NT and TBS, divisions of Turner, and Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, are teaming up for a first-of-its-kind partnership designed to give the Wattpad community the opportunity to have their stories adapted for the TNT and TBS networks. The first project of the partnership will be The Tales from the Crypt horror block, the eagerly anticipated horror programming from Turner’s TNT and executive producer M. Night Shyamalan. Working together they will also extend their collaboration to sourcing content for both TNT and its sister network TBS. In addition, the deal includes access to Wattpad insights and data, which will assist in identifying fresh talent and trends across genres and pop-culture.
“Our partnership with Wattpad is a perfect intersection of content and fan engagement, where fans actually have the chance to directly influence and, in some cases even have their material optioned and developed by our networks,” said Justin Williams, senior vice president of digital ventures for TNT and TBS. “We’re especially excited to kick off our collaboration with a focus on TNT’s Tales from the Crypt horror block, which will tap into Wattpad’s strength in the horror genre.”
“There are many ways we can help the entertainment industry zero-in on new voices and stories with massive, built-in fan-bases. Through our partnership with Turner, Wattpad’s powerful insights, roster of influential writers, and hyper-engaged community of fans will help define the new scary,” said Aron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios. “The eagerly-anticipated Tales from the Crypt horror block marks the future of television where leading networks source content from fans and build programming together with the audience.”
Beginning with the Tales from the Crypt horror block, TNT and Wattpad will invite writers to bring their story ideas forward through contests and other opportunities that will be announced on the official Turner profile on Wattpad. Slated to premiere next year, the horror block will be a weekly dose of terror and suspense curated by Shyamalan, the Oscar®-nominated writer-director of The Sixth Sense, The Visit, and Unbreakable, and executive producer of the hit series Wayward Pines.
As part of a wider Turner initiative to bring new stories and storytellers to its network portfolio, the company will also tap into Wattpad’s complex, data-driven models to help identify fresh new talent and ideas from the more than 45 million Wattpad users and thousands of new stories shared daily on the platform. TBS and TNT’s development teams will review stories with an eye toward finding great ideas for television, digital and/or mobile platforms. The networks will then work with Wattpad to share story ideas and other material with the Wattpad community in order to receive immediate feedback from a global audience.
About Wattpad
Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, transforms how the world discovers, creates, and engages with stories. Since 2006, it has offered a completely social experience where people everywhere can participate and collaborate on content through comments, messages, and multimedia. Today, Wattpad connects a community of over 45 million people around the world through serialized stories about the things they love. As home to millions of fresh voices and fans who share culturally-relevant stories based on local trends and current events, Wattpad has unique pop culture insights in virtually every market around the world. Wattpad Studios co-produces stories for film, television, digital, and print, to radically transform the way the entertainment industry sources and produces content. Wattpad Brand Solutions offers new and integrated ways for brands to build deep engagement with consumers. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more at wattpad.com.
About TNT & TBS
TNT is one of cable’s top-rated networks. Seen across multiple platforms in 94 million households, TNT is home to such original drama series as Animal Kingdom, The Last Ship, The Librarians, Major Crimes, Murder in the First, Rizzoli & Isles and the upcoming Good Behavior, The Alienist and Will, along with a new horror block featuring Tales from the Crypt. TNT is also the cable home to popular dramas like Castle, Bones, Supernatural and Grimm; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®, the Live Nation Music Awards and the iHeartRadio Music Awards; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
TBS, a division of Turner, is basic cable’s #1 network with young adults. Available across multiple platforms in 95 million homes, TBS features bold, original scripted comedies, including American Dad!, Angie Tribeca, The Detour, Wrecked and the upcoming Search Party and People of Earth. The network also presents exciting competition series, such as Separation Anxiety and America’s Greatest Makers. In late night, TBS is home to CONAN, starring Conan O’Brien, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. In addition, the TBS lineup includes popular comedy hits like Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls; blockbuster movies; and live coverage of Major League Baseball’s regular and post-season play, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and the brand new eSports gaming league.
TBS and TNT are divisions of Turner, a Time Warner company. Turner creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., HLN, CNN International and CNN.com, TBS, TNT, TCM, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, iStream Planet and ELEAGUE.
