AOL, Koda Communications & Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets Announce Series Launch of ‘Connected’

AOL Originals’ Dermot McCormack, Koda Communications' Ram Landes and Warrior Poets’ Morgan Spurlock announced today that their upcoming digital series, Connected, will launch on March 31. The first long-form series for AOL Originals, is set to roll out four episodes every two weeks with a total of 20 episodes airing overall at http://www.AolOriginals.com. Adapted from the award-winning Israeli docu drama series from Koda Communications (“Mehubarim Plus”), Connected will be set in New York City, featuring real people, real problems and real emotions. Dermot McCormack of AOL Originals, Ram Landes and Ami Teer of Koda Communications as well as Morgan Spurlock of Warrior Poets serve as executive producers on the show.

Connected is an innovative docu-drama series capturing American life through the eyes of extraordinary New Yorkers. Connectedwill feature six personal stories, weaving together the people, lives and experiences that make up the fabric of New York City. Each character was given a camcorder to intimately document their own lives over the course of six months.

"Connected marks a new genre in the world of reality television, capturing authentic, real life stories in a way that we’ve never seen before,” said Dermot McCormack, President of AOL Video and AOL Studios. “We’re excited to bring this new form of storytelling exclusively to the AOL audience on all screens."

What emerges in this unique new series is a groundbreaking format that merges the documentary, drama and reality genres. The stories are filmed and told by the characters themselves, thus remaining organically grounded in their real life conflicts and dilemmas. By revealing their individual life stories and relationships, the characters create a larger narrative of who we are as a society and establish the reminder that we are all universally Connected.

“This series pulls back the curtain on the world of over-produced, fabricated reality TV, and what emerges is raw emotion and real storytelling,” said Morgan Spurlock, Executive Producer of Connected and President and Founder of Warrior Poets. “The characters are truly brave and aspirational in what they share with the world.”

The subjects include Nina Ferrer-Mannino (interior designer, architect photographer) and husband Stefano Mannino; Jonathan Bricklin (aspiring writer and owner of SPIN in New York) with his girlfriend Susan Sarandon; Derek Gaines (stand-up comedian and host of MTV’s Broke A$$ Game Show); Eli and Ido Bendet-Taicher (married high tech executives); Lori Levine (CEO & founder of Flying Television celebrity marketing) and fiancé Jan van Arsdale; and Rosie Noesi (radio & TV host) and boyfriend Joshua Baggett.

Sprint is the exclusive, premiere sponsor of Connected - a natural fit for the brand, as the show’s theme reminds viewers of the universal bond and influence of communication within families.

New episodes of Connected will be released every two weeks following the premiere:

April 13: Episodes 5-8
April 27: Episodes 9-12
May 11: Episodes 13-16
May 25: Episodes 17-20

For more information and upcoming news on Connected and other AOL Original series follow us @AolOriginals on Twitter,Facebook,Instagram and Tumblr.

ABOUT AOL

AOL (NYSE:AOL) is a media technology company with a mission to simplify the Internet for consumers and creators by unleashing the world's best builders of culture and code. As the 4th largest online property in the U.S., with approximately 200 million monthly consumers of its premium brands, AOL is at the center of disruption of how content is being produced, distributed, consumed and monetized by connecting publishers with advertisers on its global, programmatic content and advertising platforms. AOL's opportunity lies in shaping the future of the digitally connected world for decades to come. Follow @AolOriginals on Twitter,Facebook,Instagram and Tumblr for more upcoming news about Connected and other AOL Original Series

ABOUT KODA COMMUNICATIONS

Koda Communications is one of Israel's most innovative production companies, recognized as a powerhouse of creativity and management, as well as an executive force of cutting-edge products for the television industry. Founded by Ram Landes in 2006, Koda has since accumulated high esteem and recognition as a one-stop-shop for content.

ABOUT WARRIOR POETS

Warrior Poets is a New York based production company founded in 2004 by Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. Since its creation, he and producing partner Jeremy Chilnick have produced multiple award winning films and television programs. Films include One Direction: This Is Us, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope, Mansome, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, and Freakonomics. Television projects include the award-winning FX series 30 Days, the IDA award-winning CNN series Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man, Showtime’s 7 Deadly Sins, ESPN’s The Dotted Line, Emmy and Writer’s Guild nominated The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3D on Ice!. Digital projects include Hulu’s A Day in the Life, Yahoo’s Mansome, Failure Club, and Losing It with John Stamos, and Sky Atlantic HD’s Morgan Spurlock’s New Britannia.

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