AOL to Launch ‘Connected,’ Its First Longform Series, March 31
AOL is set to debut its first longform digital series — half-hour reality show “Connected,” featuring New Yorkers documenting their lives on handheld camcorders — on March 31.
Adapted from the Israeli docu-drama series of the same name from Koda Communications, AOL’s “Connected” is set to roll out four episodes every two weeks, with a total of 20 episodes overall. The episodes will be available at AOLOriginals.com and on other connected devices.
Stars of the series include Jonathan Bricklin, aspiring writer and owner of Spin club in New York, with his girlfriend, actress Susan Sarandon.
AOL first announced the deal for “Connected” last year, promoting the show concept at the 2014 Digital Content Newfronts. Executive producers are Dermot McCormack, president of AOL Video and AOL Studios; Ram Landes and Ami Teer of Koda; and Morgan Spurlock of Warrior Poets.
AOL’s “Connected” will feature six personal stories, weaving together the subjects’ lives and experiences using footage shot over the course of six months.
“‘Connected’ marks a new genre in the world of reality television, capturing authentic, real-life stories in a way that we’ve never seen before,” McCormack said.
Added Spurlock, “This series pulls back the curtain on the world of overproduced, fabricated reality TV, and what emerges is raw emotion and real storytelling.”
AOL has signed Sprint as the exclusive sponsor of “Connected.”
The stars of “Connected” are Bricklin and Sarandon; Derek Gaines, standup comedian and host of MTV’s “Broke A$$ Game Show”; Nina Ferrer-Mannino, an interior designer, architect and photographer, and her husband Stefano Mannino; Eli and Ido Bender-Taicher, a married pair of high-tech executives; Lori Levine, CEO and founder of Flying Television celebrity marketing, and fiancé Jan van Arsdale; and radio and TV host Rosie Noesi and boyfriend Joshua Baggett.
Related stories
Verizon Eyes Launch of Internet TV Service with 20-30 Channels This Year
AOL Acquires Video-Syndication Firm Vidible
AFM: Morgan Spurlock Boards 'Rats NYC' Documentary
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
