YouTube is attracting more professionally produced episodic entertainment from talent-founded production companies, and global brands are turning to the platform to develop original series for digital audiences.
Host, writer and producer Amelia Dimoldenberg’s creative studio, Dimz Inc., and Formula 1 return for a second season of the original YouTube series Passenger Princess, premiering July 22.
After generating more than <a href="https://variety.com/2026/digital/global/amelia-dimoldenberg-passenger-princess-season-2-release-date-1236812446/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>289 million views in its debut season, Passenger Princess returns with six new episodes following Dimoldenberg as she learns to drive alongside Charles Leclerc, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Gabriel Bortoleto, Kimi Antonelli and Alex Albon. Filmed during the Spanish and Austrian Grands Prix weekends, new episodes premiere weekly through July and August.
The creation of Passenger Princess demonstrates how Dimz Inc. approaches original programming. Dimoldenberg said to me in an email, “My team and I are always striving to develop projects that differ from what already exists; we like to say we are ‘allergic to being generic.'”
Dimoldenberg said successful brand collaborations depend on maintaining creative freedom, adding that “brands/clients have to grant that creative freedom.”
Instead of licensing talent alone, brands can partner with production companies built around recognizable entertainment formats and editorial voices. Passenger Princess pairs Formula 1 with Dimz Inc.’s signature interview format, allowing the series to retain the voice audiences already associate with Dimoldenberg while introducing Formula 1 fans to her distinctive interviewing style.
Dimoldenberg launched her signature show Chicken Shop Date in 2014. The YouTube interview series features conversations with celebrities in fried chicken restaurants using her signature deadpan style.
With Passenger Princess, Formula 1 has another way to introduce fans and new viewers to the personalities behind the sport in Dimoldenberg’s style. Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer of Formula 1, said in a statement that the series is “a brilliant way to engage both existing fans and new audiences.”
The return of Passenger Princess adds to Formula 1’s portfolio of original entertainment. Alongside F1 The Movie and Netflix’s Drive to Survive, the series extends the sport’s presence across theatrical release, streaming and YouTube.
With a global fanbase exceeding 830 million people worldwide, Formula 1 is investing in original entertainment by making its drivers more accessible through personality-driven storytelling.
Dimoldenberg said that YouTube is “the perfect home because of the accessibility and reach,” adding that the platform allows her to maintain creative control while connecting directly with viewers.
For production companies, YouTube allows original series to bypass traditional television and subscription streaming services and reach global audiences directly. Unlike a traditional advertising placement, original series must compete for viewers’ attention alongside the creators, channels and entertainment already available on the platform
According to Forbescontributor Jamie Gutfreund, many companies still approach YouTube primarily as a place to purchase advertising rather than as an entertainment platform requiring its own creative expertise. Passenger Princess showcases another model by pairing Formula 1 with Dimz Inc.’s established format to create original entertainment designed specifically for YouTube.
Passenger Princess joins a growing slate of professionally produced original series built specifically for YouTube. Producer and digital creator Joey Graceffa’s Escape the Night premiered as a YouTube Original in 2016 and became the platform’s longest-running original series across four seasons, demonstrating YouTube’s early investment in professionally produced entertainment.
More recently, podcaster, producer and Unwell founder Alex Cooper expanded her company’s slate with Unwell Winter Games, a reality competition series released on YouTube. Beginning in 2028, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will also livestream the Oscars on YouTube for the first time, further demonstrating the platform’s expanding role in distributing premium entertainment.
YouTube’s growing role as a home for original programming gives production companies direct access to global audiences.
Passenger Princess demonstrates how talent-founded production companies and global brands can collaborate to create original entertainment that benefits both partners. Formula 1 gains a new way to engage audiences through Dimz Inc.’s established interview format, while Dimoldenberg and her creative studio reach one of the world’s largest sports fanbases.
These collaborations allow production companies to expand original programming while maintaining creative ownership. For brands, they extend established intellectual property through original entertainment that brings complementary audiences together.
This article was originally published onForbes.com
