SHAW MEDIA PARTNERS WITH SHAFTESBURY/SMOKEBOMB, SHIFT2 AND SCHICK® QUATTRO FOR WOMEN® ON NEW SCRIPTED MULTIPLATFORM COMEDY SERIES MSLABELLED
Featuring Jeanne Beker, the New Series Engaging Female Millennials is now Available on VervegirlTV and Slice.ca/MsLabelled
TORONTO, March 25, 2015 - Shaw Media and Shaftesbury’s digital studio, Smokebomb Entertainment, have joined forces with brand agency shift2 and Schick® Quattro for Women® to engage female millennials with MsLabelled, a new, fashion-focused, multiplatform comedy series (20 x four-minutes) featuring and executive produced by Jeanne Beker (Fashion Television). MsLabelled is available now at VervegirlTV and Slice.ca/MsLabelled.
Designed to run both online and on air, MsLabelled is a witty, vlog-style comedy series set in the fast- paced, high-pressure world of fashion. The series features Ella (Rebecca Liddiard; Between), a young fashionista who tries to find her own voice in the industry by launching an upstart fashion blog, after landing a job at a magazine overseen by editor-at-large Jeanne Beker. The series extends onto social platforms through Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter where fictional and real world fashion vloggers, along with the fans of the series, can share, discuss and dissect fashion and fashion trends. The first six episodes are now available on Slice™ network’s popular, female-focused website Slice.ca and the VervegirlTV YouTube channel, with new episodes to be released each Tuesday and Thursday as well as additional Schick® Quattro for Women branded content featuring the cast. Episodes of MsLabelled will be reshaped for TV and air on Slice™ at a later date.
“We know great content can thrive on multiple platforms,” said Christine Shipton, SVP of Content, Shaw Media. “MsLabelled, a series ripe with entertaining characters and strong storytelling, works perfectly across both mediums and offers us the exciting opportunity to have brands like Schick® engage with the series.”
“We believe there is a strong future in bringing brands and broadcasters together in a “lasercast” model of scripted YouTube content creation and social fan engagement,” said Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury/Smokebomb and Chairman, shift2. “MsLabelled has been designed to engage millennials and move seamlessly from YouTube to other platforms, and we’re excited to blend digital and traditional entertainment in partnership with both Shaw Media and Schick®.”
“I’m excited to be contributing to this new wave of transmedia programming that will undoubtedly resonate with all those cool, young women out there who can never get enough of the enigmatic world of fashion,” said Jeanne Beker, Executive Producer, MsLabelled. “Having had the privilege of initially pioneering fashion content for television three decades ago, I’m now savouring this opportunity to make waves on a whole new media frontier.”
“After learning about the MsLabelled series and seeing drafts of the scripts, we loved the central theme around strong female characters in fashion,” said Jennifer Carnevale, Brand Manager, Quattro For Women. “The series fits perfectly with the Quattro for Woman user - a young woman who is fun and flirty, and loves fashion and YouTube. This is the brand’s first foray into YouTube and we believe it is a great way to connect with our target consumer.”
In MsLabelled, editor-at-large Jeanne Beker tells new Label Magazine assistant Ella (Rebecca Liddiard) that “magazines will die if they don’t change.” Ella’s beyond stoked to work at the magazine and will do whatever it takes to bring Label up to speed with the fast-paced online social world where fashion bloggers are quickly overtaking their print counterparts. But, industry gossip rag Mirror Mirror is spilling Label’s secrets all over Twitter and is out to sabotage Ella and her blog, MsLabelled. Thankfully she has designer Anna (Sara Hennessey; Just For Laughs) and cute IT guru Gus (Shawn
Ahmed; Paranormal Investigators) on her side to keep her sane. But can she survive this high- pressure world and endless backstabbing without putting her job on the line?
Viewers can also delve deeper into the world of MsLabelled through its social feeds. Ella will be posting a Snapchat-style photo roll on Tumblr (www.mslabelled.tumblr.com) and Instagram (https://instagram.com/mslabelled/), serving as her personal social space to showcase her own take on fashion. The platforms will also be collaborating with real life fashion bloggers to create a fun, trend-forward space to talk fashion while never taking it too seriously. Additionally, the infamous Mirror Mirror Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/mmonthewall) will be active during the series run, revealing the latest fashion gossip in its signature snarky tone and giving viewers a chance to immerse themselves in the drama of the MsLabelled world. Viewers can also keep up with recaps, reviews, behind-the- scenes looks and sneak peeks through Tumblr (www.mslabelledshow.tumblr.com) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/mslabelledshow).
The cast of MsLabelled includes Rebecca Liddiard (Between); comedian Sara Hennessey (Just For Laughs); Richard Young (Degrassi), Spencer Robson (Reign), Shawn Ahmed (Paranormal Investigators), Sydney Kondruss (The Drownsman), Barbara Mamabolo (State of Syn), Marni Van Dyk (Reign), Nykeem Provo (Lost Girl), Adamo Ruggiero (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and Jeanne Beker as herself, playing Label’s tough but fair editor-at-large.
Produced by Shaftsbury/Smokebomb Entertainment and shift2 in association with Shaw Media and Schick® Quattro for Women, MsLabelled is produced by Smokebomb’s Steph Ouaknine and Jay Bennett and executive produced by Jeanne Beker, Christina Jennings and Kaaren Whitney-Vernon. Filmed in Toronto in early March, the series was created and written by Alexandra Clarke (Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars), and is directed by Zoe Robyn (Syfy’s Helix, Gator Farm). VervegirlTV is also the home of Smokebomb and shift2’s hit YouTube series Carmilla, funded by U by Kotex®, which has amassed 13.4 million views to date, with a second season set to launch this spring.
-30- MsLabelled Social Links:
#MsLabelled
Instagram •The Home of Ella’s photoblog - @MsLabelled - https://instagram.com/mslabelled/
Tumblr •Ella’s character/photoblog feed – www.mslabelled.tumblr.com •The Official Series feed – www.mslabelledshow.tumblr.com
Twitter •Ella’s character/photoblog feed - @MsLabelled (https://twitter.com/mslabelled) •Mirror Mirror character feed - @MMOnTheWall (https://twitter.com/mmonthewall) •The Official Series feed - @MsLabelledShow (https://twitter.com/mslabelledshow)
Quattro for Women Canada: https://www.facebook.com/QuattroForWomenCanada
About Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company. Shaw serves 3.2 million consumers and businesses through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw provides consumers with broadband Internet, WiFi, Digital Phone and Video services. Shaw Business provides businesses with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, Video and fleet tracking services, and ViaWest provides collocation, cloud and managed services. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging
programming content through one of Canada’s largest conventional television networks, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks, including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.
About Shaftesbury/Smokebomb With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Shaftesbury is an innovative creator and distributor of original content. Sold in 120 countries, Shaftesbury’s slate includes five seasons of The Listener for CTV, Fox International Channels, Shine International and ION; nine seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC, UKTV and ITV Studios Global Entertainment; and new preschool series The Moblees for Kids’ CBC. Shaftesbury’s digital studio, Smokebomb Entertainment, combines world-class storytelling, integrated second-screen experiences and innovative social campaigns to create original digital content including the hit YouTube series Carmilla, funded by the Kotex brand; comedy series Backpackers for The CW and CTV Extend; and 3D sci-fi series State of Syn for Hulu and Google Glass. Visit us online at http://www.shaftesbury.ca and http://www.smokebomb.ca.
About shift2 With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, shift2 is an innovative agency that creates, manages and markets digital content targeting Generation C, specializing in custom YouTube content for brands across reality, how-to and scripted programming. shift2 also employs proprietary YouTube software to research and develop targeted content-driven campaigns, optimize audience engagement and deliver measurable results. shift2 is a co-venture between millennial agency Youth Culture and content creator Shaftesbury and its award-winning digital studio, Smokebomb Entertainment. Visit us online at www.shift2.ca or YouTube.
About Energizer Personal Care A leading manufacturer of health and beauty products around the world, Energizer Personal Care is a division of Energizer Holdings, Inc. Energizer Personal Care markets products in more than 100 countries worldwide under the Banana Boat®, Hawaiian Tropic®, Playtex®, Playtex Sport®, Playtex Gentle Glide®, o.b.®, Stayfree®, Carefree®, Skintimate® and Schick® brands.
About the Schick® Quattro for Women® razor: Schick® Quattro for Women® Papaya & Pearl Complex conditioning strips feature anti-oxidants from papaya and amino acids, from real freshwater pearls. Each razor has four ultra-thin blades which flex together for an incredibly close shave, while the pivoting head is flexible enough to follow the natural curves of your legs and body; resulting in skin that looks and feels incredibly smooth. A shave so silky smooth, you won’t feel guilty for skipping a day or two. The Schick® Quattro for Women® Papaya & Pearl Complex razor and refills are available at grocery, drug and mass retail outlets across Canada for a suggested retail price of $12.99.
For further information:
Katherine Wolfgang, Shaftesbury, Smokebomb, shift2 [email protected] 416-363-1411 x163 or 416-669-2823
Emily Claire Afan, Shaftesbury, Smokebomb, shift2 [email protected] 416-363-1411 x177 or 905-783-5753
Michelle McTeague, Publicist, Shaw Media [email protected] 416-966-7724