• by Erik Sass , August 5, 2015

The Enthusiast Network has scored big with Roadkill, an online video series that built an audience numbering in the millions with its engaging depiction of iconic, custom-built cars and their drivers being mistreated in adventurous ways.

Now TEN is building on the brand’s momentum with millennial males with the launch of a new eponymous print magazine, an event series and a dedicated Roadkill Web site.

The new Roadkill magazine will debut as a large format, premium quarterly with a cover price of $9.99, hitting newsstands in September; the subscription price has yet to be determined.

The title could move to a monthly publication schedule if it gets the same traction as the video series that spawned it, according to TEN CEO Scott Dickey.

TEN chief content officer Angus Mackenzie, who summed up Roadkill’s editorial remit as “men behaving badly with cars,” said the magazine translates the show’s sensibility to print through a mix of humor, technical mastery, and cheerful mayhem.

For example, the first issue includes a story about the experience of driving a half-million-dollar, six-wheeled Mercedes all-terrain SUV in the environments for which it is designed, and another about what happens when a main battle tank meets a fleet of civilian automobiles.

The magazine is just one part of a larger expansion of the Roadkill footprint, which also includes new event series.  One of the new event series, Roadkill Nights, is a “pop-up car festival” that will give car enthusiasts a chance to see and participate in some extreme automotive events. For the first Roadkill Nights event, TEN is taking over the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan to host a drag race with 200 custom cars created by fans.

Roadkill’s episodes, which appear every fourth Friday on TEN’s Motor Trend YouTube channel, attract around 3 million unique viewers on average.

The multiplatform Roadkill brand expansion is being sponsored by Dodge as a launch partner, with a number of placements highlighting the latest models of American muscle cars including the Challenger and Viper.