Lionsgate Forges Innovative Content Partnership With RocketJump Studios
Multiyear Development Deal Encompasses Film, Television And Digital Content
SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the premier next generation global content leader, and RocketJump Studios, a pioneering digital studio that has emerged as one of YouTube's hottest innovators, have formed a ground-breaking multiyear partnership for the creation of film, television and digital content, the two companies announced today.
RocketJump has surged to online stardom with its effects-laden short films and iconic web series Video Game High School, now in its third season. Since its founding four years ago by Freddie Wong, Matt Arnold and Dez Dolly, the company has launched a broad range of properties on YouTube and RocketJump.com that have propelled it to over 6.8 million subscribers and nearly a billion views across all platforms. Lionsgate, whose content portfolio includes The Hunger Games, Twilight and Divergent franchises, 34 television series on 22 different networks and a 15,000-title film and TV library, has established a reputation as an innovator in the digital space.
The deal enables Lionsgate to access RocketJump's upcoming slate of digital content, in-house talent and devoted fan base while allowing RocketJump to utilize Lionsgate's content leadership and global marketing prowess, bringing more long-form projects to its audience while continuing to expand its roster of weekly shorts, podcasts and tutorials.
"This partnership unites two entrepreneurial companies with similar cultures and a shared commitment to build new models for creating and delivering content to the next generation of audiences," said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer. "Freddie Wong is one of digital media's most prolific and visionary creators, and RocketJump is a bold and innovative platform that expands the breadth and diversity of content we bring to our audiences and extends our storytelling abilities in exciting new directions."
"Lionsgate stood out as the one studio that really gets our brand and will give us the freedom to flourish as digital content creators and distributors," said Wong. "It's rare to find a corporate partner who encourages true creativity, but our meetings with Lionsgate's creative team convinced us that this is the right move for RocketJump and our millions of fans."
The RocketJump agreement expands a Lionsgate digital portfolio that already includes a stake in the Defy Media online platform, the BeFit branded fitness channel on YouTube, a reputation for innovative film marketing campaigns utilizing social media from Saw to The Hunger Games and Divergent franchises, original programming like the hit television series Orange is the New Black and the new comedy Deadbeat for digital platforms Netflix and Hulu, respectively, and a passionate fan base of nearly 400 million followers of Lionsgate content on Facebook.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has 34 television shows on 22 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 comedy Anger Management, the network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed series Orange is the New Black.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first two installments of The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the first installment of the Divergent franchise, Now You See Me, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Warm Bodies, The Expendables 2, The Possession, Sinister, Roadside Attractions' Mud and Pantelion Films' breakout hit 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 rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 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.
ABOUT ROCKETJUMP
RocketJump Studios is a digital entertainment company that specializes in development, production and distribution of original web video content, TV shows and feature films. Since its humble beginnings in 2010, as the FreddieW YouTube channel, RocketJump has since rebranded itself as a pioneer in the digital direct to consumer new media landscape. Co-founded by Freddie Wong, Matthew Arnold, and Desmond Dolly, RocketJump has amassed a catalogue of hundreds of original action, comedy and family oriented videos that have gained over 1 billion views across their 7 million subscribers on YouTube alone. In addition to Hollywood-quality VFX laden shorts and web series, RocketJump is expanding their business into new forms of media including comics, games, podcasts and more feature length offerings.
RocketJump boasts their ground-breaking full length web series, Video Game High School - now entering its third season. The first season of VGHS and its 55 million views made it one of the most watched original scripted digital series of all-time. With a presenting sponsorship from Dodge Automobiles, and another record breaking crowd-funding campaign (Season Two broke Kickstarter records and raised over $800,000 in 28 days) the second season of VGHS went on to be named the "#1 Webseries of 2013" by Variety and was a runaway hit on Netflix. The third season of VGHS smashed all previous crowd-funding records and is currently filming in Los Angeles, California.
A rocket jump is a videogame technique where you point a rocket launcher at your feet, jump, and then fire, using the resulting explosive force of the rocket to propel you to unfathomable heights. Company co-founders, Freddie Wong, Matt Arnold and Dez Dolly, couldn't think of a name more suited to the kind of content they produce. RocketJump Studios content offerings can be found on YouTube/RocketJump and on their custom portal, www.RocketJump.com.
For further information, please contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
Lionsgate
310-255-3726
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SOURCE Lionsgate
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