National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) has ordered a new 6-episode scripted and documentary hybrid series, Valley of the Boom that will track the 1990's technology boom - and bust - in the famed American tech-start-up region known as Silicon Valley.
Valley of the Boom has been created by Matthew Carnahan who will also be the director and showrunner, and will produce it together with Arianna Huffington who started The Huffington Post.
"The provocative world of Silicon Valley has long dominated headlines and captured the public's imagination," says Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president and head of global scripted programming for National Geographic.
Valley of the Boom will premiere globally on National Geographic in 171 countries, including South Africa.
"We cannot wait to tell this timely, wildly unpredictable and captivating story of the early days of the dotcom boom and bust with showrunner Matthew Carnahan and his signature irreverent blend of drama, comedy and pathos."
Valley of the Boom will function like the MARS series, where a dramatised story is being played out, interspliced with real-world commentary from experts.
"We wanted to make something as disruptive and exciting as the people and the tech that came out of the Valley during this period, so this is a wild, hybridized, rule-breaking look at a truly remarkable time and place," says Matthew Carnahan.
"National Geographic has allowed us tremendous creative freedom, and I’m excited about making something truly new and different."
Arianna Huffington says "Silicon Valley and the technology that came out of it dominate our world in so many ways, both physically and culturally".
"But we can't understand the present without understanding how we got here. So I’m thrilled to be partnering with a master storyteller like Matthew Carnahan."
