PepsiCo's Mountain Dew and Paramount Digital Entertainment have teamed up for the "Circle of 8" production, which will be distributed via mobile.

Circle of 8 is a studio-quality episodic thriller that invites audiences to participate in the fate of its characters. Along the supernatural journey, numerous plots and engaging interactive elements will provide for a unique consumer experiences.

"Mobile is a cutting edge platform for entertainment that Paramount Digital is embracing, both using our premium intellectual property (e.g. we have had several top five mobile apps this year with Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Shooter), and with our original projects," said Keith Quinn, senior vice president of creative development and production at Paramount Digital.

"In originals we seek to have truly interactive elements where possible," he said. "Circle of 8 has a social, interactive game that the audience can play along with the viewing experience. This game will affect the outcome of the story. We will be extending this game to mobile devices, so we can connect with the audience in as many ways as possible."

Mountain Dew is a product of Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB). PCNAB is a division of PepsiCo.

Paramount Digital is a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. Paramount Digital develops and distributes filmed entertainment across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices, videogames, virtual worlds and emerging technologies.

Mountain Dew will play a critical role in evolving the storytelling experience through Circle of 8, going far beyond traditional sponsorship and brand integration models.

Distributed by PDE and produced by Milchan/Van Eyssen, Circle of 8 is initially set to deliver the highest level of cinematic quality to the Web and portable devices.

The series will debut exclusively on MySpace in October and, upon its conclusion, will be redistributed as a full-length feature showcasing the choices made by the audience online.

Mountain Dew has done mobile promotions before. PepsiCo Inc. launched a branded mobile widget for its Mountain Dew soft drink, bringing back a '50s icon as a key attraction for its target audience of active consumers.

A mobile game, the widget featured Willy the Hillbilly trying to protect his jugs of Mountain Dew from being stolen by others. The game was created by interactive agency Tribal DDB, New York, and hosted on Zumobi's mobile content platform (see story).

Paramount has experience with mobile as well. The company is taking over Fandango's iPhone-optimized site with a quiz and branding to promote its movie "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," opening Aug. 7.

Movie ticket vendor Fandango has partnered with mobile advertising company Crisp Wireless to power Paramount's G.I. Joe campaign. The mobile ad campaign targeting iPhone users features Fandango's first mobile homepage takeover ad unit and directs fans to play the "Joe v. Cobra Challenge" for a chance to win $3,000 (see story).

"Mobile is a ubiquitous platform that is in the audience's hand (or handbag or pocket). It is an additional way to reach them," Mr. Quinn said. "The content we will have on mobile will be tailored to the distribution platform. It will be fun to play on a device, anywhere, anytime, and will use the interactivity of the medium.

"Paramount Digital is focused on creating digital entertainment for interactive and online platforms by offering innovative new productions and a legacy of quality motion pictures," he said. "Mobile is an important part of that strategy."

Reporting done by Jordan Crook.