Wattpad and Wise Entertainment Partner to Bring Hit Teen and Young Adult TV Series and Films to Brazil
Wattpad’s first Latin American entertainment deal will offer Wise Entertainment an exclusive first-look for Portuguese-language stories on the platform
September 24, 2019 - TORONTO - Wattpad, the global multiplatform company for original stories, and Wise Entertainment, the independent studio behind the six-time Emmy-nominated series East Los High, today announced an exclusive deal to develop Portuguese-language Wattpad stories as television series and films for audiences in Brazil. The partnership marks Wattpad’s first major development deal in Latin America.
Wise Entertainment, known for its content that tells stories for and by underserved audiences, also runs an IP incubator in the country and will work with Wattpad to develop standout teen and YA projects for Brazilian viewers with local writers and producers. The deal allows Wise Entertainment to tap into Wattpd’s unmatched mix of creative expertise and Story DNA Machine Learning Technology.
Wise Entertainment and Wattpad will work to bring new Brazillian voices to local and international audiences. Wattpad has achieved global success adapting hit stories for screens, and is the source for some of the biggest recent hits in teen and young adult film and TV. Wattpad is producer on Hulu’s Emmy-nominated series Light as a Feather, from author Zoe Aarsen, and the Teen Choice Award-winning film and best-selling novel After from Anna Todd, both of which originated on Wattpad. Netflix’s global smash-hit film The Kissing Booth also started as a Wattpad story from writer Beth Reekles.
“Wattpad is where the world’s greatest emerging writers are creating life-changing stories,” said Aron Levitz, Head of Wattpad Studios. “Every day, we see the creativity and passion of people finding their voice and building a global audience around it. This mix is exactly why studios are coming to Wattpad to find untold stories with built-in audiences. We’re thrilled to work with Wise Entertainment to bring some of Brazil’s most creative storytellers to screens everywhere.”
“At Wise Entertainment we are always looking for powerful stories from marginalized voices,” said Mauricio Mota, co-president of Wise Entertainment. “Wattpad has a community of millions of young people who are sharing these diverse perspectives on a daily basis. Wattpad created an ecosystem that is both a storytelling community and a cultural compass for IPs and new voices. We can’t wait to work with them to bring exciting new stories to screens in Brazil and Brazilian stories in Portuguese to the world.”
Wise Entertainment is the latest international entertainment company to strike a deal with Wattpad. The company has major deals and projects in development with partners spanning North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Companies like Sony Pictures Television, Viu, Mediacorp, NL Film, Mediaset, eOne, Lagardere Studios, iflix, SYFY, Huayi Brothers Korea, Bavaria Fiction, CBC, and others currently work with Wattpad.
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About Wattpad:
Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multiplatform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world – in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 80 million people who spend over 22 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than half a billion uploads that have been written on the platform. Wattpad Studios and Wattpad Books are transforming entertainment and publishing, using data-backed insights to turn Wattpad stories into books, films, TV shows, and digital projects. Wattpad Brand Partnerships offers a full suite of advertising products to help brands build deep engagement with Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Tap by Wattpad, the company’s second storytelling product, offers immersive interactive entertainment experiences in over a dozen languages. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada.
About Wise Entertainment:
Wise Entertainment is an independent studio that develops, creates, and produces content that lives at the intersection of entertainment, social justice, and civic imagination. The company tells stories for/by underserved audiences in the U.S. and Brazil. Touted by the Los Angeles Times as “a TV unicorn in a broadcast marketplace,” Wise Entertainment’s 6-time Emmy-nominated Hulu series East Los High was the first high school drama in U.S. television history with an all English-speaking Latino cast.