GroupM Entertainment serves as both financier and executive producer and will lend creative and strategic support. The shop approached Hulu to discuss ways tthe two companies could work together, and some weeks later, Hulu brought the project to GroupM Entertainment for consideration.

This is not the first time Hulu has worked with brands on a series -- it is, however, the first long-form series of its kind on Hulu, says one Hulu executive.

This six-episode non-fiction series, each installment is 30 minutes, documents life at the Windells Academy, an Oregon-based training facility for action sports athletes.

“We’re particularly excited about this project,” said Peter Tortorici, president of GroupM Entertainment Global. “This series is about vibrant, interesting young student athletes who are putting it all on the line to get to the next level of achievement in the highly competitive world of action sports.”

It's an advertiser-friendly vehicle, added Tortorici. “It delivers a message that many of our clients can embrace.”

Hulu has sold sponsorships for “My Side of the Sky” to Subway and Truth/Legacy for Health. GroupM advertising clients were given a first look within specific advertiser categories, though Hulu had already taken the show to sponsors by the time the GroupM partnership was brokered, and one sponsor was already committed outside the GroupM client roster.

“My Side of the Sky” debuts today (Feb. 6) on the free ad-supported Hulu.com service, and the ad-supported Hulu Plus subscription service.