Rashida Jones (“Angie Tribeca”), Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”), Sasheer Zamata (“SNL”), Willow Smith (“True Jackson, VP”), and Zosia Mamet (“Girls”) are among Refinery29's collaborators at this year’s NewFronts. Via a press statement, the young women’s digital media company announced its 2017 NewFronts programming slate, the theme of which is “Our Party Is Women.”
Refinery29 selected projects that reinforce its “core values of self expression, creativity, and inclusivity” for three categories: long-form content, new/expanded channels and returning franchises, and live events.
The long-form content, produced includes work from Mamet and Jones. “Fabled,” exec produced by Mamet and Evan Jonigkeit, is an anthology series comprised of modern versions of classic fairytales. Jones’ docu-series “Girly” centers on young women around the globe “who refuse to stand on the sidelines as they redefine what it means to stand up, speak out, and be trailblazers.”
Refinery29’s new/expanded channels and returning franchises group is a collection of all types of projects, such as media brands, production companies, and narrative content. One of its projects is “The Drop,” a new series that “drops” music videos from female artists. Its first video is a song from Wood and her band, Rebel and a Basketcase.
Among the NewFronts live events are RIOT Writer’s Lab, a two-day comedy lab for six up-and-coming female comedians in which they’ll receive mentorship from established TV writers and execs like Zamata. Soundscape, from exec producer Smith, is a music video series that partners “next-gen female filmmakers with rising musicians to produce one-of-a-kind visual mixtapes that upend stereotypes.”
Refinery29 is also planning to expand Empathy Lab as part of this year’s live events lineup. The lab, in collaboration with Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Lab, is an “experiential data and insights offering.” At this year’s NewFronts, Empathy Lab “will work directly with brands to help them better understand their mission, maintain their values, and understand the role of empathy in today’s challenging and critical climate.”
“I am privileged to commission, create, and broadcast purposeful content that tells the many stories of female power and potential,” Amy Emmerich, Refinery29 CCO, said in a statement. “This year demonstrates that these critical representations of women are not only what the audience craves but also what they demand, and that servicing them is also good business.”
Check out the entire programming slate below, courtesy of Refinery29. The content will also be dispensed across the media company’s social media and distribution partners. For more information, go to the Refinery29 website.
Long-form scripted and unscripted content from R29 Originals and premier partners:
Fabled: A modern fairytale anthology series, executive produced by Zosia Mamet and Evan Jonigkeit, pays homage to the classic fairytale, filtered through the lens of heightened alternative realities. Upending the traditional fairytale structure that has long been infused with patriarchal gender norms.
Girly: Developed in collaboration with the Academy-Award-winning team Fictionless Films (Born Into Brothels) and Executive Producer Rashida Jones (Hot Girls Wanted), a docu-series following global change agents — girls who refuse to stand on the sidelines as they redefine what it means to stand up, speak out, and be trailblazers within their communities. Additionally, Girl Up and the United Nations Foundation are partners to help power the social impact campaign.
I’m an Anomaly: A long-form docu-series from R29 Originals that celebrates and explores anomalies, an abnormality, or a blip on the screen of life that doesn’t fit with the rest of the pattern. The women featured prove there are no rules, no prescriptions, and no limits on who you can be and what you can do.
New and expanded franchises and returning series:
RSVP: A new content brand launch that serves up a new go-to-guide for all things food, drink, and home. Based on the runaway success of R29’s beauty video series, Short Cuts, which today has eclipsed 500 million views, RSVP will feature snackable, aesthetically addictive tips and tools that break down the art of everyday living.
The Mention: This content brand upends the predictable mainstream celebrity coverage and offers a fresh and unfiltered celebration of entertainment subcultures. Featuring a plethora of R29 faces, The Mention will include a Facebook channel, newsletter, and weekly live video series, expanding way beyond just what celebs are wearing.
Strong Opinions Loosely Held: Following the success of the Top-10 iTunes podcast of the same name, R29 is expanding this brand to include a Facebook channel and Op-ed personal essay series penned by some of today’s most prolific female thought leaders. Created and hosted by Pop Culture Pirate, Elisa Kreisinger, Strong Opinions Loosely Held provides a female spin on pop culture and political issues, always showcasing the smartest side of what’s trending.
UnStyled Fashion Films: Based off the popular Instagram hashtag-turned-newsletter and podcast, Refinery29 will now debut UnStyled Fashion Films. Created by co-founder and Global EIC, Christene Barberich, this Instagram-first short film series will use hyper-elevated visuals and next-level styling to explore themes of confidence, perspective, and identity. Chloe x Halle, the newest stars to embody the spirit of #UnStyled, are the latest style pioneers slated to be featured in the franchise.
Beauty with Mi: This unscripted video series created by and starring Refinery29’s beauty writer, Mi-Anne Chan, chronicles the craziest trends, most cutting-edge treatments, and strangest cult obsessions in the beauty world. The Beauty with Mi series lives on R29’s YouTube and Snapchat Discover channels.
Power Faces: Based on the success of Short Cuts, this episodic series captures first-person narratives of real women who see make-up as their source of power, creating an intimate beauty portrait that redefines the term “signature look.”
60 Second Cities: The hugely popular insider’s guide to the must see cities you’ve never seen, consumed in just 60 seconds, returns for Season 2. Each episode takes the format of a hyper-shareable tour of a lesser-known travel destination that you need to know about now. Hosted by R29’s Fashion Editor At Large, Annie Georgia Greenberg, 60 Second Cities delivers the ultimate high-speed cheat-sheet for your next great getaway.
Try Living with Lucie: The second season of this unscripted video series follows Lucie Fink as she dives headfirst into social experiments, five days at a time. Lucie not only stars in this video series on Refinery29’s YouTube channel and Snapchat Discover Channel, but viewers can also find her living out her everyday adventures on Instagram stories.
The Drop: A new series that exclusively “drops” music videos from female artists to showcase their sounds and discover fresh new voices. The first video to premiere on The Drop comes courtesy of Evan Rachel Wood and her band, Rebel and a Basketcase, for their song Today, which they also performed LIVE at the NewFronts presentation.
Live events:
Empathy Lab: The Empathy Lab is a series of live events, videos, and social interactions all created with the purpose of deriving data and insights that aim to drive social change. Since announcing The Empathy Lab at last year’s NewFronts, Refinery29 has been collaborating with Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab, conducting a series of experiments to explore how to amplify empathetic understanding between people. The Lab examines and magnifies the role of empathy in our society by bringing together experts in the fields of social impact, media, and storytelling, to amplify personal connection and create a positive cultural shift.
RIOT Writer’s Lab: In partnership with TBS, Refinery29 is launching a two-day comedy lab in which six emerging female comedy creators will receive guidance from seasoned television writers & industry executives, including Sasheer Zamata.
Soundscape: From Executive Producer Willow Smith, this fashion-forward music video series pairs next-gen female filmmakers with rising musicians to produce one-of-a-kind visual mixtapes that upend stereotypes. The musicians will then take their videos on a nationwide tour that kicks off at the Los Angeles Music Video Festival this fall. Soundscape was Inspired by Dr. Stacy L. Smith’s groundbreaking research initiative at USC Annenberg, examining the inclusion of women in the artistic ranks and the business side of the music industry — the same methodology behind Refinery29’s successful ShatterBox Anthology, which was inspired by another research study from Dr. Smith highlighting that just 4.2% of the 100 top-grossing American films are made by female directors.
29Rooms LA: Back for its third year, and first time scaling to the West Coast, 29Rooms delivers an immersive live experience leading the way for a new type of social storytelling. As one of R29’s most successful IRL experiences (last year’s event reached one in two Instagram users globally and drove 250 million social interactions), 29Rooms continues to challenge the scope of live events all while connecting Refinery29’s audience with prestige brands. In addition to the new LA edition, R29 is in development on an augmented reality layer expanding 29Room’s digital footprint.
