Chris Hemsworth’s gamble on original content is paying off. “Azza & Zoc Do Earth,” the actor’s first fully owned original series from Wild State, has generated more than 11 million views since its launch in February, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
The six-episode adventure series on YouTube follows two of Hemsworth’s best friends, Aaron “Azza” Grist and Luke Zocchi as they travel around the world to explore some of the most innovative and culturally rich health and wellness practices. Each half-hour episode highlights a different brand collaboration as the pair travels everywhere from Chicago to Bali. Atmos Rewards, the new loyalty program for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, serve as the overall presenting partners for the show, with discussions for Season 2 currently underway.
The audience for “Azza & Zoc Do Earth” has grown beyond Hemsworth’s core fanbase. When it comes to viewers, 54% of them are new to Hemsworth’s YouTube channel, and 96% of viewers are non-subscribers. The series has already generated 32,000 hours watched within its first month. More than 70% of audiences have watched the show via a connected TV device, further illustrating the trend that more people watching YouTube from their living rooms. As for the demographic breakdown, the audience profile is fairly evenly split when it comes to gender (60% male and 40% female) with 90% of the viewership coming from the U.S.
The series comes from Wild State, the media company co-founded by Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson. “Azza & Zoc Do Earth” is one of Wild State’s first projects as part of the company’s expansion into premium, YouTube-first storytelling that reaches beyond the traditional Hollywood ecosystem. Wild State has also created content in support of major releases such as “Furiosa,” “Transformers,” “Limitless,” “Crime 101” and the upcoming “Avengers” films.
“We launched the channel as an exciting new platform to connect with our audience and continue to create entertaining, authentic stories infused with our brand of adventure, health and wellness,” said Hemsworth.
Since Hemsworth’s channel started posting content a year ago, it has surpassed 600,000 subscribers driven by the movie star’s 100 million-plus global social media following. The channel has also generated 38 million views — numbers that jump to 142 million when you include collaborations with MrBeast, Ed Sheeran and David Blaine.
“At Wild State, we understand the power of storytelling, and to be able to partner in a completely authentic way with brands that share the same passion is incredibly rewarding,” said Fara Taylor, head of brand at Wild State.
“Our job is to help brands and platforms understand the many ways they can collaborate with storytelling and exceptional talent like Chris, especially when it comes to developing original content ideas,” added Libby Bush, global head of CAA’s Entertainment Partnerships. “As artists’ ambitions and storytelling continue to expand, creative deal-making becomes essential to bringing those ideas to life, and we’re thrilled to help turn this partnership into a reality.”
