By Brian Steinberg
Fusion is bolstering the amount of TV programming it runs that is based on the efforts of its digital staff.
The upstart network, owned jointly by ABC News and Univision and focused on millennial viewers, will launch an eight-part documentary series based on its “Real Future” vertical site, which debuted on Fusion.net in February. “Real Future” seeks to get up close with people and communities using new technologies to change the world. The outlet has examined everything from airborne drones to the economics of digital fame.
“Real Future” will premiere January 11 and air Mondays at 10 p.m. on Fusion. It will feature stories from Alexis Madrigal, the editor in chief of the digital site; Kevin Roose, news director; Kashmir Hill, senior editor; and Cara Santa Maria, a science journalist.
“To us, the most interesting thing isn’t the processor in the smartphone, or the rotors on the drone, or the science behind bio-hacking, said Madrigal, who is also co-executive producer of the series, in a prepared statement. “It’s the real, diverse people who are using these things out in the world.”
The “Real Future” documentary series is an original series from Fusion produced in conjunction with Citizen Jones. The company has imported other digital properties to its TV schedule.
Its “Cannabusiness Report,” which examines the mainstreaming of marijuana into American life and has aired two seasons’ worth of material, started as a digital feature, then evolved to a segment on a different program. “Outpost,” a series that explores unique communities in exotic places, initially launched on Snapchat and has since expanded to a digital video series on YouTube. Fusion is exploring the idea of turning it into a TV series, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Source: Variety
