• by Sara Guaglione , June 25, 2019

Refinery29and fashion design house Kate Spade New York teamed to produce five, one-minute sponsored videos for Instagram created by young, female directors.

It is part of Refinery29’s focus on video development. The publisher is developing nearly 30 TV projects and shopping them to networks and OTT streaming platforms, according to WWD.

Last week, Refinery29 announced it would begin producing “choose-your-own-adventure” style series borne from its editorial franchises, in partnership with interactive-video platform developer Eko.

Next month, a jury will select one of the five short films from “Pilot Season,” the project created with Kate Spade, to develop into a series.

The jury includes actor Rosie Perez, writer Tracy McMillan and president of Completion Films, Kisha Imani Cameron.

Kate Spade products are integrated into each “Pilot Season” video, such as a coat and a variety of outfits.

“There is a shift in the tide with brands that are looking to create this kind of ‘branded entertainment,’” Amy Emmerich, Refinery29’s president-Chief Content Officer, told WWD.

Each video opens with the directors sharing a fun fact about themselves and a tidbit on why they were inspired to tell their story.

The films feature female leads, with characters like a coat-check girl, a babysitter, a life coach, a dog walker and a woman who auditions for the circus. In some instances, as a form of escapism, the women create another reality for themselves in the videos.