Anthony Zuiker’s BlackBoxTV Ready for YouTube

BEVERLY HILLS: YouTube has set a launch date of Friday, April 13, for the BlackBoxTV premium channel, from CSI creator Anthony Zuiker in collaboration with director Tony E. Valenzuela and Collective Digital Studio.

BlackBoxTV will present horror, thriller and sci-fi content online. The new channel, part of YouTube’s premium programming strategy, will build upon the BlackBoxTV online anthology series from Valenzuela. The lineup includes BlackBoxTV: Silverwood; Anthony E. Zuiker Presents, an anthology series; Black Friday, a magazine format exploring pop culture; and True Stories, a reality show focused on the scary and supernatural.

"Online is not a new medium, it’s a movement and without a doubt, the future of storytelling," said Zuiker. "With their new channels, YouTube is giving content creators more than just a platform, they are giving us the creative freedom—a playground—to do all of the things we have been yearning to do. Because of this, we are excited about the opportunity to create premium programming that features great talent and breaks new ground for a YouTube channel."

"I believe now, as I did when I uploaded my first short film in 2007, that YouTube offers filmmakers an amazing place to showcase their work and share their stories,” commented Valenzuela. “I am extremely excited to jump into this next phase of BlackBoxTV with my new partners and the talent to deliver the best sci-fi, horror and thriller content to the web."

Michael Green, the CEO of The Collective who is co-producing and marketing the channel through its Collective Digital Studio, added, “Collective Digital Studios is constantly looking to develop new opportunities and pairing Anthony and Tony on YouTube was an attractive proposition. With a proven track record in creating content that resonates with viewers, we have attracted a diverse cross section of actors and directors for this new slate of programming that is compelling and action packed. We are confident that BlackBoxTV will be the ultimate destination on the web for genre content for both creative artists and their fans.”