Lebron is launching an animated web series called “The Lebrons” to provide positive messages to today’s youth. We first covered the show back in January. The show follows the four LeBrons: Kid, Athlete, Business, and Wise as they live in James’s hometown of Akron, Ohio. Much like the cartoons of yesterday, each episode will provide a positive message for viewers.
The show will be primarily offered via a YouTube channel with some syndication across major sports sites. Dan Goodman and Bill Masterson of Believe Entertainment Group helped create, finance and sell the show. They believe the webisode format is the new frontier of digital entertainment: “When we looked at LeBron’s audience, it really became a natural place for the show to reside,” Masterson said. “Unlike when we grew up and cartoons were on Saturday morning … now their access is not as programmed or dictated by timing. It’s on their own terms.
A portion of the proceeds from the show will go directly to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for purchasing computers. The show is sponsored for HP and Intel and actually started off as a Nike commercial. These products and logos will have a strong presence in the series. The goal is to strike a balance between being promotional and actually providing valuable content for viewers. While featuring brands will allow the show to thrive when the budget isn’t there, there is also the risk of overshadowing the message, which doesn’t benefit the brands or the show.
Lebron is very passionate about this project, calling it a “modern day Fat Albert.” He will promote the series using his strong social media presence. He currently has 1.6 million Twitter followers and 5.7 million likes on his Facebook page where he is currently displaying the show’s logo as his profile picture.
via Mashable