Vuguru Announces U.S. Premiere of Highly-Anticipated Psychological Thriller, The Booth at the End

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 11, 2011  Independent studio Vuguru today announced the U.S. release of the multi-platform series The Booth at the End premiering exclusively on Hulu (www.hulu.com/booth).  The psychological thriller created by writer Christopher Kubasik and directed by Jessica Landaw (One Tree Hill, Cold Case, Judging Amy) stars Xander Berkeley (Nikita, 24, CSI, Kick-Ass, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and an ensemble cast. As part of an exclusive first-run, multi-year streaming distribution license, a new 22-minute episode will be released every Monday on Hulu.com and the Hulu Plus subscription service.  

In the series, a mysterious man sits at the booth at the end of a diner. People approach him because they've heard The Man has a gift. He can solve their problems: a parent with a sick child, a woman who wants to be prettier, a nun who has lost her faith. The Man can give these people what they want. For a price. The Man makes a proposition. In exchange for realizing their desires, these individuals must complete a task, return to The Man, and describe every step in detail. The trick is that these tasks are things that would normally be inconceivable to them. But the Man never forces anyone to do anything. It's always up to the individual to start - or stop. The Booth at the End asks the question: "How far would you go to get what you want?"

"We're extremely excited to launch the much-anticipated The Booth at the End in the U.S. and to be part of Hulu's exciting summer line-up of exclusive programming," said Larry Tanz, President of Vuguru. "Christopher Kubasik, Jessica Landaw, Producer Vanishing Point Entertainment, and a powerful cast led by Xander Berkeley created a truly incredible series that has been intriguing and surprising viewers in territories worldwide. There's no better partner than Hulu to distribute this groundbreaking multi-platform series to U.S. audiences."

"I was hooked on The Booth At The End after watching episode one.  It's exactly the kind of show we want to make available for our users - it's engaging, high-quality, and grabs you from the very start. The team at Vuguru has done a wonderful job with the storytelling and production of this show," added Andy Forssell, SVP of Content Acquisition and Distribution for Hulu.

Vuguru will also be working with Attention Span Media (ASM) to identify The Booth's most ardent fans across multiple platforms, engaging them and harnessing their enthusiasm to grow the fanbase using its audience-development service, Fanatical. ASM builds and manages audiences for clients like AOL/The Huffington Post and Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment.

"We're thrilled to be working on this outstanding project alongside Vuguru," said Attention Span CEO Josh McHugh. "No one in digital content has a stronger creative bloodline or a better track record."

The Booth at the End has been rolled out as a truly global, multi-platform property: short-form episodes on mobile, compilation videos online and traditional half-hour episodes on television and VOD. The series was originally licensed in Canada to Rogers Media for distribution across all of Rogers' platforms, including online, mobile, VOD, Citytv and a custom iPad application. Vuguru licensed The Booth's international sales rights to Content Media Corporation plc, which in turn licensed the series to FOX International Channels, part of News Corporation, for distribution across its entire network of pay-TV channels and online sites. The series' UK-premiere via FX consisted of online and television distribution and quickly earned critical acclaim, being lauded by The Guardian as "intense, compelling...impossible to stop watching."

Accompanying the U.S.-launch of the original scripted series, Vuguru will also release The Booth, a Facebook-based social game inspired by The Booth at the End. In the narrative-led game, players aim to unravel mysteries set by The Man. He assigns jobs to players that, on completion, provide a series of clues that can be used to solve various mysteries. Along the way players can collect items to receive rewards, and answer daily dilemmas to test their moral values. Players will collaborate on jobs, mysteries and dilemmas via messaging and chat. The ability for players to engage with each other is instrumental in developing the overall narrative of the game, creating a unique playing experience.  The game was developed in partnership with FOX International Channels and Two Way Media.

To watch Episode 1 of The Booth at the End, click here.

To become a fan of The Booth at the End on Facebook, click here.

To follow The Booth at the End on Twitter, click here.

About Vuguru LLC

Vuguru LLC is an independent studio that develops and finances scripted, story-driven content for digital and international platforms. Founded by Michael Eisner's Tornante Company and backed by Canada's Rogers Media, the studio brings premium content opportunities to advertisers and distribution partners, enabling them to connect with target audiences. Vuguru's inaugural series Prom Queen pioneered the online serial space with its unique format and distribution. Follow-up series have included The Booth at the End, Pretty Tough, Prom Queen: Summer Heat, Sam Has 7 Friends, The All-For-Nots, Foreign Body and two seasons of the Emmy-nominated Back on Topps. Vuguru programming has been distributed in over 40 countries around the world.

SOURCE Vuguru