Jon Heder, Tony Cavalero & WORKAHOLICS Co-Creator Dominic Russo Team Up in New Toonstar Animated Comedy Series

Web3 story studio Toonstar has announced the release of its new adult-animated series, "Space Junk." The workplace comedy about garbage collectors in space was created and written by Dominic Russo ("Workaholics") and stars Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite," "Blades of Glory") and Tony Cavalero ("School of Rock," "The Righteous Gemstones").

Following Thursday's world premiere at Consensus 2023, episodes will be available to stream here beginning May 19. "Space Junk" is powered by the Theta media and entertainment blockchain.

"Space Junk" is Toonstar's third original Web3 series released following "The Gimmicks," and "House of Chico." Founded by John Attanasio and Luisa Huang, veterans of DreamWorks, Disney and Warner Bros., Toonstar offers a storytelling model that gives digital token holders the ability to participate in narrative development, create their own characters and storylines, and engage in unique fan experiences. The result has been engagement levels that rival gaming industry statistics.

"With each series released this year, we've pushed the technology forward to broaden opportunities for creators and fans to engage with the story world and take part in building new hit IP," said Attanasio. "With 'Space Junk' we're taking it even further, merging great content with game play that will launch a new Web3-enabled model of interactive entertainment."

"We are thrilled to partner with Toonstar on 'Space Junk,' a series that will demonstrate to the entertainment industry what's possible when you use blockchain technology to empower creators and fans to engage and create in powerful new ways," said Andrea Berry, Head of Business Development, Theta Labs.

"As a content company, Toonstar has a strong understanding of the power of Web3 technology and has executed its vision impressively. We see them as a valuable technology developer to bring a dynamic, interactive experience to life by building on the Theta video infrastructure, a custom Theta subchain and NFT marketplace."

In an industry first, "Space Junk" will feature a character voiced entirely by AI voice generated software. That character, a robot named "Wellbecca," will interact directly with the "Space Junk" community, acting as a creative co-pilot for community members. Using AI and dynamic NFTs, Wellbecca will help creators turn their prompts into original short stories set within the "Space Junk" universe.

"The participatory storytelling aspect of 'Space Junk' presents an opportunity to bring more creators into the fold to uncover fresh stories and ideas which feels especially important in today's environment," said Jon Heder, co-founder, Verified Labs and executive producer, "Space Junk." "Toonstar is absolutely showing the broader entertainment industry how Web3 can open doors for new creators and create crazy, engaged fan communities, and uncover great new IP for Hollywood."

The issue of space garbage came to the media forefront last month when an international team of researchers estimated there are more than 100 trillion pieces of floating debris in space. Toonstar collaborated with an aerospace engineer to ensure this looming space junk problem was depicted accurately on screen.

Watch the trailer here:

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