VANCOUVER — Thunderbird Entertainment Group announced today it is partnering with Toronto-based Underknown to turn the Webby Award-winning social media brand What If into a television series.
Conceived by the creative team at Underknown, headed by CEO Steve Hulford, What If is a short-form, science video web series that explores questions such as”What if you fell into Jupiter?”, “What if you were swallowed by a whale?”, “What if the Earth stopped spinning?” and “What if everyone farted at the same time?”
With more than 3,000 minutes of short-form content already produced, What If videos are viewed 250 million times a month and have garnered more than six billion views in nine languages around the world, says a press release.
“This is an incredible brand, and social media hit,” says Mark Miller, president of Thunderbird Entertainment, in the release. “In a world where curious people search for quality content, What If has built an incredible following that will ensure What If the TV show will also be a hit.”
“What If is about imagination and curiosity. We take the viewer on an epic exploration of possibilities and we tell great stories designed to entertain and inspire millennials on their mobile phones,” adds Underknown’s Hulford. “We are excited to bring a treasure trove of data from more than 500 webisodes and millions of viewers to the development process with Thunderbird, in order to grow our brand from mobile phones to long-form television.”
The What If franchise is published on YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, and has amassed 25 million followers with more than five billion watched-minutes around the world, says the release.
