DENVER — Casting the Watpad-inspired teen romantic drama Sidelined: The QB and Me, Tubi Chief Content Officer Adam Lewinson had all sorts of data telling him that actor Noah Beck would be a can’t-miss selection for his young leading man.
But Lewinson, who’s career spans back to that actually-not-that-long-ago period in which tastes and instinct trumped cybermetrics for making casting decisions, felt he needed to hedge his bets. He decided to cast none other than Dawson himself, proto TV high school quarterback James Van Der Beek, to play Beck’s father in the movie. As Lewinson put it Wednesday while telling his casting story to a StreamTV Show afternoon fireside chat audience, “We’d at least get Dawson’s mom to watch.”
Indeed, the veteran TV programming exec thought that if Beck’s loyal Gen Z fans didn’t for some reason didn’t stream Sidelined, perhaps Van Der Beek’s older Dawson’s Creek followers would give it a whirl. Turns out both camps turned out in droves, and the movie had the biggest debut ever for a Tubi original.
All of this data suggesting Gen Z viewers won’t watch longform entertainment? Lewinson — who worked linear-age stints at A+E Networks and Fox — rebuffed it. He said that sometimes, even in the streaming age, programmers still have to rely on their experience and instincts.
It was a theme touched on moments later on the same Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention stage, where a group of TVOS operators discussed the FAST business. Jennifer Vaux, VP of content acquisition and programming for Roku, conceded that her team has more data and AI tools than it could ever wish for when it comes to choosing projects and talent. But major programming decisions are still made, she said, from sitting down with Roku’s scripted content chief Brian Tannenbaum and talking out strategy.
“You also have to trust your gut as a programmer,” Vaux said.