Rooster Teeth and Warner Bros. Discovery Access Announce Finalists for Digital Creators Program (TV News Roundup)

Carson Burton, Michaela Zee and EJ Panaligan
·11 min read

Rooster Teeth and Warner Bros. Discovery Access have announced the eight finalists participating in the inaugural Rooster Teeth Digital Creators Program. The finalists are ChelseaBytes, Christian Henley aka “Touch,” DaGeecheeGamer, Isik “Eyezcosplay”, Katskratchh, Jabren, Mary “Girlthulhu” and Reem Edan.

The Rooster Teeth Digital Creators Program is providing these eight talents with a platform to break through to new audiences, giving them with the tools and opportunities to succeed as creators. With over 450 submissions from all over the country, the final eight participants were named by a panel of Rooster Teeth executives in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Access and executives across WBD.

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“It was a privilege to be able to review so many talented submissions” Jejuan Guillory, senior director of development and programming at Rooster Teeth, said. “Narrowing down to these final eight creators was tough but rewarding, and we’re so thrilled to be welcoming them into this program next week.”

Program participants will be mentored and trained by teams at both Rooster Teeth and Warner Bros. Discovery Access, with a paid mentorship and training program scheduled over a three-month period beginning Sept. 6. The curriculum focuses on developing skills for professional careers as on-camera digital content creators, going beyond independent content creation to give participants experience working on professional video sets.

The program will culminate with a talent showcase event, where industry executives will see the participants’ work across all of Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands. Read more about the finalists below.

Katskratchh

Katskratchh is a creator known for her high energy and playful ways. Whether causing trouble in a tabletop game, tricking her friends in rounds of Among Us, fixating on anime characters, making funny voices for every line of an RPG, or trying their best not to die (again) in a survival game, you can always be certain Kat is somewhere having a good time!

ChelseaBytes

ChelseaBytes is a creator who loves all things geek! When this Twitch Partner isn’t building a PC or gaming, she’s hosting for Amazon, AMC and many others.

Christian Henley aka “Touch“

A Graduate of USC with an MFA in Acting, Christian is a comedian and writer that produces/ hosts the YouTube series “What Do You Do?!,” the “Big Talk With Christian Henley” podcast, his two short films and more.

DaGeecheeGamer

Geechee is a variety streamer and content creator known for her focus on music, makeup, video games and vibes.

Isik “Eyezcosplay”

Emotionally engaging his audience with light-hearted comedy skits, Isik is a versatile nerdy content creator with a keen ability for visual storytelling.

Jabren

Jabren is a multi-faceted creative visionary with expertise in music theory. When he’s not creating, there’s a good chance you’ll find him in the record store, playing Destiny 2, explaining movie theories or just learning anything that’s open to him.

Mary “Girlthulhu”

Known for her humor and advocacy, Mary strives to make the gaming community a more inclusive, safe and fun space for everyone to enjoy.

Reem Edan

Reem is an Iraqi-American content creator, writer and internationally touring stand-up comedian known for her unique brand of Muslim-ennial humor.

Also in today’s TV News:

TRAILERS

Upcoming Western limited series “The English,” starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer will premiere on November 11 exclusively in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Nordics on Prime Video following its November 10 UK premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. The six-episode series will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival as their series special presentation on Sunday, October 15. The series is a co-production with Amazon Studios and BBC, in association with All3Media International who handled international sales.

From writer and director Hugo Blick, the series follows n aristocratic Englishwoman named Lady Cornelia Locke, played by Blunt, and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, Eli Whipp, played by Spencer, who come together in 1890 middle America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. Blick executive produces with Blunt and Greg Brenman for Drama Republic. Check out the teaser trailer below.

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“The Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure,” an upcoming animated kids film, will premiere on September 5. The story follows five unlikely woodland friends who are magically transported to whimsical worlds filled with adventure, helping those in need along the way. The film is based on characters from the indoor waterpark resort chain of the same name, which launched an entertainment division early last year. The feature is directed by Chris Bailey and written by Kent Redeker. Check out the trailer below.

DATES

“Ukraine: A Mother’s War,” a new special hosted by NBC News foreign correspondent Molly Hunter, will air on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 11:00 p.m. on NBC News Now. The 60-minute special will spotlight the war in Ukraine from the vantage point of families on the frontlines. It follows the lives of five Ukrainian mothers, all survivors fighting in different ways. NBC News Now is available on Peacock, Fubo, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Xumo, YouTube, YouTube TV and NBC News’ apps on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV. The special is also available on-demand on Peacock.

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“New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” is set to return to CBS Dec. 31 starting at 8 p.m. ET, featuring performances from country music artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Zac Brown Band. Additional performers will be announced at a later date. The five-hour celebration includes nearly 50 performances from venues across the Music City, followed by the traditional countdown at midnight ET and the Nashville Music Note Drop plus fireworks at midnight CT. “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” will be directed by Sandra Restrepo. Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington serve as executive producers in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The special will run from 8-10 p.m. ET and 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. on the CBS Television Network, and can be streamed live and on demand on Paramount Plus.

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“The Mysterious Benedict Society” will return for its second season with a two-episode premiere on Wednesday, October 26 on Disney+. This season, Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance, the four gifted orphans who were recruited by the eccentric Mr. Benedict, played by Tony Hale, embark on another mission to save the world from the nefarious plans of his twin brother Dr. L.D. Curtain, also played by Hale. The original series, which is based on the book series by Trenton Lee Stewart, will debut new episodes weekly on Wednesdays.

CASTING

Tasha Smith and Tone Bell will star in Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest” with Michelle Buteau. Based on Buteau’s book of essays, the upcoming comedy series follows newly single Mavis Beaumont (Buteau) as she attempts to rebuild her life as a struggling artist. Smith will play self-made millionaire Marley while Bell will play Mavis’ best friend Khalil. Linda Mendoza (“Scrubs,” “Grown-ish”) will direct the first two episodes.

EXECS

ITV Studios America announced the hiring of Dave Macesich as SVP, Finance and the promotions of Joey Kern to SVP, Production and Kimberly Rosenblum to SVP, Business and Legal Affairs. Both Kern and Rosenblum were previously vice presidents, with Kern reporting to Dwayne Shattuck and Rosenblum reporting to Tom Lane.

Macesich previously worked for more than 20 years at Showtime Networks as SVP of Finance, where he was responsible for all financial aspects of Showtime’s theatrical, scripted, unscripted and sports programming. Kern joined the company in 2019 to manage, initiate and supervise aspects of series production, facilitating communication between productions and the studio and network, manage schedules and oversee the financial well-being of the productions. Rosenblum serves as a negotiator, handling deals with writers, producers, performers, directors, co-production entities and more, additionally overseeing a number of productions for ITV Studios America’s ever-growing slate of scripted programming.

AWARDS

Humanitas has announced that Filmmakers for Ukraine has been selected to receive the Kieser Award for their work with the Ukranian film and TV community. Filmmakers for Ukraine also earned a $10,000 USD cash prize, which was sent to the organization in June to be distributed as ten $1,000 microgrants to support the basic needs or creative endeavors of those in the Ukranian film and TV community. The Kieser Award will be presented by board president Jenny Bicks at the 46th Annual Humanitas Prizes on Sept. 9 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

HONORS

Ryan Seacrest will receive the 2022 National Association of Broadcasters’ Distinguished Service Award, the organization’s highest honor, which recognizes those who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the American system of broadcasting. The presentation will take place during the Marconi Radio Awards dinner on October 19 at NAB Show New York.

The honor will recognize his work as the chairman and founder of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring youth through entertainment and education focused initiatives. Previous recipients include former NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith, Jim Henson, Alan Alda, Robin Roberts, Bob Schieffer, Michael J. Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, President Ronald Reagan, Edward R. Murrow, Bob Hope, Walter Cronkite and Oprah Winfrey.

PROGRAMMING

Cinedigm Corp announced Tuesday that RetroCrush, a digital channel that screens classic anime, launched on Philo. The new agreement marks Cinedigm’s first distribution deal with the virtual MVPD. RetroCrush will offer over 100 classic anime series and 40 feature films, including “Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie,” “City Hunter” and “Project A-Ko.” In addition to its inclusion in the base package for Philo subscribers, RetroCrush will also be available online and on video-on-demand apps such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku.

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“The Ed Sullivan Show” channel launched exclusively on Pluto TV on Thursday. Housed within the classic TV category, the 24/7 channel is dedicated to the television icon and will feature a collection of content including “Ed Sullivan’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Classics.” The channel will also run TV specials and documentaries, including “The Best Of The Ed Sullivan Show,” which features 80 edited episodes of original programs. Fans of the classic show can now tune into the channel for constant programming from the series.

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Spectrum Networks announced the launch “Spectrum News Challenge,” a new weekly show hosted by news anchor Amrit Singh. Premiering September 7, the show will bring together high school students to quiz their knowledge of local and national news on topics related to history, politics, civics and government, as well as significant events in world history.

The series will air on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on local Spectrum News networks and the Spectrum News App through February 1.

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Bounce, a channel which features a programming mix of original series and movies, theatrical motion pictures, off-network series, specials and events designed for Black audiences, has launched on DIRECTV. In addition, Grit, a channel of legendary heroes, stars and timeless tales of the American West in all-time favorite western movies and TV series, has launched on DIRECTV as well. Both networks are part of The E.W. Scripps Company.

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“Roku Recommends” has returned with a second season, including new features like celebrity guests and on location segments, the company announced. In weekly 15-minute episodes, “Roku Recommends” uses exclusive Roku data to help users discover new shows.

In 2021, the weekly series saw success as a top-10 video-on-demand program on The Roku Channel. Maria Menounos and former NFL player Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins both return as hosts for season two, sharing their weekly watchlist of new favorite programs and rediscovered classics.

New episodes will be available every Thursday starting September 1. The series is produced by Funny Or Die. Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, Beth Belew, Whitney Hodack from Funny or Die serve as executive producers. Randall Bobbitt oversees the series on behalf of Roku Originals.

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ESPN Films announced production has completed on a “30 for 30” documentary about former tennis player Michael Chang, with New York Times correspondent Jay Caspian Kang behind the camera for his directorial debut. “American Son” will tell the story of Chang’s rise as a young tennis star, along with his family’s immigrant journey that shaped his destiny. The story is centered around his winning the 1989 French Open at age 17, including his upset of top ranked Ivan Lendl – a match that unfolded in the shadow of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.

The documentary will be executive produced by ESPN Films in association with Words + Pictures, founded in 2021 by Connor Schell. Phil de Picciotto, Peter Nelson, Tom Ross and Kelly Wolf are also serving as executive producers.

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