Future Today, a specialist in CTV ad-supported solutions, has announced plans to launch original competition based TV series and movies on its Fawesome channel at the 2024 IAB NewFronts in New York.

For the first time, Future Today is creating original programming featuring stories and themes that resonate with Fawesome’s audience which is young and diverse. The median age of Fawesome’s audience is 40, and 21 per cent of its audience is African American and 27 per cent is Hispanic, respectively. The new programmes will launch later in 2024.

Future Today launched originals on its flagship Kids & Family channel – HappyKids, a few years ago, and this latest announcement continues to build on the success that the company has seen with originals on HappyKids. Future Today’s streaming apps and flagship channels include over 270,000 movies, TV shows, and video assets. This new chapter leverages learnings from billions of hours of content consumed across Future Today’s properties.

“Since our inception we have successfully delivered some of the top content to streaming families. Now with originals, we embark on the next chapter in our company’s growth,” said Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder at Future Today. “With the increase of subscription video-on-demand fatigue, these projects will expand our portfolio of quality content and give consumers original programming they desire at a price they love – free. Our new shows and movies are just the start. We aim to bring more original content to Fawesome viewers in the future!”

In partnership with Digital Media Studios, founded by Aaron L. Williams, Future Today has announced a slate of four Fawesome Originals. Among these are two  competition game shows and two  feature films chronicling the inspirational journeys of prominent African American leaders, including:

• Southern Food Truck Wars: A new bracket style, single elimination competition show featuring eight food truck owners showcasing the best southern food to a panel of three judges for the grand prize and the title Southern Food Truck Wars Champion.
• Game Night!: A new series that transforms beloved classic and familiar games into an exciting live game show experience with added twists, where contestants team up to compete for points and prizes.
• The Peanut Man: A biographical drama that chronicles George Washington Carver, a self-taught agricultural scientist who prayed to God for wisdom about the peanut.
• Greenwood Rising: A biographical drama that chronicles the remarkable journey of O.W. Gurley, a visionary entrepreneur whose determination and resilience transformed the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma into the iconic Black Wall Street.

“Our collaboration with Future Today for Fawesome Originals marks a significant milestone in our mission to deliver high-quality, engaging, and audience-specific made-to-order content,” said Aaron L. Williams, CEO of Digital Media Studios. “With our two new state-of-the-art facilities, we are thrilled to embark on this new journey with Future Today.”

Joshua K. Carpenter, Founder of Global Content, played a key role in facilitating and negotiating the production slate deal on behalf of Future Today and Digital Media Studios.

Carpenter added: “We are thrilled to help bring together forward-thinking companies to create data-driven original content for their passionate streaming audiences. We specialize in merging content creators and buyers into the loop of global licensing, and we’re excited for this new historical chapter, combining Future Today with Digital Media Studios and Aaron’s creative team for Fawesome Originals.”

“Original content that is exclusive to Future Today is a welcome and exciting addition to the portfolio. Future Today has the knowledge and expertise to be successful. Creating original content is a natural progression as we enter the next phase of streaming media. Having started with building apps, now it’s time to become storytellers,” said Jennifer D’Alessandro, Head of Ad Sales and Marketing at Future Today. “By developing original content, we have an opportunity to ideate storylines and integrate brands into the production, delivering new avenues to connect with audiences beyond ad creatives.”

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