FilmRise and Venture 10 have partnered with consumer products giant Mars Wrigley to produce the social media reality competition series Follow Me, to be hosted and executive produced by lifestyle influencer Bethany Mota for FilmRises streaming platform.
Follow Me aims to pull the curtain back on what it takes to garner virtual popularity in the digital age. The eight-episode series is set to premiere on May 3 airing on the FilmRise streaming network.
Follow Me will track the stories of eight aspiring influencers, including a model, personal trainer, gamer, dancer, among others, as they compete in business-themed challenges that will strengthen their brand voices. Over the course of each hourlong episode, competitors will be mentored by other top influencers including Charlotte McKinney, Alan Bersten, Courtney Revolution, Emily Mei and Taya Miller. At the end of each episode, the competitor with the least amount of followers will be eliminated.
Contestants will create content throughout the series inspired by Wrigleys iconic portfolio of brands, including MMs, Skittles, Snickers and Orbit as they work to grow their follower bases. By the conclusion of the series, the star with the most followers will be crowned winner, walking away with the $50,000 prize from Wrigley, the official sponsor of Follow Me.
This is truly one of our most mainstream co-productions to date. Think Biggest Loser meets Big Brother meets The Circle, said Max Einhorn, senior VP of acquisitions and co-productions for FilmRise. The series format combines two of the most popular mediums social media and reality competition. Its a high-stakes rivalry that comes with a ton of drama and will have viewers on the edge of their seats to see who stays and who is eliminated.
Follow Me will air on The FilmRise Streaming Network which includes FilmRise branded OTT and YouTube channels, before expanding out to FilmRises advertising-supported and FAST partner platforms.
In addition to Mota and Einhorn, the series is executive produced by Rick De Oliveira, Chance Wright, Hans Schiff, John Stevens, Spike Feresten, Jason Newman and Alexander Bushnell. De Oliveira also directs.
The deal was negotiated by Einhorn and Molly Stenson of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb and Dang on behalf of V10.