Disney Channel’s first original scripted series made exclusively for release on YouTube is “Shook,” a hip-hop dance short-form series starring Sofia Wylie, produced by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass.
“Shook” will debut Saturday, Sept. 28, on Disney Channel’s YouTube channel. The scripted single-camera show centers on 15-year-old Mia (Wylie), who yearns to dance professionally but is hindered by daily obligations to her little sister and their single mom, a registered nurse. Mia begins to express her true and best self through dance with the support of her extroverted best friend, Fredgy, and a new mentor, Ritz, who introduces her to the world of street dance.
Wylie, best known for her role as Buffy Driscoll in the Disney Channel series “Andi Mack,” stars in the upcoming “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” for the Disney Plus subscription-streaming service.
The Duplass Brothers (“Paddleton,” “Wild Wild Country,” “Room 104”) are executive producing through their DBP Donut banner. The series was written by Jonathan Hurwitz (“Andi Mack”) and directed by Hannah Peterson (“East of the River”), with choreography by Alexis Beauregard (“Love & Hip Hop Hollywood”). “Shook” is being filmed in and around Los Angeles.
“It’s not every day that Disney asks you to partner on a diverse, fun, avant-garde dance series,” Mark Duplass said in a statement. “Actually, this may never happen again, so we’re enjoying it while it lasts.”
Disney Channel’s YouTube channel has 3 million subscribers and has generated over 1.4 billion views to date. “Adding ‘Shook’ as our foray into original scripted content [on YouTube] is a great step in continuing to connect with our viewers on a platform they already use,” said Vincent Aricco, VP of multiplatform content development at Disney Channels Worldwide. “Sofia’s extraordinary talents and already huge fan base enables us to reach and engage with our core kid and tween audience through visual storytelling for an increasingly digital audience.”
Wylie has a following of 1.6 million on Instagram. The actress-singer-dancer recently made her musical debut with “Side by Side,” part of the “Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts” special. She is also the voice of Riri Williams in the “Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron” animated series and made her big-screen debut in MarVista’s “Back of the Net.”
In addition to Wylie, the cast of “Shook” includes Somali Rose (“Raven’s Home”), LeShay Tomlinson (“Insecure”), Sydney Sepulveda (“Hard Knocks”), Wayne Mackins (“The Prom”), Jenna Z. Alvarez (“Kidding”) and Caroline Harris (“Megalodon”).
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