FREEFORM LAUNCHES EXCLUSIVE SHORT-FORM ORIGINAL SERIES 'PARTY GIRL' FROM NEW FORM AND MAKER STUDIOS

SCRIPTED COMEDY CO-CREATED BY ACTRESS, WRITER AND COMEDIAN LISA SCHWARTZ AND TV WRITER LACEY FRIEDMAN

"Party Girl," an exclusive 10-episode original short-form series co-created by actress, writer and comedian Lisa Schwartz (aka LisBug) and television writer Lacey Friedman ("The Goldbergs"), is live now on Freeform.com, the Freeform app and Hulu.

Loosely based on Schwartz's experiences, "Party Girl" follows a twenty-something (Schwartz) as she navigates adulthood while working with a band of quirky co-workers at a Los Angeles party company that specializes in themed birthdays. The series features a cast of characters including Fay, the slightly off, mama-bear leader (Beverly D'Angelo, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"); Philip, the mediocre magician (Ed Begley Jr., "Pineapple Express"); and Clive, the client that literally takes the cake as the weirdest party hero ever (Adam Busch, "Men at Work"), among others.

Schwartz is best known for her widely popular YouTube channel that has over 2 million followers and her musical parodies that have amassed millions of views.

"We are thrilled to premiere our show on the Freeform app and are glad to be a part of their family," said Schwartz and Friedman. "'Party Girl' is a twisted homage to birthday party entertainers, based on Lisa's personal experience, and a nod to all of us who try to maintain our dignity in a world set up for us to have none."

"We love working with emerging talent like Lisa who has such an authentic and fresh point of view. "'Party Girl' is a hilarious show that beautifully portrays the emotional highs and lows of being in your twenties," said Karey Burke, executive vice president, Programming and Development, Freeform.

The series is produced by digital studios New Form and Maker Studios. The "Party Girl" pilot first emerged during the New Form incubator program last year and was further developed into a series project premiering at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.

JC Cangilla, senior vice president, Business Development at New Form, commented, "We are seeing an increased interest from traditional networks to expand their digital offerings. As a leading digital studio, we are excited to see a great series like 'Party Girl' find a home on Freeform."

The Freeform app reaches a highly engaged millennial audience, making it the perfect platform for this series." Kendra Johnson, head of Distribution and Strategic Partnerships at Maker Studios, added, "Lisa and this playful, funny series are a great complement to the Freeform voice."

The deal marks New Form's second licensing deal with a major linear television brand. New Form original series are available across a variety of global platforms including CW's The Seed, Fullscreen, Refinery29 and Verizon's go90. Maker Studios creator content and original series are also available across global platforms including ABCd on the ABC app, CanalPlay, Comcast's Watchable, Fullscreen, Globe Telecom, Netflix, 9Now, Spotify, TVB, Verizon's go90, YouTube Red and more, as well as linear television including Disney Channel, HISTORY and truTV.

About Freeform

Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group, Freeform connects to audiences and goes beyond entertainment with bold original programming and immersive social engagement. The network delivers a unique mix of quality original and acquired series, plus fan favorite movies and the holiday events "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." The Freeform app is a service that allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access via a wide array of devices.

About New Form

New Form is an entertainment studio that redefines how stories are developed, packaged and distributed. New Form empowers creators and audiences to produce original narratives that transcend traditional categories and platforms. Watch New Form series on a variety of global outlets, including CW's The Seed, Refinery29, Fullscreen and go90, or go to newformdigital.com and learn more.

About Maker Studios

Maker Studios is a global digital media brand and the original creator network. Founded in 2009 as a collaborative content engine, Maker Studios continues to innovate with global creators by producing award-winning, original series on the gaming entertainment channel POLARIS by MAKER and comedy channel The STATION by MAKER. Maker Studios is also home to PewDiePie's REVELMODE, a media brand focused on original content, charity and games. Beyond social platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, original series and creator content can be viewed across more than 20 distribution platforms worldwide including ABCd on the ABC app, CanalPlay, Comcast's Watchable, Fullscreen, Globe Telecom, Netflix, 9Now, Spotify, TalkTalk, TVB, go90, YouTube Red, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV and more, as well as linear television including Disney Channel, HISTORY and truTV. Maker Studios is rooted in creator relationships and offers original programming, distribution, enterprise, and brand partnership opportunities to its global network - pairing advertisers looking to reach millennial audiences with the world's biggest digital names across multiple genres. Maker Studios, a division of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, is headquartered in Culver City, California, with operations in 12 markets across the globe under The Walt Disney Company umbrella. For more information visit www.makerstudios.com.