Cynopsis: Kids!

05/12/09

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, May 12, 2009, and this is your first early morning Kids briefing.

Dr. Seuss‘s The Cat in the Hat is headed to PBS Kids in the new animated preschool series, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! (40×30).  Currently in production and slated to premiere in fall 2010, the new series, the very first Cat in the Hat animated TV series, is the result of an agreement between Random House Children’s Entertainment, in association with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and producers Portfolio Entertainment and Collingwood O’Hare Productions, with PBS Kids.  Martin Short will lend his voice to The Cat in the Hat for the series.  The series will also air in Canada on Treehouse, premiering concurrently with PBS.  Developed for TV by Portfolio and Collingwood O’Hare, the animated series is based on Random House’s Beginner Book franchise, The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library.  A series-based website aimed at kid and featuring activities will exist on PBSKids.org, while parent and teacher resources will be available at PBSParents.org and PBSTeachers.org.  Additionally, Random House Children’s Books will publish a full line of original books to support the TV series launch.  Random House Children’s Entertainment will oversee all licensing and merchandising.

The debut of Paramount‘s new Star Trek movie, directed by J.J. Abrams, now stands as the largest-grossing weekend ever in Imax history, pulling in $8.5 million from 138 Imax movie theaters domestically.  And yes, that is more even than the Dark Knight, which was the previous record holder with $6.3 million, per Box Office Mojo.  On the international front, the studio and Imax report that Star Trek also broke records, raking in $1.1+ million from 25 Imax screens.  Star Trek is rated PG-13.

Say so long to the Entertainment Rights (ER) name.  Classic Media announces that the former UK and US subsidiaries of ER will now re-brand and operate under the Classic Media name.  The move comes following the acquisition of ER and its subsidiaries, including Class Media and Big Idea, by Boomerang Media in partnership with the private equity group GTCR.  Big Idea (VeggieTales) will operate under its own name.

Belgian media company Studio100 merges its German subsidiaries Studio100 Media, EM.Entertainment and Junior.TV, with all three now operating and trading under the Studio100 Media banner.  In July 2008 Studio100 took over the kid’s and youth entertainment unit of EM.Sport Media (now known as Constantin Medien) when it acquired EM.Entertainment and Junior.TV.  Based in Munich, Studio100 Media will continue be an active producer/distributor/marketer of the kid’s and family centric entertainment properties.

MORE KIDS STUFF

CBeebies welcomes back Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee this summer as the hosts of the new preschool series Show Me Show Me (40 episodes are in production), which will air daily as part of the Discover and Do zone from July 2009.  Developed by Jarvis and Fan Lee with creative director Allan Johnston, Show Me Show Me is designed as a place where kids are encouraged to take part in imaginative play as well as explore and investigate through stories, music and other activities.  The duo is the former hosts of Discover and DO and The Bedtime Hour.  Show Me Show Me is a CBeebies production.

Disney Channel has picked up a second season of its series The Suite Life on Deck, which features Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Brenda Song, Debby Ryan and Phill Lewis.  Currently in production in LA, the series will also welcome a new character played by Larramie “Doc” Shaw (House of Payne).  Additionally, The Suite Life on Deck, which airs Fridays at 8p on Disney Channel, will join the Disney XD Lineup from June 15 (encore episodes).  The series is produced by It’s A Laugh Productions in association with Disney Channel.

The trailer for Disney‘s new 2D animated feature film The Princess and the Frog, its first non-computer animated movie in five years, had debuted online.  The trailer will be attached to the front of Disney/Pixar’s upcoming movie Up, according to ComingSoon.net, which opens May 29, 2009.  The Princess and the Frog is slated for release on November 25, 2009.

BKN New Media inks further broadcast deals for its Zorro-Generation Z property: TV Azteca (Mexico), Sun TV (India) and TVE (Spain) have signed up for the first season (26×22); additionally, TVE and Record TV (Brazil) will also broadcast the second season (26×22) of the series in HD, beginning fall 2010.  Additionally, BKN recently launched a You Tube channel (www.youtube.com/bknkidz) where fans can watch episodes of its shows in various languages.

Spain-based producer/distributor Imira Entertainment, signs a number of program and ancillary deals for its third party animated and live-action catalog throughout Latin American.  The new tween-targeted live-action series The Elephant Princess (26×26) is acquired by Megavision (Chilean Free TV) and Teletica (Costa Rica), while En Pantalla (Mexico) takes the home entertainment rights.  Other deals include: Canal Once (Mexico) picks up the rights to the preschool series Bali (52×13), which is based on the book series published by Editions Flammarion; TV Escola (Brazil) acquires the TV rights to the tween-aimed The Way Things Work (26×13), based on David Macaulay book and Millimages’ Louie (39×26), which is based on Yves Got’s books; Louie has also been picked up by Senal (Colombia).

MTV Networks International (MTVNI) inks deals for Nickelodeon series including: NRK (Norway) picks up the first two seasons of iCarly, and has also re-licensed the first three seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants; Star Channel (Greece) acquires season six of SpongeBob SquarePants along with the first season of the preschool series Go, Diego, Go!; Channel 11 (Thailand) plans to air SpongeBob in primetime terrestrial TV, following the show’s launch.

MARKETING/LICENSING

Cookie Jar Entertainment launches its newly redesigned website for its Mommy & Me (www.mommyandme.com) brand.  Redesigned by Kaboose Inc., the site is aimed at moms with young kids and provides them with tools to find local playgroups and organize their own, as well as connect with other moms, search for information and activities by age.  The newly refurbished and re-launched site is part of a five-year pact between Cookie Jar and Kaboose to reinvigorate the Mommy & Me brand online.

Nickelodeon/Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) and Nooka Inc. are partnering to create a line of limited edition, high-end wristwatches inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants.  Available from this July, the first two watches under the deal celebrate SpongeBob SquarePants’ 10th anniversary year and are inspired by SpongeBob and Bikini Bottom, and will run $170-$275.  Additional watches are set for release throughout 2009 and 2010.

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products Germany (NVCP) renews licensing deals for the Austrian, German and Swiss markets:  Klaus Herding (sleeping bags, curtains, and velour towels) will continue to produce branded For SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer products; under a new one-year pact Nestler Drahterzeugnisse und Feinkartonagen will produce SpongeBob SquarePants branded collectible cardboard Easter Eggs.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Douglas E. Glen, CEO and Executive Director, Imagi International has stepped down from his position.  While the Imagi board begins is search for a full time replacement, William Courtauld will serve as Acting CEO for the Hong Kong-based producer of CG animated movies, which includes TMNT and the upcoming Astro Boy (October 23, 2009).  Andrew Kopperud, who was recently upped to LA-based COO, Imagi Worldwide, will support Courtauld.  Imagi has several CG animated projects in the pipeline, including Gatchaman.  Glen, who joined the company in 2006, will serve in a consultancy role for the next six months.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: So you’re a very small person living in a wall … what show are you on?  THE LITTLES  Kudos to: Rich Thomas-Disney Publishing/New York; Len Appel-Screenvision/NY; Bob Friedland-Toys”R”Us, Inc./NY; Joanna Marutollo-HarperCollins Children’s Books/New York; Kevin Schmidt-NCC/Chicago; Joi Podgorny-Ludorum/Chicago; Rick Suvalle-Three Point Pictures/Los Angeles; Ratana Therakulsathit-Mattel/El Segundo; Brook Chalmers-Cartoon Network/Burbank; Tyffany Hayes-KABC/LA; David Brunner-AGB Nielsen Media Research/Lugano, Switzerland; Kimberly J. Luce-Disney Channel/Spain

Today’s Trivia Question:  Finish this tag line (hint:  zebra):  “It’s fun to tickle your tongue with _____________”   (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)

Later — Gwen
 Gwen Billings for Cynopsis Kids!
05.12.09

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JOB OPENING: DIR CASTING/DISNEY ABC/LA: Identify new tal, mng mult proj from producer casting session phase thru ntwk test & tal neg phase. Degree, min 5yrs cstg & min 3yrs mng cstg projects. Visit www.disneyabcjobs.com Req 196315 (5/19)

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JOB OPENING: MGR ONLINE AD SALES OPS/Lifetime TV: Dvlp, evaluate & approve deals to max profit generated by online inv. Demonstrated exp online media ind. BS req’d. Strong MS Excel & analytical skills. 
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JOB OPENING: NEW MEDIA ASSET COORD/Hallmark Channel/Studio City: Support New Media assets thru online &offline tools. Exp. working w/photo images. Must have Photoshop/CS2/Bridge. See full posting & apply @ www.hallmarkchannel.com (5/14)

JOB OPENING: AE/BBC/LA: Motion Gallery, stock footage & clips. Grow biz w/advrtsng & corp clients who req moving imagery for commercials & corp videos. Biz dev cold calls, acct mngmnt. 2+yrs exp Res: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (5/14)

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JOB OPENING: DIR AUD DEV/BBC/NYC: Grow BBC.com news offering in US. Drive traffic, consumer mktg, prtnrshp mngmnt, 3rd party site outreach. Analyze traffic & usage. Mng all mktg & aud dev strat. Res: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (5/14)

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JOB OPENING: MGR CONSUMER ADV/A&E TV: Mng consumer directed comm in support of tune-in & branding goals for A&E, Bio & CI HD. 5+yrs mktg and/or promotions exp in tv/cable or brdcst. Please apply via www.aetn.com/careers/html (5/13)

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY:  WEB INTERN/NJ: Assist w/ video streaming of TV news on company website. Open to Comm. majors. Must know HTML, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, FrontPage, Flash. Email resume:  [email protected]  (5/16)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY:  TV RESEARCH/Warner Bros.TV/Burbank:  Monitor Nielsen broadcast schedules, Prog. test scores; Attend focus groups, prep questionnaires/PC/Resumes: [email protected] include “NENT/112425BR” in subject    (5/16)

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY:  AD TRAFFIC Intern/The Hotel Networks, NY: Commercial data entry, updating show titles, copy/logs. Majors: Media/Comm, Mktg, Adv, Bus/Fin– Analytical, PC, Detailed, Customer Service. Resumes: [email protected] (5/14)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDIT ONLY:  FLYP, a new media magazine, seeks a MARKETING & EDITORIAL intern in New York City to assist editors with all our marketing initiatives and do research for feature stories. Resume: [email protected]  (5/14)

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SITUATION WANTED: LINE PRODUCER/POST SUPERVISOR/NYC: Fluent in all platform prod/biz affairs deliverables; draft budgets, schedules, crew hire & post workflow, multiple net credits, very strong w/ clients. [email protected] (5/19)

SITUATION WANTED: PASSIONATE WELL-ROUNDED MKTG PRO seeking an opportunity to grow audience and revenue for the right company. Exp in agency, entertainment brands & general entertainment. E-mail [email protected] for a resume (5/19)

SITUATION WANTED:  WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER  Exceptional and fast writer, client friendly, EPK’s and DVD bonus features, internet pods, video games for Disney, Universal, New Line etc. In LA. Contact Lisa at [email protected]  (5/15)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT 10+ years film/TV experience, extensive production/post production contacts. [email protected]  (5/15)

SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIRECTOR 20+ yrs Media, Nielsen, Hispanic, & Sales experience. National and Local. Email: [email protected] (5/15)

SITUATION WANTED: SHOOTER/EDITOR (LA): HDV and ENG cameras. 2 years News Photog experience. Own Final Cut Pro Suite. Also versed in Avid. Self starter, work on own batteries. [email protected] (5/13)

SITUATION WANTED: REALITY PRODUCER/WRITER/DIR: NBC, TLC, CMT, CNN, E!, Discovery, pilots, sales tapes, internet; I’ll write your reality show treatment and develop your ideas. LA Based; travels well; [email protected] (5/13)

SITUATION WANTED: 5 PRIME TIME EMMYS/ DOC. PROD, DIR., WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email: [email protected] (5/13)

SITUATION WANTED: 8+ years experience in TVB-cast & Cable Buying & Supervising (General, DR, and PP). Also, some experience in print, radio, and online.Will move for the right opportunity. [email protected] (5/13)

SITUATION WANTED: TONY NOM. B’WAY PROD/THEATRE CONSULT/ACQUIS. & DEV./NYC 30+ yrs exp. in theatre. Superb theatre/film/TV contacts seeks FT or Consulting Position w/Studio/Prod Co. looking for properties. Contact: [email protected] (5/13)

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