need only the app in order to participate in a production.
Budding storytellers -- deemed "Stubio runners" -- are selected by Tubi for the program and they can ask their fans for input throughout the process, including casting choices, music, story and artwork. The company's latest initiative is "built on viewer-driven trends underpinning the need to build new pathways for creatives to find success in Hollywood and for fans to find more stories they can see themselves in," according to the press release.
It's a different spin on crowdsourced projects and opens the way for creators who have built online followings through their content on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. Though we may see some familiar faces in the pool of creatives, Tubi says there no prior filmmaking experience is required to becoming a Stubio runner. If you want to participate as a fan who sees multiple projects through, you must have a registered account on the app.
The streamer funds the entire Stubios production, and once the new show or film goes live on the platform, anyone in Tubi's audience can watch it. If the viewership numbers are high enough, the creator's next project is green-lit. Tubi's first batch of creatives are already lined up, with Issa Rae serving as the group's mentor and her company ColorCreative supporting each production. Rae, a writer-director, got her start in show business with the web series Awkward Black Girl, which was partially crowdfunded through Kickstarter.
"I am deeply passionate about creating pathways to sustainable careers into Hollywood for creatives of diverse backgrounds," Rae said. "We at ColorCreative are thrilled to see Tubi taking this important and bold step, and we're excited to support and guide Stubios creatives on their first long-form projects."
One of the first Stubio runners is rapper Lady London, and fans will to be able to see her create a docuseries chronicling the making of her debut album. Additional projects are in the pipeline, and these are planned to hit the service by the end of the year. Those who are looking to pitch ideas can apply to be part of the next group of creatives in Tubi's beta program.
Tubi is a free streaming service that boasts more than 70 million monthly active users on its platform, with a library that carries thousands of movies and TV shows, including a stack of originals.