Dhar Mann promises a new YouTube series every month and a branded studio city
Dhar Mann will launch one new series every month on YouTube while building a four-acre production campus in Los Angeles.
He set out the plan on Sunday 11 October at Mipcom, the international television market in Cannes where channels, platforms and producers buy and sell shows. He appeared with Dhar Mann Studios chief executive Sean Atkins, according to Variety.
Mann told the room he now reaches 170 million followers on YouTube. He started the business eight years ago in the living room of his apartment, shooting on iPhones.
The operation now turns out five half-hours a week of scripted shows. That is the industry term for written drama and comedy, as opposed to unscripted shows such as reality or game shows. Speed is the point. The studio goes from script to screen in seven days for an hour of digital content, with its longest episodes taking about 21 days.
That pace supports a run of deals with Hollywood studios and platforms. Dhar Mann Studios is the first original creator for Samsung TV Plus, the free ad-supported streaming service, meaning viewers watch free with ads, in more than 100 million households. Mann has agreed a new scripted show titled ‘Unlikely Families’ for that service.
The studio is also partnering with Fox to produce 40 vertical dramas, meaning short series shot upright to watch on phones. A partnership with Disney+, which the company put at 135 million subscribers, was also discussed on stage.
The other thread was Creator City in Los Angeles. Mann has bought a four-acre campus with nine sound stages for the project. It is planned to hold about 175 sets with room for about 15 productions shooting at the same time.
He described it as a place where creators, brands and culture come together. His current studio sets are unbranded. The Creator City sets will feature real brands such as Starbucks and Target. Mann said he is working with a handful of brands as founding partners. The grand opening is planned for Super Bowl week.
What makes this stand out for viewers is volume and turnaround. A monthly series launch keeps new characters arriving fast. Branded sets mean familiar shops and logos will sit inside the stories.
