Apple’s forthcoming reality TV show just scored itself some big-time Hollywood star power: according to a report out this morning from Variety, actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow will serve as a mentor to the contestants on the new series, “Planet of the Apps.” The show, which is debuting next year, will also have Gary Vaynerchuk and will.iam as advisers, the report says.
Will.i.am was previously named as being attached to the show, but it wasn’t clear in what capacity.
Yes, Apple is getting into reality programming as a means of promoting its App Store platforms, including iOS, Apple TV (tvOS), Mac OS X (macOS) and Apple Watch (watchOS).
The show will follow app developers as they receive advice on their app concepts from industry experts, go after funding from VCs…and enjoy featured placement in the App Store, of course.
Apple is still running open casting calls for app developers, with a deadline for applications on August 26. Product Hunt is helping with these by organizing meet-ups in San Francisco, L.A., Austin and New York.
The idea with “Planet of the Apps” is to give viewers – including aspiring developers – a first-hand look at today’s app economy. It’s likely that look will be a highly positive one in the long run. Sure, the app developers will face challenges, but will their apps ultimately fail as most do? We don’t know until the show debuts, but that doesn’t seem like the sort of thing Apple would want to air.
Plus, given that the developers’ apps will be heavily promoted by Apple, getting on the show will be more like snagging a winning lottery ticket compared with the reality of building for the App Store today, where the majority of new apps struggle to be discovered.
The reality series is being produced with help from “The Biggest Loser” creator Ben Silverman and “MasterChef Junior’s” creator Howard T. Owens, which means it will be highly produced, slick and addictive viewing.
It’s also one of the first examples of Apple’s move to create original content. While the company claims it won’t be launching more TV shows to follow, it has another deal with Dr. Dre to create a series that will be distributed by Apple Music.