Mac Miller is headed to Hollywood.
Not unlike a real-life version of HBO’s “Entourage,” MTV2 has begun production on reality series that follows the emerging music superstar as he and his friends — the Most Dope crew — leave their hometown of Pittsburgh, Penn., for the first time and embark on an adventure in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. The six-part series, which will debut in the first quarter of 2013, also chronicles the production of Miller’s highly anticipated new album, “Watching Movies With the Sound Off.”
“Yes, I have a show on MTV2,” says Miller (nee Malcolm McCormick). “It’s very cool. Being an independent artist, I think it’s important to find different ways to bring attention to what you are doing. With ‘Watching Movies’ coming out, I just want to do whatever I can to make sure everybody hears that.”
And though the series will serve as a tool to help expand Miller’s fanbase and boost sales of his next release, Paul Ricci, svp of programming and development for MTV2, says that an expansion beyond the initial six episodes is not out of the question.
“Too early to tell, but I definitely wouldn’t rule it out,” Ricci says. “Mac embodies so many of the passion points of the MTV2 audience — he’s successful, talented, and incredibly savvy as an entrepreneur, but he’s also an authentic, funny, relatable guy. He connects with his fans on such a deep level, but he also has a likability that will translate to a broader audience.”
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Miller, 20, says that filming the series provided a welcomed reprieve from the rigors of recording.
“The show is going to be cool, it’s a little look into my life… well, all the stuff you can show on TV,” he says. “I have been living in my studio for months working on my album, so the show kind of forced me to get out of that room and go do something entertaining.”
After steadily building a fan base through social media and releasing various mix tapes, Miller forced the industry to take notice when his 2011 album, “Blue Slide Park,” released Nov. 8, sold 145,000 copies in its first week and became the first independently-released album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart since the ’90s. Earlier that year, MTV named Miller one of its “Artists to Watch.”
The as-yet-untitled Mac Miller series is expected to debut between late February and early March.