Jonas Ems’ Novel Turns Into YA Thriller ‘Shadow Leaks’

The kids are not alright in German YA thriller “Shadow Leaks,” screening at Monday’s new Series Mania Buyers Upfront, with Beta Film handling international distribution.   

Following a mysterious suicide of one of its students, a small town high school is terrorized by a website that seems to know all their intimate secrets. The so-called “Shadow Page” is ready to expose it all: chats, screenshots, explicit pictures and videos. No one is safe. And, as it turns out, no one is innocent.  

So far, so very “Gossip Girl”. But the series, based on the bestselling novel by actor and influencer Jonas Ems, is not exactly a German answer to the iconic New York-set teen drama. 

“It follows the same principles,” says Stefan Raiser, who produces for Dreamtool Entertainment. “Shadow Leaks” is sold by Beta Film.  

“I grew up with ‘Gossip Girl.’ I loved watching it and I was slightly shocked by the reboot [in 2021]. It was boring. When I got my hands on Jonas’ bestseller, I was watching ‘13 Reasons Why.’ That was more of a reference for us, because it was also a bit dark and had all these secrets coming out.” 

We are all hiding unsavory things on our phones, argues Ems.

“We try to be so careful and yet we give all our information away to the Cloud. We wanted to show what happens to people when all their secrets come out. Does it free you or does it lead to even bigger problems?” 

Ems also acts in the show, joined by Samirah Breuer as new girl Nola, Florian Geißelmann, Ludger Bökelmann, Tanya Nguyen and Marven Gabriel Suarez Brinkert. 

Raiser adds: “My 12-year-old son always thinks about what to say to his friends, he ponders it day and night, but he’s so careless with his damn phone. One of the things that struck me in Jonas’ book was exactly this point: Maybe it hurts to have your secrets out, but it’s also really liberating?” 

“It’s so relatable: being young and wild, taking that picture and being tempted to deliver it to the really bad guy in order to get yourself out of a tricky situation. Of course they’re turning on each other. It’s entertaining and commercial, and more popcorn-y than arthouse, but it’s still very realistic.” 

Sticking to the younger generation’s point of view, and their problems, was key. 

“When I first met Jonas, he said: ‘I watch all those TV shows about Gen Z and even younger generations, and most of them don’t feel authentic. It feels like some 40, 50-year-olds are making them and don’t know shit about what they’re talking about. The sign in our writers’ room said: ‘Make it authentic.’ We didn’t just make a show about this generation. We made it with them,” notes Raiser. 

“I don’t believe in the ‘young at all costs’ mindset, because newcomers can easily get overwhelmed. You can’t just put young directors and young writers in the driver’s seat, because experience in filmmaking is invaluable. Still, the real magic happens when seasoned professionals step back a little and make space for the younger generation’s vision.” 

In the series, things escalate quickly. Revelations unearthed by the “Shadow Page” can destroy lives – they are also too juicy for them to stop clicking.  

“We wanted to ‘tie’ the viewer to the story right from the start. It’s aimed at a generation that keeps scrolling through TikTok and Instagram, so we had to make sure we can pack a punch and keep them interested for 45 minutes,” says Ems, who himself boasts a significant social media following, including 3.4 million followers on Tik Tok and 2.9 million on YouTube.

“From my very first conversation with Jonas, I was struck by how deeply he understands the world of entertainment on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. His instinct for cutting right to the core is nothing short of impressive,” says Raiser. 

“I was quickly convinced it’s a good way to follow his lead, but I was also constantly asking: ‘Is this too much? What’s happening in this fucked up town?’ Nobody seems to be normal there,” he laughs. 

“Then they convinced me to do a ‘deep dive’ and we kind of went undercover, sending people to schools. These were the stories the kids were telling us. We gave them the script of the pilot episode and they told us to add ‘more juice.’” 

While there are great shows for younger audiences – “Sex Education’ is very relatable and it has very believable characters” – some of them lack “commercial tone and approach.”  

“When I look around, in Germany or even in Europe, lots of those local series are very artsy and they don’t really look cinematic. That’s not what we wanted to do. I think this format will travel.” 

Or result in more seasons.  

“We are, how can I put it, very optimistic. We started developing a second season. If you only knew what was coming,” teases Raiser.  

“The parents are on the chopping block, too.” 

Apparently, the grownups are not alright either. XOXO.