Reddit, known for its uncanny ability to drudge up content from the depths of the internet and make it trend, is trying its hand at a little bit of original programming in the way of a new series based on a popular subreddit.
The series, Explain Like I’m Five, is based upon the subreddit of the same name which sees users posts questions on complex topics in the hopes that an expert will be able to explain it to them in the simplest terms.
The series, which is funded by YouTube, may not signal Reddit’s head-first plunge into the world of original programming, but it does show that Reddit’s top brass knows that there is marketability in user-generated content, with a little bit of branding.
“For us, it’s more about encouraging the Reddit community and bigger community of producers, filmmakers and animators out there to create content, video, web series, shows…based on Reddit content,” Reddit’s Erik Martin told The Hollywood Reporter.
The ELIF series stars Michael Kayne and Langan Kingsley and is produced by former College Humor content director Jared Neumark.
Reddit has posted three videos to their YouTube channel, and they are all funny and charming. The three videos explore the topics of “The Volatility of the Stock Market,” “The Crisis in Syria,” and “Existentialism and Friedrich Nietzsche.”