By: Jeanne Lam, President, Wattpad  

Wattpad is often thought of as primarily a reading platform. And we are! But at Wattpad, readers and writers are equally important for our community and business. Writers, with their world-changing stories, voices, and perspectives, are at the heart of the incredible community of 94 million people who come together on Wattpad from around the world.  

The 2022 Watty Awards will give out more prizes than ever before, with  three publishing deals and 10 adaptation opportunities with Wattpad WEBTOON Studios

Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, the fan-driven global entertainment and publishing arm for WEBTOON and Wattpad, has named Emmy Award-winning television and film producer David Madden as Head of Global Entertainment, the company announced today. 

The program will see some of Wattpad’s biggest authors share their work exclusively on the platform. In addition to millions in stipends this year, the Wattpad Creators Program will offer writers new marketing and editorial supports, writing resources and more.

The First in This Slate Adapts the Wattpad Sensation “Caught In His Arms” 

Kiss Master fans will have a chance to guide the 8-part series adaptation of Jamille Fumah’s Wattpad hit. The branded entertainment partnership follows a series of successful collaborations between Wattpad and Kumu.

The Companies will Develop Series in Europe with a Focus on Spanish, Italian and English Language Content with Global Appeal

The second annual campaign supports mental health awareness and encourages people to share their stories of bravery in the face of personal challenges. As part of the campaign, superstar author, entrepreneur, and film producer Anna Todd will moderate a virtual #WattpadSpeaks panel on May 19 about Getting Creative with Self-Care.

The companies are currently developing the Wattpad sensation “The Bad Boy’s Girl” as a feature film.

With Lau’s Five Year Plan in place and Wattpad President Jeanne Lam at the helm, the company expects continued innovation and  growth.

The internet’s favorite boy next door and athlete, Noah Beck, is set to headline the romantic comedy, The QB Bad Boy and Me, marking his feature acting debut. Creator+, a new content studio and distribution platform for digital-first storytellers and creators, will produce alongside Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, the fan-driven global entertainment and publishing arm for WEBTOON and Wattpad.

Shalini Duggal joins as Wattpad’s Chief People Officer and Krishna Mann joins as Wattpad’s Head of DEI. The hires come after an acquisition and explosive growth in 2021, when Wattpad added 100 staff to its teams around the world.

2021 was truly a milestone year for Wattpad. We celebrated Wattpad’s 15th birthday and joined an incredible new family of brands with Naver and WEBTOON. As such, it’s a good time to reflect on The Master Plan and the progress we’ve made together.

As a reminder, I wrote the Master Plan in 2016 to coincide with Wattpad’s 10th birthday as a way to share my 10-year vision for the company.

I wish I had written something similar when Ivan and I started Wattpad in 2006. At the time, our plan was actually quite simple: We wanted to revolutionize how people discover, share, and connect through stories. Here’s how we initially did it:

Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, the fan-driven global entertainment and publishing arm for WEBTOON and Wattpad, announced today it is adapting Perfectos Mentirosos and Boulevard, two massively popular Spanish-language original stories from Wattpad. Alex Mírez’s 105-million read phenomenon, Perfectos Mentirosos, will be adapted as a series, and Flor M. Salvador’s 75-million read Boulevard will be developed as a feature film. The projects will be the first Spanish-language projects self-financed through Wattpad WEBTOON Studios’ Development Fund - created to strategically underwrite and fast-track development for incredible WEBTOON and Wattpad content with a built-in audience. 

Audible, a leading producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, and Wattpad, the global entertainment company and leading webnovel platform, today announced that popular Wattpad stories will be made available as Hindi audiobooks exclusively on Audible for all listeners absolutely free. The Hindi audiobooks will tap into the built-in fandoms on Wattpad and bring incredible stories to audiences on Audible’s India service

By Seema Lakhani, Chief Product Officer at Wattpad & General Manager of Wattpad Labs. In 2021, progressive voices around the world continued to shine a light on issues of injustice and oppression. As marginalized groups everywhere struggle for recognition, respect, and dignity, it’s more important than ever that Wattpad - a storytelling technology platform that represents all voices - is conscious and intentional about our approach to inclusion.

The companies will focus on developing local language IP with built-in fandoms and global potential to fuel the content pipeline for ViacomCBS’ streaming service, Paramount+

The Watty Awards have long been a launching pad for some of the most exciting new voices in fiction, with Mask of Celibacy joining previous winners like V.S. Santoni’s I’m a Gay Wizard, Nandi Taylor’s Given, and Beth Reekles’ The Kissing Booth

WEBTOON hits Tower of God by SIU and True Beauty by Yaongyi will be among the first graphic novels published by WEBTOON Unscrolled.

Wattpad, the global multi-platform entertainment company for original stories and leading social storytelling platform, is pleased to congratulate Seema Lakhani, Chief Product Officer at Wattpad & General Manager of Wattpad Labs, who has been honoured as a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40® for 2021.