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Hulu dips its foot into the big-boy content creation space in two weeks with “A Day in the Life,” an original documentary series from filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,” “Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” “Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?”). Split into six half-hour episodes, “A Day in the Life” highlights a– well, a day in the life– of one personality per show, all up close and personal like. The first, which premieres August 17, will focus on fast-living entrepreneur Richard Branson. Subsequent installments will feature will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, edgy comedian Russell Peters and musician Girl Talk, among others. It’s all part of a new initiative by the online TV service to hook up with independ
ent-minded filmmakers to finance production of exclusive content for its portal.
“As a filmmaker, I am always looking for new and exciting ways to reach an audience and to tell stories,” said Spurlock. “When the opportunity to create an original doc series with Hulu presented itself, I jumped at the chance… They’re not afraid to take risks and they’ve been an amazing distribution partner on all our films. I can’t think of a better environment to share ‘A Day in the Life’ stories with millions of people.”
The episodes will debut on Hulu and the Hulu Plus subscription service every Wednesday beginning in two weeks. Spurlock is producing through his production company Warrior Poets with his producing partner, Jeremy Chilnick. Hulu has jumped in on smaller productions in the past, but by teaming with such a high-profile name for its first full-length series, the company is signaling that it could become a major contender in the original production as well as distribution space. With its service being inherently on-demand, the company also boasts a more targeted distribution channel than traditional terrestrial broadcasters.
Still, Hulu says it’s just stepping in where the traditional studio/network systems leave off.
“We are being extremely deliberate and precise in targeting original content that would not find a natural home on traditional distribution outlets,” said Andy Forssell, SVP of Content Acquisition and Distribution. ” ‘A Day in the Life’ is a great example of the kind of content we will be providing as part of our original programming on Hulu.”
Get a sneak peek at “A Day in the Life” and an interview with Morgan Spurlock.
