Refinery29 Announces the Return of Female-Focused Short Film Series Shatterbox Anthology, In Partnership with TNT
Enhanced Program Includes Omni-Channel Activation
And New TV Opportunities for Emerging Female Filmmakers
PARK CITY, UT - Refinery29 and Turner's TNT today announced a new season of the Shatterbox Anthology film series while at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The series provides a platform for the next cycle of female storytellers to create short films that redefine identity, imagination, and storytelling through the female lens. Through this new partnership with TNT, the short films, selected from the industry's most creative female directors, with creative support from the Sundance Institute's Women at Sundance program, will deliver the female points of view to new audiences across TV, as well as both brands' social and digital platforms. Shatterbox Anthology talent will also have the opportunity to potentially work with and develop creative projects for TNT.
The Shatterbox Anthology series has become known for providing female filmmakers of all ages, levels of recognition, and years of experience, the opportunity to bring their stories and directorial visions to life. Previous notable directors include Chlo� Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Tiffany Shlain, Meera Menon, Pamela Romanowsky and Anu Valia, among others. Stewart's Come Swim and Valia's Lucia, Before and After, both Shatterbox Anthology short films, premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, while Sevigny's Kitty debuted at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
The Shatterbox Anthology series will create premium content opportunities and tell great stories for both brands' audiences, as well strategic partners, in new and innovative ways, including:
Films on TNT: Films will premiere across TNT's portfolio of screens including linear, apps and on demand platforms.
Digital + Social: Immersive digital and social content that will reach consumers wherever they are.
On-Site Events: Drive recognition for female filmmakers through industry event presence.
Native Advertising on TV and Digital Platforms: Custom content extensions for brand integration.
"A top priority at TNT is to ensure the talent behind our shows represent the diversity of our audience. We jumped at the opportunity to work with Refinery29 to identify and support female filmmakers so we can grow the ranks of female directors on our shows and raise their profiles across the business," said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. "The Shatterbox Anthology series will also connect fans of great storytelling with our brand in new ways and across more touch points."
This programming partnership follows Turner's recent investment in Refinery29, which is rooted in collaboratively creating content across Turner networks that will connect with Refinery29's core audience of millennial women, as well as Turner's TV audience.
"The Shatterbox Anthology is an incredibly meaningful initiative and we are thrilled that TNT is not only acknowledging the importance of investing in female makers, but supporting the evolution of this program. This partnership will allow these filmmakers more opportunities to battle gender bias, build upon their careers in the entertainment landscape, and create a platform to tell meaningful stories. Refinery29's mission is focused on ensuring that women are seen and heard, and we are excited to work with brands who want to fight for those goals alongside us," said Amy Emmerich, Chief Content Officer of Refinery29.
Since the launch of Shatterbox Anthology, the films have garnered strong engagement amongst consumers who have shown a proven appetite for this cinematic video format. To date, there have been over 10 million views of these films across all of the Refinery29 platforms, and Shatterbox Anthology films on Refinery29's website have been viewed 5.7x more than average videos on the site.
Since December 2015, video views for R29 Originals have grown by roughly 500%, largely driven by the addition of socially optimized trending news content, as well as new distribution platforms like Snapchat Discover and Facebook Live. Refinery29 now drives more than 243MM video views per month, and its audience has consumed over 13 million hours of Refinery29 video on Facebook and YouTube in the past year.
About Refinery29
Refinery29 is the leading digital-media company focused on women with a global audience footprint of 493 million across all platforms. Through a variety of lifestyle stories, original video programming, and social, shareable content across all platforms, Refinery29 provides its audience with the inspiration and tools to discover and pursue a more independent, stylish, and informed life. Please visit www.refinery29.com, www.refinery29.uk, and www.refinery29.de for more information and to browse content.
About TNT
TNT, a division of Turner, ranks among cable's Top 5 networks with young adults and is home to one of cable's most popular slate of original series, including Animal Kingdom, Good Behavior, The Last Ship, Major Crimes, The Librarians and the upcoming Will, Claws, The Alienist, The Race Card and more. TNT also presents popular shows like Arrow, Supernatural, Bones and Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R) and the iHeartRadio Music Awards; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Turner, a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., HLN, CNN International and CNN.com, TBS, TNT, TCM, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, FilmStruck, Super Deluxe, iStreamPlanet and ELEAGUE.
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