Advanced Television

Lion Forge, Sinking Ship partner on Lila Goes Viral series

April 16, 2026

Oscar-winning studio Lion Forge Entertainment has partnered with Emmy Award–winning studio Sinking Ship Entertainment to finance and co-produce Lila Goes Viral, a new live action scripted series premiering April 22nd on YouTube in honour of Earth Day.

Designed for the YouTube generation, Lila Goes Viral blends music, storytelling, and social-first content for audiences aged nine to 14. The series will launch with its first two episode blocks featured on YouTube Kids, followed by weekly releases. Each of the eight packages includes one narrative episode, original music, multiple confessional vlogs, plus numerous vertical shorts cross-posted across YouTube and socials.

The show follows a teenager, played by Ava Ro (Erin & Aaron, Home Sweet Rome, Big Top Academy), who launches a YouTube channel after witnessing the degradation of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. When she posts an original song inspired by climate change, the video goes viral overnight—propelling her to internet fame and forcing her to navigate newfound stardom while learning how to use her growing platform to make a positive impact.

“Lila Goes Viral came from wanting to create something that reflects how kids actually consume and create content today,” said co-creators Erica Rabner and Robby LeDoux. “As songwriters, music is how we process our world, so the songs are the heartbeat of the show. It’s about finding your voice, what happens when people actually start listening – and how that can lead to real change. We call it a creator-native narrative, a fictional series that unfolds as a YouTube channel and across socials, but with a full story arc, music franchise, and impact strategy. It’s a new genre – a mash-up of the best features of premium and digital storytelling.”

Music plays a central role in the series with each episode featuring an original song and the show’s soundtrack to be released by Magic Star, the kids and family division of The Orchard, a member of Sony Music Entertainment. Mirroring the rollout of recording artists, each original song will be supported by a full ecosystem of content across platforms. Every song is accompanied by an official music video, acoustic version, lyric video and steady stream of short-form videos from choreography dance challenges to creator-friendly formats that invite participation.

“YouTube is an incredible platform for reaching young audiences where they already are,” said David Steward II, founder and CEO of Lion Forge Entertainment. “Lila Goes Viral is exactly the kind of storytelling we believe in. It’s entertaining, culturally relevant and grounded in a meaningful purpose. Partnering with Sinking Ship allows us to bring this story to life while encouraging viewers to engage with issues that matter for the future of our planet.”

“Gen Alpha isn’t just watching content – they’re participating in it, shaping it, and using it to express what they care about,” said J.J. Johnson, co-founder of Sinking Ship Entertainment. “Lila Goes Viral meets them in that world, using music and storytelling to turn something as big as climate change into something

personal, actionable and deeply entertaining. Partnering with Lion Forge feels like a natural fit because we share a belief in crafting authentic stories that remind young audiences that their voice matters.”

In an effort to inspire young audiences to take action on real world climate issues, the series is partnering with The Climate Initiative, which supports climate education and youth leadership in 49 US states and globally. Additionally, 10 per cent of the show’s earnings will be donated to organisations that support environmental sustainability and climate awareness.

“Lila Goes Viral is part of Lion Forge Entertainment’s growing slate of digital-first storytelling,” said Stephanie Sperber, President and Chief Creative Officer at Lion Forge Entertainment. “Alongside projects like Lostlings, it reflects our commitment to building original series designed for the platforms where young audiences are discovering new voices and new worlds. With its mix of music, creator culture and environmental themes, Lila Goes Viral is exactly the kind of bold, platform-native project we’re excited to bring to life.”

Developed by Sinking Ship, Lila Goes Viral was co-created by Rabner and LeDoux who wrote all the original music for the series. Additionally, Rabner also serves as showrunner and lead writer, while LeDoux also serves as music producer/director. David Gorvy, who has a track record of directing viral content native to YouTube (Colin & Samir: The Making of Beast Games, What Makes Fast: Cadillac’s Road to Formula 1) is directing.

The project is executive produced by Johnson and Blair Powers of Sinking Ship, with Redhead Consulting founder Amy Friedman also serving as executive producer. Friedman originally brought the project to Sinking Ship through Aspen Institute’s climate-focused education initiative Planet Media, which awarded the project original development funding. Ava Ro also serves as a producer alongside Sinking Ship’s Alexis Grieve. The official trailer for the series is available on YouTube.

Founded by David Steward II, Lion Forge Entertainment focuses on global IP that is both authentic and appealing to a broad audience. The company develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids & family, YA and adult audiences. Most recently, the studio’s epic animated fantasy series Iyanu was a breakout cross-platform success on HBO Max and Cartoon Network in 2025 and will debut season two this spring.

The studio’s pipeline has surged in the last year. A highly active 12-month period for Lion Forge Entertainment saw the company join forces with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature film; develop a YA television series adaptation of Kimberly Ann Harrison’s acclaimed novel Beyond the Paddock; set a partnership with TalesVision to expand their short-form YouTube sensation, Lostlings, into a premium long-form series; executive produce two movies – the comedy Jacob Beats Up Nate and A Dog’s Perfect Christmas for Netflix; and set a first of-its-kind strategic partnership with Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts). Additional strategic partnerships for Lion Forge Entertainment include an alliance with Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House, to develop series and features based on select children’s books. Lion Forge Entertainment is represented by Activist Artists Management and Jon Kanak from Lumify.

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