Tubi will give up-and-coming creatives a streaming platform — and funding — for their passion projects, with an assist from Issa Rae.
The Fox Corp.-owned free, ad-supported streamer launched Stubios, which it calls “a fan-fueled studio” for aspiring filmmakers and their fans. The idea: Tubi will give viewers the power to greenlight content from selected creatives, based on viewing activity. Tubi will finance production of the projects from each of the “Stubiorunners,” and if the resulting series or film garners a sufficient amount of viewership, the company will also finance the creator’s next project.
Rae, the actor-writer-producer best known for her HBO show “Insecure,” will serve as a mentor for the Stubiorunners in the program, drawing on her own experiences transitioning from digital content (her breakout web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”) to long-form entertainment formats. Stubiorunners will receive script support, one-on-one calls with Rae and creative production support from ColorCreative, the management and production company she co-founded.
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Films and series created under the program will be distributed and promoted on Tubi, with the first projects expected to go live before the end of 2024. Stubiorunners will receive an executive producer credit, and Tubi will pay them a flat fee for their original intellectual property and work on the project. (The company declined to specify the amount of the fees or size of production budgets.)
One of the first three Stubiorunners kicking off the program is rapper-songwriter Lady London, who rose to fame after freestyles she shared on Twitter went viral. As a Stubiorunner, “Lady London will bring her fans along on a journey as she produces a docuseries that will explore her life and music-making and capture the creation of her debut album,” according to Tubi. (The company plans to reveal the other two inaugural creators later in May.) Starting May 7, creatives can apply to be a part of the next group selected for the Stubios program at this link; applications are being accepted through May 31 or until 750 entries are submitted. In addition, fans will be able to sign up for a free Stubios account and get notified when creatives join the program.
Stubios is part of Tubi’s commitment “to a programming strategy that resonates with younger and diverse audiences,” said Tubi CEO Anjali Sud. “Stubios is a way to give creatives with invested fanbases an opportunity to tell stories that may not otherwise be greenlit in Hollywood, and it will enable Tubi to ensure our programming reflects culture as it is happening.” She said Tubi — with more than 240,000 movies and TV episodes in the U.S. — has the largest library of streaming content in the market, and taps into data to gain insights into viewing.
Rae, in a statement, said, “I am deeply passionate about creating pathways to sustainable careers into Hollywood for creatives of diverse backgrounds. We at ColorCreative are thrilled to see Tubi taking this important and bold step, and we’re excited to support and guide Stubios creatives on their first long-form projects.”
ColorCreative president Talitha Watkins added: “I am immensely proud to partner with Tubi in launching Stubios, empowering diverse voices in entertainment. Together, we’re shaping the future of storytelling, fostering inclusivity, and providing mentorship and production support to emerging talent to cultivate a community where creativity thrives.”
Creatives accepted into the Stubios program have the ability to ask fans their opinion on any number of things — from casting to key art, and from storylines to musical score. Fans are able to follow along throughout the production process.
“Fans want more skin in the game in how things get made – they’ll almost be treated like mini-producers” with the Stubios projects, said Tubi CMO Nicole Parlapiano. She emphasized that Stubios is not a user-generated content play. “We believe we have internal resources to help the Stubiorunners be successful,” she said.
Melody Hildebrandt, CTO of Fox Corp., collaborated with the Tubi team on Stubios. “Tubi, we think, is a perfect platform for this,” she said. “It provides the funding, production, distribution and the next greenlight.”
