Apple is Hearing Pitches for Original TV Shows, Stealthily Meets With Talent at Sundance [Report]

Apple has been hearing pitches for original TV shows and has stealthily met with talent at the Sundance Film festival, according to Fast Company.

Apple attended Sundance nearly unnoticed. The company set up in the Imperial Hotel and held invitation only events behind the now unmarked door at 221 Main.

On one evening, a group of young filmmakers were treated to cocktails and a farm-to-table dinner put on by the chefs from Eveleigh, one of Los Angeles’s hottest restaurants. The space was as sleek and understated as an iPhone 6S; one attendee described the decor to me as "very beige." Unlike most Sundance brand-sponsored events, there were no press releases. There were no party pictures. There wasn’t any swag. The iTunes Lounge, as it was known to invitees, was as real to most festivalgoers as Lizzy.


One guest who attended told Fast Company that "They were definitely talking to the talent."

In the following weeks, Apple executives were in Los Angeles to hear pitches for original TV series. The company reportedly plans to launch shows via an 'Exclusives' app for the Apple TV and within iTunes. A source says the company is looking to work with 'triple A-list' talent and build up a roster of shows. Producers who have met with Apple will only refer to the company as the 'United Fruit Company'.

Apple has previously been rumored to be working on a variety of original content. Back in February, The Hollywood Reporter said that Apple's first scripted television series will be a dark drama based on Dr. Dre that is full of violence and sex. The series, called 'Vital Signs', is semi-autobiographical and features at least one orgy scene. However, just last month, Apple announced that its first original TV project is a non-scripted series about apps. The company is working on the show with entertainer Will.i.am and two veteran TV executives, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens.

It appears as though Apple is pursuing original content in two ways. The first is content that will promote Apple Music and iTunes, and the second is a more comprehensive push similar to the one Netflix and Amazon have seen great success with.


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