Zooey Deschanel’s Pet Project: a Web Series

It’s still an open question whether bankable TV stars can bring their fan bases to Web series they back. New Web show “The Single Life” is hoping Zooey Deschanel can pull off the trick.

The star of the Fox sitcom “New Girl,” along with her partners producer Sophia Rossi and writer Molly McAleer to consult on (but not star in) “The Single Life,” an online dating comedy as part of a deal between Digital Broadcasting Group and HelloGiggles.com the young female-aimed website founded by Deschanel, Rossi and McAleer last year.

HelloGiggles.com will also stream the series, which is entering its second season. “The Single Life” was created by Real Mom Productions and Stun Creative. DBG, the company behind ambitious online series projects such as the Kiefer Sutherland-starring The Confession, serves as producer and distributor for the show.

“We thought it was important for the show to have a central hub, which complements our decentralized distribution strategy,” said Chris Young, DBG’s co-founder and CEO. “Plus, Giggles is becoming a cool place to go for your women, and the founders are tastemakers. They have powerful social graphs.”

Young said that Deschanel and company will become deeply involved in the show’s creative process, but are not scheduled to appear in any episodes of “The Single Life.”

“This is not a drop-by kind of thing,” Young said. “They’re not involved in name only.”

https://digiday.com/?p=4490

More in Media

Publisher execs talk AI licensing deals, new applications for AI in latest earnings calls

Publicly-traded media companies touted new deals with generative AI tech companies and other new applications for the technology in their Q1 2024 earnings calls.

Transparency shift: CMOs navigate new norms in agency profit models

Many CMOs seem to be okay with their agencies finding new ways to increase margins, as long as the process is transparent, or at least openly acknowledges a lack of transparency.

Media Briefing: Publishers’ Q1 earnings show promise, but also room for improvement

Publishers’ Q1 earnings show some promise in the digital ad market.