YouTube Just Divulged the Details of 'Dance Camp,' Its First Feature-Length Film

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As rival platforms make a foreboding play for the $13.8 billion online video ad industry, YouTube is ramping up investment in its own creator ecosphere like never before.

Case in point: after rolling out on Tuesday its latest television, print and outdoor marketing campaign spotlighting beloved creators Tyler Oakley and Lilly Singh, the Google-owned platform has just divulged the details of its first feature film.

Entitled Dance Camp, the film will weave “an amazing story of unlikely friendships, unleashing passions and discovering yourself all through the power of dance,” the company said in a statement. Premiering exclusively on YouTube later this fall before rolling out elsewhere, Dance Camp was created in collaboration with Awesomeness Films, a division of digital media company AwesomenessTV, which is owned by DreamWorks Animation and Hearst.

Last April, in a bid to create more top-tier original content on YouTube, the company, alongside AwesomenessTV, announced that it will “release several feature length films over the next two years, all driven by YouTube stars…setting what we believe will become a new distribution paradigm for years to come.” Dance Camp features YouTuber Meg DeAngelis, though its male lead is Jake Paul, a heartthrobby Viner.

Old media luminaries involved with the project include producer John Chu (who directed the Justin Bieber documentary Never Say Never) and choreographer Fatima Robinson (who worked on Dreamgirls and Save the Last Dance.)

Unsurprisingly, YouTube’s first feature outing is aimed squarely at its ravenous tween fanbase. There are also more than 24 million dance-related videos on YouTube, making it one of the platform’s most popular genres, according to Kelly Merryman, YouTube’s vice president of content partnerships.

Awesomeness has already released several feature films starring digital influencers proving the viability of these ventures. Most recently, Smosh:The Movie, starring the popular YouTube comedy duo, rocketed to the top the iTunes comedy charts upon its debut.

Fat-Shaming YouTuber Get's Fired From Role in Movie About Bullying

Canadian actress and Youtuber Nicole Arbour’s viral video “Dear Fat People,” which critics have labeled as “fat shaming,” has reportedly cost her her job in an upcoming movie.

In a statement to Zap2it, the movie’s director, Pat Mills, explained that “Don’t Talk About Irene” was a “body-positive teen dance movie” and questioned whether Arbour had even read the script.

Mills told the publication that there is a difference between talking about people who are overweight and making “cruel and lame” impositions about a certain demographic. He said:

“[‘Dear Fat People’] is an unfunny and cruel fat-shaming video that guises itself about being about ‘health.’ It’s fat phobic and awful. It went on for over for six minutes. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I was so upset I was shaking like Shelley DuVall in the ‘The Shining’.”

The director understands the plight of those who are bullied. He said:

“I’m gay. I was bullied a lot as a kid. I am no stranger to ridicule and loneliness.”

Mills furthered that statements like Arbour’s in her video affect the way people live their lives, which is why he created “Don’t Talk to Irene” in the first place. He said:

“[The movie] is about a 16-year-old girl who dreams of being a cheerleader, but she is constantly bullied for being fat. She learns that she doesn’t have to change anything about herself to be awesome because she already is.

“Bullies like Nicole Arbour are the reason I am making this movie. I’m tired of body shaming. It’s everywhere.”

Mills ended his statement with:

“Nicole: Did you even read my script? It is a body positive teen movie. It has a message that is in direct opposition to your cruel and lame YouTube rant. We will not be working together. You are not hired for ‘Don’t Talk to Irene.’ ”

For her part, Arbour seemed to deny that she was ever attached to Mills’ movie in the first place:

I'm not currently, nor have I been attached to any feature films as of late. 😉 #gossip

— Nicole Arbour (@NicoleArbour) September 10, 2015

Whatever the case, Arbour’s video rant serves as an example of exactly what not to do to get a job in the movie industry.