Lostlings Live-Action YA Mystery Getting A Long-Form Series

Lion Forge Entertainment has closed the deal to partner up with TalesVision to bring the short-form YouTube series Lostlings, into a premium long-form series and we could not be happier. This is a great story that has this larger mystery that keeps us thinking, as they describe it something between Stranger Things (mystery, horror) and Outer Banks (mystery) which is good company indeed if true. From what we have seen of the Lostlings short-form series, that feels pretty accurate. The show is set in Shadowbrook, where each year a teenager mysteriously vanishes and returns one year later with no memory of what happened to them. But the story has Jesse becoming a victim, but being the first Lostling not return after the year, a group of teens try to find him and end the curse. This sounds like a show we want to watch and we will be following the progression as it will premiere on the TalesVision YouTube channel before it becomes available in other locations an steaming services.

Lion Forge Entertainment Sets Partnership with TalesVision for Premium Adaptation of YouTube Sensation “Lostlings”

YA Mystery Series Expanding from Short-form To Long-Form to Debut on YouTube for First Window

In a competitive bidding situation, Lion Forge Entertainment has closed a deal to partner with TalesVision to adapt their short-form YouTube sensation, Lostlings, into a premium long-form series. Production on season one of the live-action YA mystery will begin this summer.

TalesVision founders Tristan Tales and Luke Pounder will pen all episodes for the first season and serve as showrunners. The series will be executive produced by Lion Forge Entertainment CEO and founder David Steward II, Lion Forge President and Chief Creative Officer Stephanie Sperber, and Executive Vice President Kirsten Newlands.

A mystery adventure in the vein of Stranger Things and Outer Banks, Lostlings was one of TalesVision’s first short-form ‘pocket pilots’ tested on the TalesVision digital channels, and proved to be an instant hit, accumulating over 17 million views, 1.6 million likes and thousands of comments asking for a full series.

Lostlings is set in Shadowbrook, where every year a teenager mysteriously vanishes without a trace – a ‘Lostling’ – only to return exactly one year later with no memory of where they were or what happened while they were gone. When their friend Jesse becomes the latest victim – and the first ‘Lostling’ to not return after one year – a group of teens sets out to rescue him and, in doing so, free their town from its curse once and for all.

The series will premiere on the TalesVision YouTube channel before it becomes available on traditional streaming and linear platforms in second windows around the world.

Founded by Tristan Tales and Luke Pounder in 2024, TalesVision is a premier multi-media entertainment company built for the digital-first generations. Since its launch, the company has quickly built a massive social media presence – including nearly 600K subscribers, 200M+ views and 2M+ hours of watch time on YouTube – by producing original scripted YA content that starts on social media.

TalesVision puts a modern spin on the traditional television ‘pilot’ model, testing new IP and concepts via shortform content with their millions of engaged fans, building fanbases before the shows even launch. One of their other original pocket pilots, The Cogsworths, recently struck a multi-book publishing deal with Hachette.

“Tristan and Luke are amazing creators who meet the audiences where they are,” said Stephanie Sperber. “They have a unique ability to create content that is high quality, super watch-able, globally appealing and spot-on for the YA audience. We are very enthusiastic about their YouTube-first model and are looking forward to exploring more IP through their ‘pocket pilot’ model.”

“When I watched the pocket pilot for Lostlings I was hooked,” said David Steward II. “We see this as the first project in a strategic partnership to develop YA-focused live action content working with some of the best YouTube creators in the business. We’re happy to make this investment and feel confident that this approach is a smart path forward in the future of live action development and content distribution – especially for YA audiences.”

“From day one, Lion Forge understood that this wasn’t just about adapting a social media hit – it was about reimagining how stories are discovered, built, and delivered. Stephanie, David and the team immediately embraced our YouTube-first strategy, allowing us to deliver the series where our fans discovered it first. We’re hopeful that this partnership will become a blueprint for how future IP can grow – digitally-native and community-driven from the start.” Said TalesVision founders Tristan Tales and Luke Pounder.

A mission-driven entertainment company founded by David Steward II, Lion Forge Entertainment focuses on content that is both authentic and appealing to a broad audience. The company develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids & family, YA and adult audiences, building on the success of earlier Lion Forge Animation projects including the Oscar®-winning Hair Love.

Lion Forge’s latest series Iyanu has become a breakout cross-platform success on Max and Cartoon Network, ranking as the number one series among kids on Cartoon Network and is Top 10 Kids & Family series on Max. Season 2 of the epic animated fantasy series inspired by Nigerian mythology, along with two feature films expanding its universe, have just been greenlit by Cartoon Network and Max.

Lion Forge has had a busy start to the summer – recently joining forces with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the renowned novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature film.

Lion Forge Entertainment is represented by Activist Artists Management and Lumify Entertainment. TalesVision founders Tristan Tales and Luke Pounder are represented by 3 Arts and Hansen, Jacobsen.