Meredith To Premiere First Of Multiple Video Series "Lords of the Playground"

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Originals, a unit of Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP, www.meredith.com) along with Parents magazine today announced the premiere of "Lords of the Playground," the first of multiple Meredith video series that will air online in 2014.  The 11-episode series features veteran actors Matt Servitto (The Sopranos) and Jason Kravits (Curb Your Enthusiasm) spoofing everyday modern dad pitfalls.  The series will make its debut on Parents.com beginning January 28, 2014, and new episodes will launch each week.

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"Millennial dads are an untapped audience and vital voice in the parenting community," said Carey Witmer, President, Meredith Parents Network.  "This fun, light-hearted series is a tongue-in-cheek look at the often hilarious situations modern dads find themselves in and how parenthood can change men in both humorous and rewarding ways. Through this series, advertisers have the opportunity to engage millennial dads and Meredith's quality audience through premium video content across web, mobile, and tablet." 

During 2014, Meredith Originals will launch five additional original web series including:

• "Rosie to the Rescue," starring pregnancy and parenting expert celebrity Rosie Pope;
• "Baby Sleep 911," about a sleep consultant who helps harried families figure out the tips and tricks to get baby to sleep;
• "Stager Smackdown," a decor war between professional home stagers;
• "How I Lost It," showcasing the inspiring weight loss journeys of determined individuals;
• "How We Broke The News," which follows real people as they break the biggest news of their lives in wildly unique ways, and the priceless reactions that follow.

"Meredith Originals are the perfect marriage of inspiration and analytics," said Laura Rowley, Vice President of Video Production and Product. "We identify the issues our audience is most passionate about, and the solutions they most desire, and create premium-quality video with great storytelling. Meanwhile, the breadth of connection with our audience – through our sites, tablet, mobile, print and our incredible presence on social platforms – is unique in the industry."

To further engage with millennial dads and create fatherhood content, Parents magazine will partner with the Dad 2.0 Summit, an annual conference held in late January where leading marketers, social media experts, and blogging parents discuss the changing voice and perception of modern fatherhood.  As the official sponsor of the "Parents Magazine Dad 2.0 Live Lounge," a Parents magazine social media expert will be on hand to participate in conference panels and counsel dad bloggers on how to build their brand through social media.  Millennial dads will be heavily featured in the June 2014 issue of Parents magazine including celebrity father columns, a dad dedicated cover, Father's Day ideas and more.

"We couldn't be more excited about our partnership with Meredith and the tremendous people behind its parenting outlets. By bringing iconic parenting brands such as Parents magazine and American Baby to Dad 2.0, Meredith is demonstrating its remarkable level of support for today's dads and the concept that parents are parents, regardless of gender," said John Pacini, Dad 2.0 Co-Founder. "One of our main goals is to engender more accurate portrayals of fatherhood in media and marketing, and Meredith's support of Dad 2.0 is a great leap forward in our efforts."

About Meredith Originals

Meredith Originals is a dynamic slate of original series distributed across web, mobile, tablet, YouTube and connected TV, designed to captivate and activate millions of fans of our trusted brands. Meredith Originals offers marketers the opportunity for exclusive sponsorship of high-quality productions, delivered to a premium audience, with organic integration in select episodes.

About Parents

Parents was founded in 1926 and, along with American Baby, FamilyFun, and Ser Padres, makes up The Meredith Parents Network portfolio of parenthood brands.  Parents is the leading voice for a community of more than 15 million moms who are engaged and inspired by the brand's trusted content. In turn, these moms enlighten and inspire others by joining ongoing conversations about parenthood via Parents.com as well throughParents' robust presence on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.  Parents is dedicated to engaging and inspiring moms with the information they need, wherever they go.

For more information about Parents, contact:
Meghan Heide at [email protected] or 212.551.7072.

SOURCE Meredith Corporation