First Media And eko Team Up For 10-Episode Interactive Series To Take Viewers On A DIY Adventure

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- First Media, a lifestyle media company dedicated to inspiring the do-it-all millennial woman, today announced a partnership with choice-driven entertainment leader eko for a 10-episode series of streaming DIY and lifehack content. The forthcoming series titled "Make or Break" will transform content inspired by Blossom's social channel into immersive, playful narratives that promise to take First Media's industry-leading community engagement to a new level.

Emmy Award-winning producer Bayan Joonam, known for his work with Soul Pancake, has been tapped as showrunner for his cross-functional expertise in filmmaking, social media management, strategic business planning and audience growth initiatives.

First Media President Sharon Rechter said, "Blossom is known for taking ordinary household items and using them in unexpected and surprising ways. By partnering with eko, viewers will be drawn into an evolving narrative that blurs the lines between creativity, play, and inspiration. 'Make or Break' also represents our exciting first step towards serialized short form content, which will only be enhanced by eko's novel 'choice-driven' technology."

In each of the 10 planned episodes, users will be able to transform an everyday item into a totally new household object by selecting tools and deciding how to use their tools to build upon other key design decisions. Combining the ingenious life hacks that First Media delivers to its community of over 115M followers with eko's unique technology, "Make or Break" aims to empower and inspire users with clever ways to be crafty that are customized to their personal tastes and preferences. Episodes will run 3-5 minutes and will live on eko's channels, with an initial release date scheduled for late August 2019.

"The future of entertainment is driven by choice, interactivity, and personalization," said Daniel Laikind, VP of Development and Production at eko. "At eko, we have a vision of this new medium across a wide array of genres, going way beyond fictional content. From shopping and cooking to crafts and DIY, choice-driven video content will change the way we entertain ourselves, connect with each other, and better our lives."

ABOUT FIRST MEDIA
First Media is dedicated to inspiring the do-it-all millennial woman with four media properties focused on clever ways to live better. Its growing communities of 110 million fans worldwide play with their food with So Yummy, life hack with Blossom, make beauty a breeze with Blusher and watch baby blossom on BabyFirst. Online, fans generate 1.5 billion views and 40+ million engagements each month. Its high-quality, highly shareable content makes First Media social brands #1 in views and shares per video*. In 2017 and 2018, First Media branded campaigns ranked first on Facebook as the best performing sponsored videos out of more than 150k campaigns on the platform. In 2018, four of its videos for Wal-Mart ranked in the Top 20 on Facebook. First Media's clients include Wal-Mart, Unilever's Breyers, Dunkin Donuts, Sony, FinishLine, ABC and Facebook's Portal. BabyFirst, First Media's linear TV channel, is available in 60+ million homes on cable and satellite television and on OTT platforms like Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Roku and more. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles and has seen exponential year-to-year growth since its launch in 2006. (*Tubular Labs)

For more information, visit www.first.media.

ABOUT EKO
eko is a pioneering interactive entertainment company that lets audiences shape stories as they unfold. eko's technology allows viewers to affect, control, and influence interactive entertainment like never before. The company provides a platform for interactive stories and partners with media companies, independent creators and top brands to create deeply engaging experiences for audiences. Stories are distributed through Helloeko.com, affiliate partners, and social networks; available on desktop, mobile, and connected devices. The company has over 15 patents for its technology, including its proprietary player and authoring tools. eko Studio, the company's suite of authoring tools, is also offered for free to a community of creators who craft their own interactive experiences using eko's platform.

For more information, visit www.helloeko.com.

Media Contacts:
Jocelyn Johnson for First Media
[email protected]

SOURCE eko