HBO Max Goes Straight to Series with Pair of Kids’ Competitions

HBO Max is bolstering its slate of original kids’ content with the commission of two new competition series, Karma and Craftopia.

Karma, an 8×1-hour series, will be hosted by Michelle Khare, an extreme lifestyle enthusiast with almost 2 million followers on YouTube. Karma, currently in production, takes 16 contestants, ranging in age from 12 to 15, completely off the grid to solve puzzles and overcome physical challenges, with the laws of karma setting the rules.

The 8×30-minute Craftopia will be hosted by Lauren Riihimaki, aka LaurDIY, one of YouTube’s top creators with over 21 million followers across all her social platforms. Craftopia is a kids’ crafting competition, challenging 9- to 15-year-old contestants to put their imaginations to the test and make their crafting dreams come true in a magical studio.

“We are giving kids an opportunity to show us their absolute best as they strive for excellence in both challenging and creative situations,” said Jennifer O’Connell, executive VP of original content at HBO Max. “With Michelle and Lauren at the helms, we are aiming to surprise and delight our young viewers. These shows are incredible additions to our growing list of HBO Max kids originals.”