Vice, Blackpills make shortform

Fledgling shortform scripted firm Blackpills is producing content to be distributed across Vice’s digital platforms, including projects with Luc Besson and Zoe Cassavetes.

Blackpills was set up by Daniel Marhely, co-founder of music-on-demand site Deezer, and Patrick Holzman, formerly executive VP of Canal+ International.

Content from the firm, as well as select shows from Vice-owned London prodco Pulse Films, premiered on Vice Digital yesterday.

Vice’s new video-focused digital channel video.vice.com will feature productions from directors and producers including Besson, Cassavettes and Bryan Singer.

The channel will introduce several of Blackpills’ new shows, including drama Junior, from Zoe Cassavetes, about a teenage girl trapped in an unexpected love triangle with her mother.

Besson is working on Playground, about a teenage girl who joins a school for assassins and uncovers the mystery of her parents’ death.

Pulse Films will produce two new series, Pillowtalk and Twiz & Tuck, which will premiere exclusively on the channel in the US.

The suite of content will feature short-format digital series spanning topics from racial and sexual diversity in communities to dealing with death and the realities of coming of age.

Blackpills curates a team of writers, actors, and directors to produce short scripted series made for millennial mobile consumption.

Holzman said: “Over the past 12 months, we have been building a global digital media company and have greenlit over 50 short scripted series with the best talents and production companies.

“We are completely changing the format of how series are watched on mobile, and are elated to have Vice and Pulse on board to give a voice to the young creatives making powerful statements about the state of the world today.”