CBC and Wattpad have revealed the first two projects from their joint content partnership: drama Near or Far and thriller The Last Place to Hide.

The pubcaster and online storytelling platform are extending their partnership through to 2022, after first teaming up in 2018 to offer emerging Canadian writers the opportunity to create exclusive content to be developed as CBC Gem original series.

From Wattpad author Emma Szalai, Near or Far follows 18-year-old twins who embark on opposite paths. The project is co-created by Szalai and Duana Taha (Emerald Code) in association with Wattpad Studios and Harlow Creative.

Meanwhile, The Last Place to Hide from author Taylor Hale – who wrote Wattpad book The Summer I Drowned – sees an unexpected murder matching a long-vanished serial killer. The Last Place to Hide is co-created by Hale and iThentic VP Lisa Baylin (Save Me) in association with Wattpad Studios and iThentic.

Both projects are currently in the process of putting together writing teams.

Taha will serve as lead writer on Near or Far, while The Last Place to Hide will have multiple writers, with Baylin and Hale each contributing to the process, a spokesperson at Wattpad told Playback Daily.

Further touching on the decision to develop these two projects, the spokesperson noted that The Last Place to Hide brings together interesting and socially relevant themes around women’s empowerment, trauma and history.

Near or Far, meanwhile, deals with identity, family and self-discovery.

“The concept had many interesting ideas woven together into a compelling narrative and we knew this was something Gen Z audiences would connect with,” the spokesperson said.

“We also wanted to nurture up-and-coming Canadian writers, and Taylor and Emma are some of our top Canadian writers. They are exceptional storytellers, with a great sense for pacing and beautiful prose, their stories are always compelling, and they have a strong and loyal following on Wattpad.”

On Wattpad, Near or Far has 1,100 reads, while The Last Place to Hide has 15,370.

Previously, Harlow Creative produced CBC Gem comedy-mystery Queens, while iThentic produced Save Me and For The Record. The latter launched on CBC Gem in 2020 and will have its international premiere at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival next week.

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