Making the Leap to Screens this Valentine's Day: Announcing the Cupid's Match Pilot Episode Now on CW Seed
This following post is written by Aron Levitz, Head of Wattpad Studios
Just a few weeks ago we announced a new round of funding from international investors in South East Asia, the US, and Canada. We made it clear that a big part of this funding will be expanding the Wattpad Studios footprint around the world, turning more Wattpad stories into books, TV, film and digital video.
Today we take our next step towards bringing Wattpad stories to screens everywhere with the pilot episode of Cupid’s Match, available now on CW Seed. The pilot episode of Cupid’s Match stars General Hospital's Robert Palmer Watkins, along with Michel Janse and Dane Oliver.
Cupid’s Match tells the story of Lila Black, a student who finds herself in a supernatural world of romance, action, and betrayal when she’s contacted by the mysterious Cupid’s Matchmaking Service. Matched with the one and only Cupid, her connection to the original God of Love sets off a chain of events in which enemies assemble, mythical arrows fly, and an evil Goddess is awakened. With a secret organization of Cupids, an ill-fated love, and a world hanging in the balance, the story features the kind of originality and can’t-put-down quality that is only found on Wattpad.
Written by Lauren Palphreyman (@LEPalphreyman), Cupid’s Match exploded in popularity last year, becoming one of the most viral stories on Wattpad in 2016 and 2017, amassing a global fanbase and more than 36 million reads to date.
Mixing romance and action, and an ancient myth in a modern setting, the story captivated readers around the world on Wattpad. It also stood out as a project with great potential for the screen, which is why last year we partnered with the CW Seed and Tongal to develop Cupid’s Match as a digital pilot. We first worked with Tongal’s platform and filmmaking community to create different trailers for the show, exploring the different ways filmmakers could turn the hit story into a can’t-miss series. Of three finalists, a trailer from KR Squared Productions stood out, and was selected to create the pilot episode with the potential to develop the entire series.
The pilot marks our first major digital media project of 2018. But this is just the beginning. In our Master Plan we discussed how we’re transforming entertainment with data-driven decision-making, leveraging our data, technology, and community to revolutionize how content is created and how people are entertained. With more than 400 million story uploads on Wattpad and a global community of 65 million, we are doing just that. In addition to CW Seed, we work with companies like Universal Cable Productions (UCP), a division of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, eOne, HarperCollins, and Hachette Romans. We’re leading entertainment and publishing partners to new audiences, new stories, and more wins, all with data.
This year, more than ever before, Wattpad stories will be everywhere. Wattpad writers are already bestsellers, and hundreds of Wattpad stories have been published as books. Increasingly, when you turn on the TV, go to a movie, or log in to your favourite streaming services, Wattpad’s insights or stories will be behind what you seen on screens everywhere.
Stay tuned.
Catch the pilot episode of Cupid’s Match on CW Seed today.
