Zoe Saldana teams with Awestruck, AwesomenessTV’s new MCN for millennial moms

BY TODD LONGWELL

Actress Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy) and her production company Cinestar have signed a deal to executive produce two series and create a YouTube channel for Awestruck, a new lifestyle brand and multichannel network from AwesomenessTV that will be available on YouTube, Facebook, and Verizon’s Go90 service.

Debuting in the fall of 2015, Awestruck will feature a mix of female-centric scripted and unscripted programming formats, from comedy and drama series to docu-reality and talk shows, showcasing a mix of digital influencers and celebrities.

Cinestar is a production company Saldana co-founded with her sisters Mariel and Cisely Saldana. The Saldanas will partner with Awestruck on both un-scripted and scripted content, of which Zoe will serve as the executive producer. They will also create the Cinestar YouTube channel for the Awestruck MCN. It will mark their first foray as online creators.

“Zoe epitomizes the talent we are seeking for Awestruck. She marries a strong creative vision and an existing fan base with the experience of being a new mom,” said Sarah Penna, head of Awestruck and co-founder of MCN-turned-management firm Big Frame (now a division of AwesomenessTV).

Saldana and her husband Marco Perego welcomed twin sons in November 2014. Penna is also a relatively new mom: In September 2014, she and her husband Joe Penna (aka MysteryGuitarMan) welcomed their first child, son Jonah Lane Penna.

Photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)