UCP Working with Wattpad for Original TV Content

UNIVERSAL CITY: Universal Cable Productions (UCP) is tapping into Wattpad to mine original content for upcoming TV projects, notably in the genres of mystery/thriller, teen, science fiction, action and general fiction.

Wattpad boasts more than 2.3 million monthly storytellers and 300 million-plus original stories. Wattpad Studios, launched earlier this year, partners with the entertainment industry to co-produce Wattpad stories for print, film, TV and digital platforms. Under the new partnership, projects will be determined by custom data and insights that UCP will glean from Wattpad’s global creative community of storytellers and research.

“At UCP we’re always looking for ways to find untapped, unsigned talent and budding writers from around the U.S. and world,” said Dawn Olmstead, the executive VP of development for Universal Cable Productions. “Enter Wattpad—an amazing global storytelling platform that not only allows us access to great stories, but also real-time data on what is trending, shared, reviewed and resonating with readers. Aron [Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios] and his team manage a virtual fountain of story with great aplomb and we’re excited to dive into their content.”

“We’ve teamed up with Universal Cable Productions to co-produce television content that drives tune-in from day one,” said Levitz. “Wattpad data will help spot compelling stories with massive built-in audiences, and fans will influence the development process. There’s no place for hunches and guesses when it comes to content development these days. Data- and community-driven entertainment is the future, and Wattpad Studios is leading the way.”