NEW YORK, April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — FilmRise, the New York-based film and television studio and streaming network, and Venture 10 Studio Group have partnered with Mars Wrigley to produce a new reality competition series, “Follow Me,” that shows fans what it takes to become massively famous in the social media age. The announcement was made jointly today by Max Einhorn, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for FilmRise and John Stevens, Co-Founder of Venture 10 Studio Group and CEO of Clarion Capital Partners backed V10 Entertainment. Hosted and executive produced by Bethany Mota, and debuting on May 3, the series will exclusively debut this Spring on The FilmRise Streaming Network which includes FilmRise branded OTT and YouTube channels before expanding out to the universe of FilmRise AVOD and FAST partner platforms.
In FOLLOW ME, aspiring stars – each with a unique talent, background, and strategy for success – will compete in business-themed challenges across the series. The program will showcase the intense competition as they are tasked with building their follower bases. Throughout the series, contestants will be tasked with creating engaging content inspired by Mars Wrigley’s iconic portfolio of brands, like M&M’S®, SKITTLES®, SNICKERS® and ORBIT®.
Max Einhorn comments, “This is truly one of our most mainstream co-productions to date. Think ‘Biggest Loser’ meets ‘Big Brother’ meets ‘The Circle’. The series’ format combines two of the most popular mediums – social media and reality competition. It’s a high-stakes rivalry that comes with a ton of drama and will have viewers on the edge of their seats to see who stays and who is eliminated.”
Stevens of Venture 10 adds, “We are thrilled to be partnering with FilmRise and Mars Wrigley on what we believe will be a highly successful reality program. The original format, pairing competing influencers with mentors who help them grow their brands achieve the most followers, will draw a young audience base that has never watched a program like this. And, having FilmRise distribute the series worldwide, we know the program will have a vast, international footprint.”
“At Mars Wrigley, we’re focused on creating moments of everyday happiness for consumers everywhere, and that means integrating our iconic portfolio of brands throughout key platforms where fans are consuming content,” said Ray Amati, Media Director, Mars Wrigley. “Consumers look forward to seeing their favorite brands like M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, SKITTLES®, ORBIT® and TWIX® within key entertainment platforms they are passionate about, and influencers play a huge role in driving cultural relevance and interest with the next generation of Mars Wrigley fans.”
FOLLOW ME consists of eight 60-minute episodes. The first season features eight contestants, including a model, personal trainer, gamer, dancer, among others, that compete to win the grand prize of $50,000 along with other branded moments from sponsors including Six Flags, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Dave & Busters, and Versus Games. Show participants work in the “creator’s studio” and compete in various social media-based challenges. Contestants will also have access to top influencers including Charlotte McKinney, Alan Bersten (DWTS), Courtney Revolution (The Circle), Emily Mei, and Taya Miller, among others, who will serve as mentors. At the end of each episode the contestant with the least number of followers is eliminated. The one contestant with the most followers at the end of the competition will be crowned the winner and receive the $50,000 prize from Mars Wrigley, the official sponsor of FOLLOW ME.
In addition to Mota, the series is executive produced by Rick De Oliveira, Chance Wright, Hans Schiff, John Stevens, Max Einhorn, Spike Feresten, Jason Newman and Alexander Bushnell. De Oliveira also directs.
The deal was negotiated by Max Einhorn, SVP, Acquisitions and Co-Productions FilmRise and Molly Stenson of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang on behalf of V10.
