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WIGS, the number one channel for scripted drama on YouTube, announced the return of two if its most acclaimed series, Blue, starring Julia Stiles and Lauren, starring Troian Bellisario and Jennifer Beals. New series Paloma, starring Grace Gummer (Gigantic, Margin Call) to debut this spring.
Blue returns with 26-all new episodes, with the first seven episodes on Friday, March 15 at 9:00AM. Additional episodes will be made available on Fridays: March 22, March 29 and April 5. The award-winning series stars Stiles as the title character, a single mother trying to protect her son from the consequences of her secret career as an upscale escort. Written and directed by WIGS co-creator Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs,” “In Treatment”) BLUE also features Mark Consuelos (“All My Children”), Holly Robinson Peete (“Mike & Molly,” “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper”), Uriah Shelton (“The Glades”), Kathleen Quinlan (“Apollo 13”), Carla Gallo (BONES, “Men of a Certain Age”) and James Morrison (“Revenge,” “24”). Karen Graci is co-writer on the series. The Season Two trailer for BLUE, as well as all episodes from Season One, can be viewed now at www.youtube.com/wigs.
Season Two of Lauren, scheduled to return with all-new episodes in spring of 2013, will continue to explore the consequences of dealing with sexual assault in the military. Troian Bellisario and Jennifer Beals will return as “Lauren” and “Major Jo Stone,” respectively. The series also features Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”), Raymond Cruz (“Major Crimes”), Sean Harmon (“NCIS”), Mykelti Williamson (“Justified,” “24,” “Forrest Gump”), Justine Ezarik (YouTube channel iJustine) and Sarah Jones (“Vegas,” “Alcatraz”) who will be reprising her self-titled role as a military veteran from WIGS series Kendra. WIGS co-creator Jon Avnet (“Black Swan,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Risky Business”) directed the 12 new episodes of the series, which is written by Writers Guild of America award nominee Jay Rodan.
New four-episode series Paloma, also set to debut this spring, is written and directed by Stiles, marking her second WIGS project. Paloma stars Gummer as a young woman dealing with the unpredictability of relationships, both in romance and in the workplace. The series also features Rhys Coiro (“Entourage”) and Garret Dillahunt (“Raising Hope”, “Looper”).
“We’re very excited about bringing Season Two of Blue to the WIGS channel,” said Avnet. “Rodrigo’s work on BLUE with Julia Stiles is filled with surprises. Lauren starring Troian Bellasario and Jennifer Beals, again, digs much deeper into the characters and the impact this assault has on the lives of ‘Lauren’ and her fellow soldiers. Jay Rodan followed up on his WGA-award-nominated script with more powerful drama. I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to direct these screenplays with these actors.”
Added Garcia, “We’re looking forward to hearing what fans think of the new installments of these series but are hoping to introduce them to new viewers as well. The inability for content to ‘become old’ is one of the qualities intrinsic to the platform that drew Julia Stiles to WIGS. As a writer, director and actress on the channel, she is a huge advocate for us and we’re truly blessed to have her amongst our talented cast and crew on both BLUE and PALOMA.”
“The consumer feedback has been inspiring, and we expect this season to be even more spectacular than the first,” said Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, Senior Vice President, Multi-Platform Programming at FOX. “We’re thrilled to be supporting Rodrigo Garcia and Jon Avnet as they continue to trailblaze with this important endeavor.”
American Express is the Presenting Sponsor and Unilever is the Associate Sponsor for WIGS.
About WIGS
WIGS was launched in May 2012 by director/producers Jon Avnet (“Black Swan,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Risky Business”), Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs,” “In Treatment,” “Big Love”) and Jake Avnet, and is now the No. 1 channel for scripted drama on YouTube, with over 24 million views to date and more than 100,000 subscribers. The channel offers high-end original series, short films, and documentaries, all starring female leads. Popular series on the WIGS channel include BLUE, about a single mother trying to protect her son from the consequences of her secret career as an upscale escort, starring Julia Stiles, Uriah Shelton, and Jeanne Tripplehorn; LAUREN, about the consequences of dealing with sexual assault in the military, starring Troian Bellisario and Jennifer Beals; SERENA, a story of lust, temptation and forbidden love, starring Jennifer Garner and Alfred Molina; and JAN, about a young woman whose first job goes awry, starring Virginia Madsen, Stephen Moyer and Caitlin Gerard.
In February of 2013, Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) entered into a multi-year pact with WIGS. The programming, marketing and distribution partnership is designed to expand the breadth of offerings through the WIGS channel, and test and nurture dramatic concepts and talent in the digital realm.
Additional WIGS offerings have included such actors as America Ferrera, Alison Pill, Dakota Fanning, Jimmy Wolk, Allison Janney, Walton Goggins, Maura Tierney, Michael C. Hall, Sarah Jones, Jason Isaacs, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Messina, Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jena Malone, Gary Dourdan, Sarah Paulson and Eric Balfour. Writers and directors include Paul Brickman, Betty Thomas, Lesli Linka Glatter, Rose Troche, Mitch Albom, Ami Canaan Mann, Scott Turow, Amy Lippman, Neil LaBute, Leah Rachel, Mattie Brickman, Patricia Cardoso, Mykelti Williamson and Lee Krieger.
To watch all current WIGS series, please visit: www.watchwigs.com, www.youtube.com/wigs or www.youtube.com/wigsespanol.
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