LOS ANGELES , Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Venture 10 Studio Group today announced its influencer competition series FOLLOW ME has been renewed for a second season, to debut on the free streaming service Crackle, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company, and The CW App. Ten new episodes will launch in Q2 2024 with Mars Wrigley and other major sponsors slated to return from its debut season. FOLLOW ME, hosted by Bethany Mota, shows fans what it takes to build a brand as an influencer in the social media age.
In FOLLOW ME, aspiring stars – each with a unique talent, background, and strategy for success – will compete in business-themed challenges across the series. The program showcases the intense competition as they are tasked with building their follower bases. For its second season, contestants will once again be tasked with creating engaging content inspired by Mars Wrigley’s iconic portfolio of brands, like M&M’S®, SKITTLES®, SNICKERS® and ORBIT®, along with other brand partners.
FOLLOW ME’s eight-episode first season premiered in May of 2023 across a large group of platforms including Amazon Freevee, Roku, Tubi, Samsung+, Pluto and FilmRise with a reach of over 290M homes globally. The first season featured eight contestants, including a model, personal trainer, gamer, dancer, among others, that competed to win the grand prize of $50,000 along with other branded moments from sponsors including Six Flags, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Dave & Busters, and Versus Games.
“We were impressed by the first season of V10’s FOLLOW ME and thought it would be a great fit for Crackle,” said Michele Fino, Head of Branded Entertainment at Crackle Connex. “We are thrilled to collaborate with and bring to life the Mars Wrigley brands – as well as a few newcomers – for an even bigger Season Two.”
John Stevens, CEO, V10 Entertainment & Co-Founder, Venture 10 Studio Group adds: “Follow Me Season 1 exceeded our expectations with the show having more than 700M impressions and millions of viewers in the 18-34 demo. Its consistent growth is due in large part to fans continuing to discover the show across these channels and VOD platforms. This is where content consumption is headed with a distribution model that works for the brand partners, the platforms and the fans.
Ray Amati, Senior Director of US Media for Mars Wrigley adds “At Mars Wrigley, we’re focused on creating moments of everyday happiness for consumers everywhere, and that means integrating our iconic portfolio of brands throughout key platforms where fans are consuming content,” said Ray Amati, Media Director, Mars Wrigley. “Consumers look forward to seeing their favorite brands like M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, SKITTLES®, ORBIT® and TWIX® within key entertainment platforms they are passionate about, and influencers play a huge role in driving cultural relevance and interest with the next generation of Mars Wrigley fans.”
Executive Producer Rick De Oliveira, who also directs the series, recently forged an overall producing deal with V10 Entertainment and his Road Games production company. De Oliveira formerly developed and produced reality hits including Road Rules, The Challenge, Rock of Live and Love and Hip Hop Miami.
De Oliveira added: “For Season Two, we are going bigger – more episodes, larger prizes for the competitors, and the challenges are going to be bigger and harder.”
Stevens adds: “We are thrilled to see this program succeeding with Rick’s guidance and we look forward to making many more hits with his Road Games team at V10.
Show participants work in the “creator’s studio” and compete in various social media-based challenges. Contestants have access to top influencers for guidance – last season, Charlotte McKinney, Alan Bersten (DWTS), Courtney Revolution (The Circle), Emily Mei, and Taya Miller, among others, were featured on the program. At the end of each episode the contestant with the least number of followers is eliminated. The one contestant with the most followers at the end of the competition will be crowned the winner and receive the $50,000 prize.
In addition to Mota and De Oliveira, the series is executive produced by Chance Wright, Hans Schiff, John Stevens, and Jason Newman. De Oliveira will also direct the second season.
The deal was negotiated by Michele Fino, Head of Branded Entertainment for Crackle Connex, the advertising division of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, and Molly Stenson of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang on behalf of V10.
About V10 Entertainment
V10 Entertainment is a private equity-backed media company focused on unscripted, evergreen content with owned IP or economic rights. In 2023, V10 acquired both Venture 10 Studio Group along with the studio’s flagship asset, Vin Di Bona Productions, producer of America’s Funniest Home Videos for ABC.
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned business, Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 140,000+ dedicated Associates. With almost $45 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including Ben’s Original™, CESAR®, Cocoavia®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, KIND®, M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, and WHISKAS®. We are creating a better world for pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services – including AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™ – using cutting edge technology to develop breakthrough programs in genetic health screening and DNA testing. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
