The media company behind 'Godzilla'
and 'Pacific Rim' recently acquired 'Geek & Sundry,' the highly
influential Youtube channel headed by geek luminary Felicia Day. "I am
thrilled to have Geek & Sundry partner with a company I admire and
that aligns authentically with my audience's interests," Day told GamesIndustry.biz.
Shows on the Geek & Sundry channel include Tabletop, a series in
which celebrities play various tabletop games with actor Wil Wheaton;
Co-Optitude, in which Day and her brother Ryon play old videogames
together and Spellslingers, in which e-sports commentator Sean Plott
plays Magic: The Gathering with guests. The channel currently holds
around 1.5 million subscribers. The deal with Legendary was for an
undisclosed sum and will see Day create "scripted and non-scripted
projects for television and digital platforms."
Together with Kim Evey and Sheri Bryant, Day established Geek &
Sundry in 2012 as part of YouTube's 100 million dollar Original Channel
Initiative, which provided funding for original content on the video
sharing website. Other channels established include SourceFed, Crash
Course and Maker Studios.
Bruce Rosenblum, president of Legendary Television and Digital Media said of the deal, "Bringing Felicia and her stable of branded digital content to Legendary gives the Geek & Sundry properties access to our unique digital infrastructure and also brings us a step closer to expanding the Legendary brand beyond traditional media platforms." He added, "Geek & Sundry has a passionate fan base with one of the most recognizable brands in the community. We are thrilled to have
Felicia's talent, creativity and ingenuity become a part of our growing digital team."
This isn't the first time Legendary Entertainment has invested in digital entertainment production companies. In 2012, it acquired multimedia company Nerdist Industries, a network of podcasts headed by actor/comedian Chris Hardwick. In the course of following years, Nerdist expanded into a premium content Youtube channel and a news division. A television incarnation of its flagship podcast, "The Nerdist Podcast," is produced and aired on BBC America.
Day reiterated her excitement: "As someone who's been working in digital entertainment for eight years, I am excited to see my company grow with Legendary, and to be able to keep making award-winning content within the changing digital landscape. And as a creator, I look forward to making fantastic things together, bringing projects I am passionate about to all platforms." — TJD, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
