Casting begins for Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality show about wannabe app developers
The TV showwill give contestants the chance to break through and share their ideas with the world, but how much will they really get out of the exposure?
Budding entrepreneurs have Shark Tank, cooks have Top Chef, and aspiring filmmakers have Project Greenlight. Soon, wannabe app developers will have their own competitive reality TV series.
Apple recently announced an open casting call for the TV show that the company announced it was working on earlier this year. The unscripted reality show, called Planet of the Apps, is set to start filming later this year and is the first original TV series for the iPhone maker. Details such as the number of contestants or when it will air are still unknown at this time, but the show will feature up-and-coming apps competing for funding from venture capital investors.
Attached to the project are big-name television producers Ben Silverman and Howard Owens, as well as music artist Will.i.am.
“More than two million apps are available on the App Store, with new apps published every day,” say Silverman and Owens in a news release published on tech news site 9to5mac. “Planet of the Apps will give app creators the chance to break through and share their ideas with the world.”
Show producers are calling for potential contestants to submit an application video no later than August 26. Applicants also must agree to have their app functional on iOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS by late October. If accepted onto the show, developers will receive guidance from tech experts, potential funding from VCs of up to US$10 million and promotion in Apple’s iOS store.
