AOL loaded up on big-name celebrities to pitch its slate of original programming in an increasingly crowded field.
A room full of advertisers gazed up at A-listers, including James Franco, Zoe Saldana, Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen DeGeneres, at AOL’s annual upfront event in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
The pioneering Web portal showcased 16 series as part of its big push into online video, including its first long-form original Web series, “Connected.”
The show, which follows the lives of five New Yorkers, puts AOL in direct competition with other streaming video giants like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon that are producing TV-quality shows.
For the most part, AOL has leaned heavily on big names to helm shorter episodes of shows, typically 10 minutes or less.
AOL’s latest programming lineup includes:
- “Making a Scene with James Franco” shows the actor waxing about his favorite movies and recreating some of the classic scenes with an “irreverent twist.”
- “So Much More” follows punk rocker Tom Gabel, who stunned fans a few years ago when he became a woman and changed his name to Laura Jane Grace.
- “Kevin Nealon’s Laugh Lessons,” which counts Ellen DeGeneres as an executive producer, appears to be an updated version of “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”