Vice Media, Mailchimp Partner on Original Docuseries ‘Second Act’ (Exclusive)

Vice Media and Mailchimp, a marketing platform turned content producer, have partnered on a short-form original series “Second Act,” the two companies announced Monday morning. The five-part series will follow five people who have quit their day job to define their own version of success by starting their own businesses. The first episode follows Paulie Gee, a New Yorker who spent 30 years in the corporate industry before taking on his dream of opening a pizzeria. Other entrepreneurs include Mary and Deborah Jones (aka the Jones sisters), who opened a barbecue restaurant to help Deborah’s daughter pay her way through college, and Abigail Carroll from Portland, Maine, who worked in finance before quitting to pursue a life as an oyster farmer. “For ‘Second Act’ to work we needed to absolutely nail our choice of subjects and Vice really delivered there,” Sarita Alami, production lead of Mailchimp Presents, told TheWrap. “With the series, it was really important for us to highlight that being an entrepreneur can look a lot of different ways. We often read stories about startups who have millions of revenue and young people who started companies in their apartments and a lot of the stories are great, but they leave out this huge chunk of older people in rural areas who often take on even more risks to become entrepreneurs.” Mailchimp Presents, the company’s entertainment division, launched in June with a slate of entertainment projects, including co-productions with partners like Pineapple Street Media, Scout Productions (the producers of “Queer Eye”), and Caviar, as well as with award-winning directors and producers like Jason Woliner and Hrishikesh Hirway. The company is also courting popular talent like Jay Duplass, Samin Nosrat, and the hip hop artist Big Boi. “Second Act” is currently available for free on the Mailchimp Presents website, where no login is required to access the content. The series will also have a linear run on Vice Media’s cable channel Viceland. The project joins a growing slate of scripted and unscripted content from Mailchimp, including “Trade Show,” a mockumentary series that explores the high-stakes world of trade shows, and “Unlikely Business Lessons,” which features entrepreneurial advice from unlikely sources, like an ex-cult member who gives lessons on building a loyal following. Check out the teaser below.