Upworthy Studios: Feel-good site’s bold 1st Hollywood push
Upworthy, the digital publisher known for viral, feel-good stories, is launching Upworthy Studios to develop entertainment projects beyond its social feeds and newsletters, The Hollywood Reporter reported Sept. 30.
The studio aims to take the brand to new platforms and formats while keeping what the company calls its “positive, humanity-first storytelling.”
Who is running Upworthy Studios
Sarah Yourgrau, a two-time Emmy winner and founder of Common Ground Studios, will lead the studio and develop its original slate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her credits include “People You Should Know,” “The Home Edit” and “Returning the Favor.”
Upworthy Studios plans to draw on the company’s existing community for ideas, a more two-way approach to development than the traditional top-down model.
“There is an enormous opportunity to rethink the traditional studio model by starting with that relationship instead of treating the audience as something to find after a project is finished,” Yourgrau said in a statement. “With 17 million people already invested in this community, we have an extraordinary creative partner to make ambitious entertainment from day one.”
A first big move for CEO Amanda Farrand
The studio is one of the first major initiatives from Amanda Farrand, who officially became Upworthy’s CEO on May 26. She most recently was executive vice president of business and brand development at Imagine Entertainment and earlier spent four years at Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, Variety reported.
“Upworthy has spent years building an extraordinary relationship with an audience that wants stories that bring out the best in us,” Farrand said. “Launching our studio allows us to bring that mission and community into entertainment from the very beginning.”
She pointed to a book the company built from conversations in its Instagram comments, which became a New York Times bestseller. “Content may be king, but community is queen,” she said.
Upworthy’s audience and history
Upworthy says it reaches about 17 million followers a month across social media and email, and its stories also run through partners including Yahoo and Apple News, according to Variety. The company says 86 percent of readers report feeling inspired to do good after reading an Upworthy story.
The site launched in 2012 and was bought by Good Worldwide in 2017. Before Farrand arrived, Good Worldwide CEO Max Schorr oversaw Upworthy. “Amanda is exactly the right leader to build on that foundation,” Good Worldwide co-founder Ben Goldhirsh said when she was hired. Former Participant Media COO Gabe Brakin also joined as a strategic adviser.
What’s next for Upworthy Studios
Upworthy Studios has not announced specific titles, partners or release dates. Media companies are reshaping how they make and sell content, from David Fincher’s exit from his Netflix deal to the Disney+ Vidio bundle, and Upworthy is betting that its community-first approach can stand out.