aNewDomain — Nerd culture is now officially unescapable.
That’s a fact, Black Jack. Just talk to the 170,000 people who attended this year’s New York Comic Con, or the 400,000 subscribers to Loot Crate or the 18 million people who continue to watch The Walking Dead each Sunday.
And with the May 7 launch coming up for Comic-Con HQ, a joint production of Lionsgate and Comic-Con, all eyes are on what original programming may come out of this ad-free, video on demand service.
But one of the most intriguing shows scheduled for the service isn’t new at all. Rather, it’s a reality TV version of the popular geek couture standby at Comic-Con, the Her Universe Fashion Show.
The reality show version of Her Universe will mirror the format of Lifetime’s Project Runway and Syfy’s Face Off, execs say.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Founded in 2009 by actress Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Her Universe Fashion Show provides stylish, fashion-forward merchandise for female sci fi fans. Star Wars, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Transformers and Star Trek feature heavily off and on the runway. The reality TV show will feed directly off that same vibe.
Its trio of executive producers, we should add, included Eckstein, as well as Ashley Tisdale (Clipped, Young and Hungry) and Jennifer Tisdale (Inner Circle).
Production credits will go to Her Universe, Blondie Girl Productions and Lionsgate.
“It’s a place for fangirls to step into the spotlight and be heard, recognized and rewarded,” says the Her Universe website about the show, adding that Eckstein and her crew are working overtime to promote “geek chic.”
God bless ‘em.
The Lionsgate and Comic-Con partnership was formally announced a few months ago during the summer’s annual comic book confab.
But it wasn’t until recently that the companies rolled out any sort of programming details.
All they would say is that Comic-Con HQ is a subscription-based video-on-demand service that would target the convention’s fan base and air original content created especially for subscribers.
“The fan base for the kind of films and television series showcased at Comic-Con has grown exponentially, and a subscription video-on-demand service is the ideal platform to capture the magic and excitement of the Comic-Con experience year-round as well as the perfect vehicle for Comic-Con fans to discover new content,” says Jim Packer, who is president of worldwide TV and head of digital distribution at Lionsgate. Lionsgate.
This content would encompass films, TV shows, short-form video and (no surprise) exclusive archival footage from Comic-Con’s 45-year-plus history.
Only 300 people attended the first Comic-Con in San Diego back in 1970. In those days James T. Kirk and Jack “King” Kirby ruled nerd culture with an assortment of phasers and S.H.I.E.L.D. knickknacks. Nobody could have predicted the cultural tsunami that would eventually take place. Reading comic books and science fiction novels back then was simply a pastime for a small (but wildly enthusiastic) niche audience.
The Comic-Con subscription channel is the third streaming platform from Lionsgate. The company recently joined forces with Alibaba to start a content service in China. And it has additional plans to launch a site featuring content provided by the Tribeca Film Festival. Stay tuned, Blackjack.
For aNewDomain and BMod, I’m Eric Searleman.
Additional reporting by Gina Smith. All Screenshots: BMod Staff
A version of this story ran earlier this year on BreakingModern. Read it here.
