Amp'd Teams with Hollywood ProdCos on Original Mobile Interactive TV Content

Amp'd Mobile says that, for the past year and a half, it has been working with a number of Hollywood production companies to develop original on-demand and interactive content for its platform. The companies specialize in scripted TV programming, reality TV and animation, and, according to Amp'd, the content they are developing will span several genres, including animated shorts and features; interactive, location-based games; cross-platform "Web/wireless experiences"; reality TV series; live, pay-per-view events; and behind-the-scenes coverage of the TV, movie and music businesses. The company says that the programming will incorporate a range of interactive features offered by its wireless service, including push-to-talk walkie-talkie, MMS, SMS, blogging services, multiplayer gaming, and interactive BREW services. Amp'd also says that it is making its broadcast studios, editing facilities and mobile broadcasting trucks available to its various content partners. "Amp'd has partnered with proven creators of reality and scripted television to create the largest offering of original content for the mobile entertainment space," Seth Cummings, Amp'd's SVP of wireless content and Internet services, said in a prepared statement. "By collaborating with Emmy-award winning producers to originate programming that combines scripted storylines with interactive, user-submitted content and mobile-specific features, our members will participate in pioneering an entirely new category of entertainment--that can be found only on Amp'd. We believe original content will be a big selling point of our mobile entertainment service, and the wireless space in general."

Amp'd's content partners include:

• Bunim Murray, the company behind the seminal MTV reality TV series, "The Real World" and "Road Rules," and the Paris Hilton/Nicole Ritchie vehicle, "The Simple Life." Amp'd says that it is working with the company to bring existing reality shows to mobiles and the "blog space," and to develop and produce original mobile series that are scheduled to debut during the current quarter.
• Donick Cary, a writer/producer whose credits include head writer of "Late Night with David Letterman" and co-executive producer of "The Simpsons" and "Just Shoot Me." Cary has an exclusive deal with Amp'd to develop and produce six animated and scripted original programs scheduled to debut in the first half of this year.
• QD3 Productions, the production company of musician, Quincy Jones. According to Amp'd, the company is providing it with behind- the-scenes footage from "today's hottest hip-hop stars," as well as with footage from its documentaries, "Beef" and "Beef II."
• LivePlanet, the production company founded by actors, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and headed up by Larry Tanz. According to Amp'd, the company is creating what it describes as "an unprecedented location-based mobile game that brings together social networking and entertainment in the mobile space." The "Hunt and Capture"-style, competition-based game, which will be available exclusively on Amp'd's service and which is scheduled to debut during the current quarter, will pit players across the US against one another for prizes.