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Old April 10th, 2014 #13
Alex Linder
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Shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder to front Fearless series

April 8, 2014


Fearless ... shark attack victim, navy clearance diver Paul de Gelder at Collaroy Beach.

Former Australian Navy diver and shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder will front a new television series for Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studios.

The studio is Microsoft's play into the on-demand TV market, and intended to compete with established players such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

The software giant announced a slate of new programming which will be launched across its video game platforms and mobile devices this year.

De Gelder will front a series titled Fearless, which "aims to inspire people to improve their lives," Microsoft said.

The 37-year-old former navy diver was attacked by a three-metre bull shark during a training exercise off Garden Island in New South Wales in 2009. He lost his right hand and his right leg.

Since the attack, de Gelder has become a motivational speaker. He also wrote a book, No Time For Fear.

"I've faced pretty much the worst that life can throw at me, and survived, and thrived," de Gelder wrote in an essay published by The Huffington Post in 2012.

"I know the human body can endure much more than we give it credit for, and with determination and the right attitude you can achieve anything you set your mind to."

Xbox Entertainment Studios also announced two other projects, a stop-motion animated series in the style of Robot Chicken from comedian Seth Green, and a sketch comedy from actor/writers Michael Cera and Sarah Silverman.

Microsoft has also become a co-producer of the British remake of the Swedish drama Humans, about humanoid robot servants hoping for freedom, and it is producing two television series connected to its billion-dollar Halo game franchise.

Microsoft will showcase the programs to advertisers an event in New York in early May intended to emulate the "upfronts", where commercial TV networks and cable channels court advertisers with new programming.

The digital "NewFronts" will also feature content from AOL, Google-owned YouTube, the online platform Hulu and Yahoo.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...408-36a27.html