I notched a new first for myself on the internet when researching this piece. I’ve never been too old for anything online, but much to my dismay, my birth year couldn’t be found on the registration page for Sweety High. That, and I’m the wrong gender. The tween social site, which officially launched in public beta today, is after all meant for girls age 9-13.
What caught my eye in the first place was the launch of this “social world for girls” comes complete with its own professionally produced web series—Sweety. The trailer (above) sets the tone for this glossy drama from the high school hallways, with a noticeably younger spin than most web fare—think the little sisters of the Prom Queen girls.
Sweety High co-founder Veronica Zelle wrote and directed the interactive web series, herself a producer of music videos for the likes of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears and commercials aimed at tweens. Zelle cast a set of fetching young up-and-comers to play the four “quintessential girlfriends”—My Alibi star Julianna Guill, Kara Crane, Meagan Holder, and Brittany Finamore . In terms of interactivity, for now it means the girls will all participate in character with their own profile pages and regular blog posts.
“The show was playing into our strengths already,” co-founder Frank Simonetti—also a film and TV veteran—told us. “It was someting we knew we could do well—and at a price point that wouldn’t break the bank.” Three other original web series are in the works for Sweety High, including Food Star, with The Clique’s Sophie and Emily Everhard which just began production, Glam Squad with fashonista Scarlett Turner and a forthcoming scripted series, Gadget Girl. “Original content is exciting and it’s sorely lacking in terms of high quality content for this demo,” added Simonetti.
