I'm Poppy is a surreal comedy pilot starring American singer and YouTube personality Poppy. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2018, and is available exclusively on YouTube Premium.[2][3][4] At the time, the producer expected further episodes.[5]
| I'm Poppy | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Titanic Sinclair |
| Written by | Titanic Sinclair |
| Directed by | Titanic Sinclair |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Titanic Sinclair |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 1 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Bryant Jansen |
| Editor | Oliver Thompson |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production company | Beyond Ideas |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube Red |
| Release | January 25, 2018 |
Premise
The official Sundance Institute synopsis for the first episode states, "Join internet sensation Poppy as she enters the real world for the very first time and quickly realizes that fame and fortune come at a price, with secret societies, dangerous fanatics, and a very envious mannequin named Charlotte."[6]
Cast and characters
Main
- Poppy as herself
- Samm Levine as Johnny
- Dan Hildebrand as Ivan Kross
- Brad Carter as Able Abraham
- Kofi Boakye as God and Satan
- Madison Lawlor as Pop Star
Guests
- Brian Dare as Benton
- Paige Annette as Crew Member #1
- Sierra Santana as Crew Member #2
- Dan Fleming as Crew Member #3
- Israel Wright as Cult Member
- Irena Murphy as Reporter
Production
Development
On December 4, 2017, director and writer of the series, Titanic Sinclair, officially announced the show on his Twitter account for the first time, describing it as "easily the most ambitious and exciting thing I’ve ever been a part of".[7] This was followed by an announcement of the dates it would be airing through during the festival: January 23, 24, and 26.[8][9][10] On January 16, 2018, tickets to the show at the festival went on sale to the public. The series premiered on YouTube Red on January 25, 2018.[11][12][13]
Poppy has described the series as being "based on real experiences" and that the producers are "just telling what it’s like to be in Hollywood."[14]
The future of the series is currently unknown, as Poppy and Sinclair parted ways creatively in late 2019.[15]
Marketing
On January 22, 2018, a trailer for the series was uploaded to Poppy's YouTube account.[16][17][18][19][20][21]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "I'm Poppy" | Titanic Sinclair | Titanic Sinclair | January 25, 2018 |
Reception
The Hollywood Reporter critic Daniel Fienberg said he found the pilot episode "inspired and distinctive", but couldn't imagine the series "holding up for another episode".[22] The Verge's Adi Robertson said it didn't have the same hypnotic and ambiguous simplicity that many of the Poppy's videos do and that the episode was not "weird enough".[23] Julia Alexander from Polygon said it was the proof that YouTube Red could be great, characterizing the series as "enjoyable" and "authentically YouTube".[24]
