AwesomenessTV Names Film Head

AwesomenessTV’s Awesomeness Films has a president–Matt Kaplan will oversee the multi-channel network’s designated movie division.

Awesomeness Films will look to produce and acquire young adult movies, bringing together traditional and digital talent across all budget ranges for both wide and limited releases. Awesomeness Films is slated to release between 12 to 15 films for theatrical and digital film distribution. (No time frame for those films has been officially stated.) Several films are currently in production, including the recently announced Shovel Buddies.

In his new role, Kaplan will build out Awesomness Films, working closely with Brian Robbins, founder and chief executive officer, AwesomenessTV.

“AwesomenessTV has made a major commitment to film production and we are looking to Matt with his strong track record in independent film to help us deliver on our very ambitious slate of films,” says Robbins. “Major Hollywood studios have largely ignored Generation Z. As we demonstrated with Expelled, which premiered in December and immediately shot to No. 1 on iTunes, there is an enormous appetite for movies that speak to this audience.” 

"At Awesomeness Films, we’re excited to take on material that traditional studios just aren’t making and it’s helping us attract top-notch directors and talent to our projects,” says Kaplan. “Add in the formidable power of digital creators plus AwesomenessTV and we have an unrivaled ability to connect young adult audiences to feature films like never before.”

Prior to joining AwesomenessTV, Kaplan founded Chapter One Films, signing a first look deal with Blumhouse Productions. During the partnership, he produced films such as Stephanie, The Lazarus Effect, Viral and 6 Miranda Drive. He also produced Syfy’s mini-series “Ascension.”

Before that, he was senior vice president of development and production for Lionsgate Films, overseeing the company’s indie film label with projects such as They Came Together, starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler. He was also a director of digital development at CBS, where he was responsible for developing and managing online programming for CBS Interactive. At CBS, Kaplan produced over 125 episodes of multi-platform content including the web series “Clark & Michael,” starring Michael Cera and Clark Duke.

In addition, two members of Kaplan’s team at Chapter One Films–Robyn Marshall and Max Siemers–will join Awesomeness Films.