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The Huffington Post enlists Game of Thrones star for first original series examining social media’s impact on youngsters

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By Seb Joseph | News editor

October 20, 2015 | 3 min read

AOL's Huffington Post has signed up Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner to front its original show, a 10-part series exploring how today’s youngsters are using social media as part of AOL’s bid to become a video powerhouse.

It’s the latest from the HuffPost Originals stable and follows Turner, who plays Sansa Stark in the HBO hit, as she explores stories from all over the world of how social media has changed people's lives. From instances where social has influenced public opinion and campaigned for social justice to times where its sparked political revolutions to created celebrities, the #PowerShift series aims to highlight how today’s youth are embracing emerging platforms to impact the world around them.

The series, which was announced today (20 October) during AOL's IAB Digital Upfronts session, has been commissioned out of the UK and will appear on all 15 editions of the Huffington Post as well as pushed through the AOL ON network. It’s been made in partnership with GroupM Entertainment and produced by Broad Bean Media.

“Even though we’ve seen example after example around the world of social media deepening connections, improving lives and making the world better, we are still only beginning to understand its potential,” said Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post.

“So I’m delighted that, as part of our 'What’s Working' initiative to reimagine journalism with an emphasis on solutions, #PowerShift is putting a spotlight on real people using social media to change the world, in a way that’s both inspiring and entertaining.”

It marks AOL’s ongoing efforts to boost its video offering by investing in premium, original programming. Last month, it announced an upcoming reality sports series in partnership with rapper Snoop Dogg and has also backed shows starring familiar faces including Steve Buscemi, Sarah Jessica Parker and James Franco. The myriad of well established content headlining videos across the AOL platform goes some way to making it a very attractive lineup to advertisers looking to pump more money into video.

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