Shaftesbury bites into vampire story

The digital arm of Canadian prodco Shaftesbury has partnered with a feminine hygiene company to produce an online adaptation of a classic gothic vampire tale.

Smokebomb Entertainment is working with Shift2, its co-venture with millennial agency Youth Culture, on transmedia series Carmilla (36×4′), which is exec produced by tampon company U By Kotex.

The series puts a modern spin on the Sheridan Le Fanu novella published in 1872, which tells the story of a young woman’s susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire.

The adaptation sees it become a character-driven comedy for millennials about a university student whose world is turned upside down when a vampire moves into her dorm room.

Two new episodes will now be launched every week on the VervegirlTV YouTube channel, along with social media extensions on Twitter and Tumblr. There will also be vlogs featuring the two lead Carmilla characters debating whether vampires get their periods, Shaftesbury said.

“With Carmilla, we are combining vlog-style direct address and character-driven storytelling to go beyond product integration and one-off videos,” said Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, CEO of shift2.

“By offering compelling, ongoing content designed to reach groups on multiple platforms, our aim is to build a sustainable, engaged audience and help savvy brands like U By Kotex connect with consumers in an entirely new and authentic way.”

The series is co-created by Smokebomb and playwright Jordan Hall, and written by Hall.

Distribution division Shaftesbury Sales Company is in discussions with third-party partners to bring Carmilla to more audiences, and offered the series to buyers at Mipcom this week.