Latino-owned entertainment company Fuse announced at their 2022 upfront presentation on Thursday that they would be launching two new free, ad-supported television channels before the end of the year. The first, Latino Vibes, will be devoted to English-language Latino entertainment and will celebrate “our vibrant and varied culture where family is the heart and soul and big dreams are a way of life.”
“Our stories have gone untold for too long,” said Fuse Media chairman and CEO Mike Roggero. “Fuse is committed to championing diversity and inclusion in media. By introducing new ways and platforms for fans to connect with our programming, we can continue to reach our audience everywhere they want to consume content, including our rapidly growing streaming platforms.”
Latino Vibes will be the first of two channels to debut in 2022. The other will be Camptastic, a channel that will feature “the champs of camp and the kings and queens of kitsch.” Camptastic will be the home of “strange forgotten gems, perfect camp classics AND all the ‘crazy TV’ you can handle,” according to the company.
Fuse initially announced the launch of a streaming division at its 2021 media upfronts and the two new channels will join a rapidly growing lineup of offering that includes Fuse Beat, “the most widely distributed Black content channel in the FAST space,” as well as Fuse Backstage and Fuse Sweat.
The media company says that the total minutes watched for their current channels increased by 300% over the past year, due in part to distribution deals with Samsung TV Plus and XUMO. Their subscription streaming service Fuse+ has seen a 57% increase in monthly minutes watched since launching in October 2021.
At their 2022 upfronts on Thursday, Fuse announced its 2022-23 programming for both streaming and TV channels. According to the company, “Fuse Media’s new and returning properties adhere to the company’s mission of providing entertaining content that empowers young, multicultural audiences … Fuse’s diverse programming attracts audiences that are younger and more diverse than the industry average.”
NEW ORIGINAL SERIES
We Need to Talk About America (10x30, premieres April 20 at 11 p.m. ET): Gender reveals, eating contests, over the top proposals, social media anything. American culture can seem wild and weird. Especially from the perspective of our first-generation and bicultural comedians. We’re talking sharp witted, honest reactions to American oddities. From a diverse panel of freethinking, freewheeling professional roasters. If you can take the heat, join in the laughs. If not, RELAX. It’s just a comedy show. Produced by the Fuse Content Studio.
Upcycle Nation (8x60): An eco-friendly challenge series where contestants are presented with a box of mystery items to cut, sew, stitch, hammer, burn, tear, and do whatever’s necessary to create a brand-new product. From taking discarded denim jeans and making them into a new functional jacket, to repurposing old Oreo bags into a new couture handbag, one man’s trash will be upcycled into a treasure. Produced by the Fuse Content Studio.
Filmmakers to Watch (working title): Fuse+ elevates young women and minority directors, filmmakers, and talent through this film series supporting young diverse artists. Upcoming titles include:
The Daphne Project: Daphne Wilco, actress and social justice warrior, hilariously wreaks havoc on a production of Euripides’ “The Bacchae” in the name of progress, her progress. Co-directed and written by Alec Tibaldi and Zora Iman Crews.
White Elephant: Writer/director Andrew Chung’s coming-of-age dramedy about a young South Asian woman struggling to find her place in the world as she grapples with her cultural identity, insecurities, and racial tensions at her school.
Like A Girl (8x30): Denise Jones is a dynamo. Since the age of 8 or 9, she’s been kicking the asses of over-confident boys on-and-off the pitch. As an adult, she’s been a vocal leader in the fight for gender equality in sports. Now, Denise will bring the fight for gender equality to life via a multigenerational interview and competition series. Every episode, Denise will spend a day with a talented young, female athlete, including training and competing with some of the biggest athletes on the planet. Produced by the Fuse Content Studio.
TallBoyz (8x30, Premiered on March 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT): TallBoyz is a critically lauded sketch comedy that takes on a slew of pressing topics including cultural appropriation, office politics, toxic masculinity, racism, ancient demons…and almost meeting Drake. Starring Vance Banzo, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen and Tim Blair. Produced by Accent Entertainment. Bruce McCulloch (Saturday Night Live, The Kids in The Hall) is Executive Producer, Showrunner and Director, and Susan Cavan is Executive Producer along with the four TallBoyz. Seasons two and three of TallBoyz will debut in Summer and Fall of 2022 on Fuse.
RETURNING SERIES
Sex Sells (Season 2 Premieres June 22, 8x30): When we talk about sex, we mean business and business is booming. Enter WeezyWTF, former tech professional, now one-half of the popular podcast Whoreible Decisions. Weezy celebrates sex-focused businesses and importantly, destigmatizes sexuality – especially female sexuality. Celebrity guests join Weezy as she explores sex-related businesses.
Fuse Films (Season 4): Launched in 2019, this Imagen Award-winning franchise spotlights independent films that tell stories about and by members of underrepresented communities. Inclusive, authentic, and upbeat, these feature films are selected because of their aspirational and inspiring storylines and/or the ability to explore key issues through entertainment. New Fuse Films titles will be forthcoming.
Fuse Docs (Season 6): The Peabody, Emmy and NAMIC award-winning documentary franchise has also been renewed. This series of documentaries making their U.S. TV premieres spotlights young, idealistic, and diverse people who are celebrating their cultural heritage and identity, confronting issues, and overcoming prejudice. Fuse documents their journeys and partners with organizations to help ignite a multiplatform conversation around each title. Upcoming docs include:
Invisible Valley (Premieres April 12): California’s Coachella Valley is home to one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Invisible Valley goes beyond the festival doors and into the communities of Coachella Valley, weaving together the disparate lives of undocumented farm workers and wealthy snowbirds over the course of a year.
A Sexplanation (Premieres May 3): To right the wrongs of his all-American sex education, health reporter Alex Liu goes on a quest to uncover the naked truths and hard facts about sex—no matter how awkward it gets.
Being BeBe (Premieres June 21): Being BeBe intimately charts 15 years in the life of renowned drag performer Marshall Ngwa, aka BeBe Zahara Benet, the first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Marshall’s emotional journey raises timely concerns at the intersection of LGBTQ+, People of Color, and immigrant lives within the context of a hard-fought artist’s journey toward success against all odds. The doc had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021, won prizes at the Provincetown International Film Festival and Sound Unseen, and has gone on to screen at 30 film festivals on 4 continents.
The Revolution Generation: Narrated by and featuring award-winning actor Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and The Furious), The Revolution Generation is an exploration of the world-changing activism and potential of the largest youth generation in history. The film shows examples of young leaders working to revolutionize systems that have failed their generation. It paints a powerful and hopeful picture of how today’s youth can solve global political and environmental crises.
White Coat Rebels: A probing look inside the medical profession that examines the corrupting influence of Big Pharma and the courageous young doctors and students fighting back against the status quo. From Participant and directed by Greg Barker.
Made From Scratch (Season 4, 8x30): Artists share a home-cooked meal with their family and friends, and you’re invited to share the love and feed the soul. Our “not-really-a-cooking-show” goes beyond the recipe. It’s about those intimate, genuine moments where food is our bond, and artists can let down their guard. Join our hosts as they cook their favorite dishes and reveal how food and family have helped shape their identity, and inspired their art. Previous guests have included Becky G, Rick Ross, Ally Brooke, Miguel, Trippie Redd, A$AP Ferg, Karol G, Saweetie, and G-Eazy sharing their personal stories and the special meaning behind their menu. It is produced by the Fuse Content Studio.