SANTA MONICA, Calif. and
SAN DIEGO, July 9, 2015 /CNW/ -- The Comic-Con
International subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, the new
platform from Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and Comic-Con International
launching early next year, will feature an original, unscripted
series with Her Universe, the wildly popular fangirl fashion
company, it was announced tonight to a packed crowd during the "Her
Universe Fashion Show" at this year's Comic-Con
International. The reality series, the first original content
announced for the new SVOD service, will follow the contestants as
they design their geek couture concepts from scratch and make plans
to model them at next year's "Her Universe Fashion Show."
Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars:
The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Founder of Her
Universe), Ashley Tisdale
(Clipped, Young and Hungry) and Jennifer Tisdale (Inner Circle) will
executive produce the series, which will be produced by Her
Universe, Blondie Girl Productions and Lionsgate.
"The Comic-Con SVOD service is about creating and delivering
content specifically for and about this amazing and passionate fan
base," said Seth Laderman, Executive
Vice President & General Manager of the new channel. "With
Ashley Eckstein and Ashley and Jennifer
Tisdale, we have an incredibly dynamic, creative, and
talented team with a broad range of experience in franchises that
our Comic-Con audience loves. We believe that they will
deliver a program that speaks directly to our core fans."
"We are beyond excited to be partnering with Lionsgate and
Comic-Con for this new platform," said Ashley Eckstein. "Five years ago, when we
launched Her Universe, fangirls were an afterthought and "Geek
Fashion" was nothing more than a men's boxy t-shirt. Together, with
my partner, The Araca Group, we set out to build an empowering
community and merchandise line for fangirls to step into the
spotlight and feel celebrated and stylish! Five years later Geek
Fashion is a trending topic and we cannot wait to show the world
that it's here to stay."
"One of the things we love about Ashley's "Her Universe" reality
show is that it captures the incredible diversity of our fan
culture," said Comic-Con's Director of Marketing & Public
Relations David Glanzer. "Not a
competition show in the traditional sense, this series will immerse
viewers in the preparations, excitement and suspense leading into
next year's geek fashion competition. It's a perfect kick-off to a
programming slate designed to bring the magic of Comic-Con to
online audiences 365 days a year."
The unscripted series will follow the designers as they are
chosen for the fashion show, the joy and stress of creating their
geek couture, and the pressure of the fashion show itself as they
wait to learn the winning designs selected by judges and the
audience. In addition to delivering the excitement of the
competition itself, the show will also give audiences an exclusive
behind-the-scenes look at how designers hone and practice their
craft. Further announcements are expected soon for a slate
that will be comprised of original content, films and television
series from Lionsgate and other studios aligned to Comic-Con fans'
diverse interests and archived footage from the Comic-Con
International Convention's 45-year history.
Last year, 17 of the top 20 North American box office
blockbusters had a presence at the Comic-Con International
Convention along with ground-breaking television series such as
The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. Comic-Con
International has grown from 300 attendees in the basement of
San Diego's U.S. Grant Hotel in
1970 to well over 130,000 fans from around the world in 2014,
marking its evolution into a staple of popular culture and the
longest-running comics and popular arts convention in
America. Badges for this year's Comic-Con sold out in 60
minutes.
Fans may visit Comic-Con.com to become the first to learn
details about the new service.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader
with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production
and distribution, television programming and syndication, home
entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms, video
games and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently
has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks
spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication
businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the
multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie,
the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The
Wendy Williams Show, the hit series Orange is the New
Black, the critically-acclaimed drama Manhattan and the breakout series
The Royals.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent
successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The
Hunger Games franchise, the first two installments of the
Divergent franchise, The Age of Adaline,
CBS/Lionsgate's The DUFF, John
Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions'
Love & Mercy and A Most Wanted Man,
Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films'
Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing
Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in
box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates.
Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of
approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is
an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the
foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The
Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original,
daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
www.lionsgate.com
ABOUT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL
Comic-Con International (CCI) is a nonprofit educational
organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation
for, comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the
presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic
and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. In addition
to its San Diego convention each
summer (the world's largest comics convention of its kind), CCI
organizes WonderCon each spring. On the web: Comic-Con.org,
Facebook.com/comiccon, Twitter.com/comic_con.
ABOUT HER UNIVERSE
Her Universe was launched in 2010 by actress and entrepreneur
Ashley Eckstein and The Araca Group,
a leading theatrical production and brand management company.
Ashley and Araca created Her Universe to address the expanding
market of female sci-fi and fantasy fans. Beginning with a license
for Star Wars, the company has since released fashion collections
for Marvel, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Studio Ghibli, Syfy, The Walking
Dead, Nerdist Industries and Transformers. You can learn more about
Her Universe and purchase the current lines of fangirl apparel and
accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com.
ABOUT BLONDIE GIRL PRODUCTIONS
Blondie Girl Productions is a Los
Angeles based production company that develops and produces
television and motion pictures with a focus on women's
entertainment and is run by sisters Ashley
Tisdale and Jennifer Tisdale.
Blondie Girl most recently was one of the producers behind ABC
FAMILY's breakout comedy hit "Young & Hungry" which returns to
TV August 12th - but can also now be
seen on Netflix & HULU. Ashley
Tisdale (President and Founder of Blondie Girl) returned to
television in the TBS comedy series "Clipped" which premiered
June 16th. Ashley is no
stranger to Comic-con as she voices the character of Candace Flynn in the Emmy Award winning and
BAFTA-nominated animated series, "Phineas and Ferb" on Disney XD
and Disney Channel. Blondie Girl Productions focus is to place an
emphasis on female characters that defy expectations as well as
creating stories that surprise and entertain its fans. Follow
Blondie Girl on Twitter @blondiegirlprod and on a Facebook at
facebook.com/blondiegirlproductions. You can follow Ashley Tisdale on Twitter @ashleytisdale and
Jennifer Tisdale
@jenkellytisdale
For further information, please contact:
Joanna Massey
Lionsgate
310-255-3602
jmassey@lionsgate.com
David Glanzer
Comic-Con International
619-414-1020
pr@comic-con.org
Dan Madsen
Her Universe
646-922-0663
dmadsen@araca.com
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SOURCE Lionsgate