A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM SPROUT
CYNOPSISKIDS!
05.07.14
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, May 7, 2014, and this is your first early morning briefing.
National Geographic Society just finished one of the biggest re-orgs in the company’s history, and new chief education officer Melina Bellows has big plans for kids and tween video programming. First up, creating a pilot for a tween-targeted series based on its Weird But True kids book series, which has sold 2 million copies to date. "What we really need is funding," Bellows tells CynKids. "We have the content; it’s just that video is incredibly expensive, so we need a partner to help us sponsor the first season."
It doesn’t hurt that the Society’s new CEO, Gary Knell, spent 22 years at Sesame Workshop. Under Knell’s guidance, Bellows hopes to expand beyond the current model of pushing out Nat Geo Kids-branded content primarily over OTT services. The content currently carried on Roku and other SVOD services is primarily geared toward preschoolers, but "the TV we really want to get into is nonfiction for tweens on television," she says. "We are the only country in the world to not have dedicated nonfiction programming for kids." OTT "was going to be our big thing, but now that Gary’s on board, he has the connection and ideas" to notch it up. Nat Geo Kids is relaunching its website this month, and fans can expect more synergy among the NG Kids franchises, all of which now fall under Bellows’ purview. "My dream is Nat Geo Kids is a network that has a block on broadband but also a channel you could subscribe to and would provide 24/7 really interesting, real content for tweens."
From the time she was in high school, Traci Paige Johnson knew she wanted to work in children’s TV. Fortunately, a project at Northwestern University (go Wildcats!) directed her toward animation, a path that led to her become a co-creator of Blue’s Clues, work on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and more recently co-found animation studio Yummico. Here’s Traci on:
Early animation inspirations
I was always drawn to cutting things out of construction paper, magazines and old wrapping paper. I loved the whole collage thing–the simpleness and clean lines. When I was a sophomore at college I did an [animated] project about a janitor who sang the blues. That was my first cutout animation. I was up all night doing it, and felt so inspired. I loved crafting and creating an idea like that, so I started doing these little cutout animations during school and when I graduated, I had a reel put together.
Getting a Clue
I was working at Reading Rainbow and Nickelodeon was looking to do a game show for preschoolers. They’d already hired Angela Santomero and Todd Kessler. I was 25, and they were looking for a third creator on the project. I came to a meeting with ideas of what a game show for preschoolers could be, and we sat in the room and created Blue’s Clues based on what we loved as kids.
The elements of style
I like it to feel signature. If you look at what we were doing with Blue’s Clues, they were all things I loved from my childhood. Steve’s Shirt was my love of Fruitstripe gum. The color palette was my loving going into art stores and seeing how colors were organized. I loved how every room had its own color palette. For Daniel Tiger, we wanted a look that was an homage to Mr. Rogers, My favorite part of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was when he would take down the miniatures of the Land of Make Believe. We had that in mind when we were creating it, to make sure there was that element of a little doll house where you could almost reach out and play with things. One of my buzzwords–and there is where Yummico comes from-I’ve had since we first started on Blue’s Clues is to make everything yummy. Where kids want to reach into the TV and grab it and swallow it.
Keeping it simple
YouTube has brought back the home-made-i-ness, creating whole little stop-motion animations of Legos and little simple things like Marcel the Shell. For the big networks, everything has gotten big and shiny and 3D, but I do think the homegrown movement is growing. Our new [Yummico] show Edison the Invention Detective is in simple cutout style. It’s all about inventing, and having a simple tactile feel. One of my biggest aesthetic things is not having too much "wacky crazy."
Inspiration for Yummico
My husband and I co-founded Yummico. We love ability to just kind of do the whole process–come up with ideas, storyboard it out, get the music and putting it out there. I’m having fun now working as a creative director, and working with such talented animated teams. We come up with the initial looks and feel, and then our animators run with it.
(CynKids will be running Q&As with each of our Animation Innovators every week leading up to the !magination Awards.)
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
What are you waiting for?
We’ve announced the Cynopsis Kids !magination Award finalists, Kids People Award winners and our 2014 Animation Innovators… now join us in saluting them at the Awards Breakfast!
Date: June 11, 2013
Time: 8AM 10AM
Location: The Yale Club of NY – Register Here
Questions?
Registration: Pete Romas; 203.899.8483 | Sponsorships: Mike Farina; 203.218.6480
PROGRAMMING PICKS
PBS Kids is kicking off a week of new episodes from season 8 of Curious George beginning Monday, May 19, with the new space adventure Curious George Goes to Mars. When Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat visit Pizza and Einstein’s Space Center to help solve a problem with the Mars rover, the inadvertently find themselves headed to the red planet.
Speaking of the Curious one… CynKids is going completely bananas. Why? Curious George is leaving the jungle and heading to New York to attend the !magination Awards, June 11 at the Yale Club. Come swing with everyone’s favorite monkey.
Hub Network set Saturday, June 7, 7p ET/4p PT as the premiere date for Kid President: Declaration of Awesome, which follows Kid President as he inspires kids and adults to do awesome things that make a difference in the world. Along the way, he’ll interview entertainment icons including Gene Simmons, Kevin Costner and "Weird Al" Yankovic. The series is produced by Soul Pancake Television, which was founded by actor Rainn Wilson.
RSG Media signed a deal with Sesame Workshop to provide a cross-platform reporting service to monitor usage, revenue and royalties across content platforms. "We needed a tool that would aggregate and normalize data from a wide variety of disparate sources, each of which has its own formats, standards and schedules," said Shadrach Kristen, VP of Information Systems at Sesame workshop.
A new movie starring the purple one is headed straight to DVD this summer. Barney: A Super-Dee-Duper Day, from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment, arrives in stores July 15.
Disney’s Maleficent is one of the sponsors of AOL’s newly revamped Moviefone website. The site now includes a wider span of entertainment content, while continuing to assist users to find shows and movies online.
Wicked Cool Toys signed a multiyear licensing agreement with Sesame Workshop for summer and seasonal toys based on classic Sesame Street characters including Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby. The licensing agreement covers North America and the line, due in late spring 2015, will feature items such as balls, sand toys, sprinklers and pools.
Interested in a deep dive into the kids licensing business? Join CynKids at the webinar "The New Lessons of Licensing: How to Maximize Tune In, Brand Engagement & Revenue" on Thursday, May 29, 1:30-3 ET. Speakers include Marty Brochstein, SVP, Industry Relations & Information, International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Assn. (LIMA); Kirk Bloomgarden, SVP, Global Consumer Products, Saban Brands; Gregory G. Economos, SVP, Global Consumer Products at Sony; and Erin Dippold, VP, Consumer Products, DHX Media. For more information, visit the webinar webpage.
Canadian animation studio Mercury Filmworks is expanding into the European market, with former Teletoon content chief Alan Gregg at the helm of its new Dublin-based facility. Slated to open in the fall, Mercury Filmworks Europe will be a stand-alone operation encompassing service, co-production, and proprietary business structures. Gregg, who will serve as president of European production, also has been named to the company’s board of directors.
Top 10 Basic Cable Ratings for the week of April 28-May 4, 2014
K2-11 Total Programming Day
Network/Rating/000s
NICK/2.5/805
DSNY/2.0/633
TOON/1.1/366
DSJR/1.0/224
NAN/0.9/283
NKJR/0.8/212
ADSM/0.5/151
DXD/0.4/110
TNNK/0.4/92
NKTN/0.4/91
K2-11 Prime (Monday Sunday 8-11p.m.)
Network/Rating/000s
DSNY/2.5/794
NAN/1.7/543
DSJR/1.3/312
NKJR/1.1/274
FAM/0.7/204
ADSM/0.6/208
TNT/0.6/184
DXD/0.6/174
NKTN/0.6/142
TNNK/0.6/135
K2-11 (Monday-Sunday 6 a.m.-11 p.m.)
Network/Rating/000s
NICK/2.5/805
DSNY/2.2/683
NAN/1.3/425
TOON/1.1/366
NKJR/1.1/279
DSJR/1.1/259
DXD/0.4/126
FAM/0.4/116
TNNK/0.4/105
NKTN/0.4/85
K6-11 Total Programming Day
Network/Rating/000s
DSNY/2.1/409
NICK/1.8/358
TOON/1.2/228
NAN/1.0/198
ADSM/0.5/104
DXD/0.5/87
TNNK/0.5/78
NKTN/0.4/59
FAM/0.3/57
DSJR/0.3/47
K6-11 Prime (Monday Sunday 8-11p.m.)
Network/Rating/000s
DSNY/3.2/624
NAN/1.9/377
DXD/0.8/144
TNNK/0.8/120
ADSM/0.7/143
NKTN/0.7/97
TNT/0.6/111
FAM/0.6/105
DSJR/0.5/70
USA/0.4/77
K6-11 (Monday-Sunday 6 a.m.-11 p.m.)
Network/Rating/000s
DSNY/2.1/413
NICK/1.8/358
NAN/1.5/298
TOON/1.2/228
DXD/0.6/98
TNNK/0.6/90
NKTN/0.4/57
NKJR/0.4/57
DSJR/0.4/56
FAM/0.3/61
K9-14 Total Programming Day
Network/Ratings/000s
DSNY/1.8/365
NICK/1.3/253
TOON/0.9/188
NAN/0.9/187
ADSM/0.9/176
TNNK/0.6/91
DXD/0.4/74
FAM/0.3/59
TNT/0.3/52
NKTN/0.3/44
K9-14 Prime (Monday Sunday 8-11p.m.)
Network/Rating/000s
DSNY/2.8/559
NAN/1.6/322
ADSM/1.0/206
TNNK/0.9/144
TNT/0.7/143
DXD/0.6/111
FAM/0.6/110
USA/0.5/108
NKTN/0.5/69
FX/0.4/89
K9-14 (Monday-Sunday 6 a.m.-11 p.m.)
Network/Rating/000s
DSNY/1.7/336
NAN/1.3/259
NICK/1.3/253
TOON/0.9/188
TNNK/0.7/102
DXD/0.5/81
FAM/0.3/64
TNT/0.3/52
NKTN/0.3/41
FX/0.2/43
Source: Disney from Nielsen Media Research National MIT, ranked on coverage ratings
Viewing Type: Live + Same Day
K2-11 Top 10 Programs for the week of April 28-May 4, 2104
Date/Program/Network/Time/000s
4/30/14/SpongeBob/NICK/6:30-7p/1552
4/30/14/SpongeBob/NICK/7-7:30p/1473
4/30/14/SpongeBob/NICK/6-6:30p/1466
4/29/14/SpongeBob/NICK/7-7:30p/1445
5/2/14/SpongeBob/NICK/6:30-7p/1419
5/3/14/SpongeBob /NICK/9:30-10a/1417
4/29/14/SpongeBob/NICK/6:30-7p/1414
5/3/14/SpongeBob/NICK/9-9:30a/1410
5/1/14/SpongeBob/NICK/6-6:30p/1389
5/1/14/SpongeBob/NICK/5:30-6p/1386
K6-11 Top 10 Programs for the week of April 28-May 4, 2014
Date/Program/Network/Time/000s
5/4/14/The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl/DSNY/11a-12:40p/944
5/4/14/I Didn’t Do It/DSNY/8:30-9p/862
5/4/14/SpongeBob/NICK/10-10:30a/844
4/28/14/Clarence/TOON/7-7:30p/840
5/5/14/Liv and Maddie/DSNY/8-8:30p/835
4/28/14/Frenemies/DSNY/8-9:40p/829
5/4/14/SpongeBob/NICK/9:30-10a/827
5/3/14/Jessie/DSNY/11-11:30a/823
5/4/Jessie/DSNY/9-9:30p/795
5/3/14/Jessie/DSNY/10-10:30a/795
Source: Turner Research based on Total US Television Universe of 115,800,000 homes.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
This is your gateway to the must-have insights on next generation business models and strategies for developing and distributing quality digital programming.
8:30am-4:00pm | June 19 | 10 on the Park, NYC | Early Bird Ends May 30 www.cyndigitalmonetization.com *Sponsors: FreeWheel & Hiro Media*TRIVIA
Answer to yesterday’s Trivia Question: Which character in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood did Fred Rogers name after his adopted sister? Lady Elaine Fairchilde. Kudos to: Dr. Helen Boehm, FCCReady, NY; Amy Cloud, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, NY; David Stern, BARD Entertainment, NY; Pat Brady, CESD, LA; JB Gray, Cartoon Network, Atlanta.
Today’s Trivia Question: What are the names of Sigmund the Sea Monster’s brothers? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone.)
Cheers — Cathy Applefeld Olson
[email protected] for Cynopsis Kids!
05.07.14
Roberta Caploe: Editorial Director @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group
Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP Sales | 203-218-6480
Classifieds Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations | 203-899-8459
To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
To unsubscribe from this edition, click here. Or for further assistance please email [email protected].
Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here.
JOB OPENING: DIGITAL SALES PLANNER/AMC Networks/NYC: prepare digital proposals & maintain existing ad sales campaigns across all networks’ digital properties, 1-2+ yrs. exp. MUST have digital exp. APPLY HERE (5/14)
JOB OPENING: SR PRODUCER/NEWS ONE NOW W/ROLAND MARTIN/DC: Hands-on leader of PM staff, scripts. Supervise segments w/detailed editorial & tech beats. 5 yrs. news/talk @show producer level. Apply/resume to: [email protected] (5/14)
JOB OPENING: RESEARCH STRATEGIST/Discovery/MD: Energetic critical thinker to analyze/report Nielsen TV ratings & consumer findings for Disc Fit & Health & American Heroes Channel. 3+ yrs mktg rsrch exp req’d, TV/media exp a +. Apply HERE (5/14)
SPACE AVAILABLE: Greenwich CT. Up to 1,500 Sq Ft Negotiable Immed.1-5 yr lease/Join The Brand Gallery, PGM Artists & Standard Directors in fully furnished, private Western Greenwich office building Class A, state of the art dig. media office complex & campus. More info/inquire: HERE (5/14)
JOB OPENING: MGR, TRADE MARKETING/NEW YORK: Manage strategy, creative devlpmt & production for Syfy Mktg dept. 6+ yrs mktg campaign exp required in media/agency. Social & ad sales mktg exp a plus. Apply HERE (5/13)
JOB OPENING: FREELANCE MANAGER, OFF-AIR ADV & STRAT/Food Network/NY: Experience managing agencies/developing media plans/executing creative deliverables. Strategic thinker/organized with 5-7 yrs exp. Send resume HERE (5/13)
JOB OPENING: VP/DIR. OF SALES, CONSUMER PRODUCTS/JIM HENSON CO/LA: Manage intl. licensing business for multiple brands/develop new consumer products-related business opportunities. [email protected] (5/13)
JOB OPENING: NETWORK RADIO BUYER/Stamford CT: Excellent opportunity at a growing co. for sharp individual with 2-3 years’ exp in Network Radio Buying. Must be organized, detail oriented and a team player. Resume to: [email protected] (5/10)
JOB OPENING: EXEC DIR, RESRCH & ANALYTICS/SPT/NY: Support SPT in all areas. Know TV, dig. platforms, primary and Nielsen. Presentation skills req. 7+ yrs exp pref. Apply with cover/resume at www.sonypicscareers.com (5/10)
JOB OPENING: FREELANCE SCHEDULING/MASTER CONTROL CONSULTANT/CharmTV/Baltimore: Dvlp prgrm schedules & lead grid mgmt.; manage TV program logs 20hrs wkly. Res/sal req’s to: [email protected] (5/10)
JOB OPENING: FREELANCE TV PROD EDITOR/Charm TV Baltimore: Mng daily prod needs incl traditional editing. Editing multimedia content, from videos (using Final Cut Studio) for dist on various platforms. Res/ reel & credentials HERE (5/10)
JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXEC/CharmTV Baltimore: Min 3-5 yrs sales exp, preferably in media. This position will be resp for traditional on air sponsorship sales along with digital & social media.4 yrs deg mktg deg pref’d. Resume HERE (5/10)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, MKTG PRODUCTION/NYC: Oversee production of video mktg projects & on air promos at Oxygen. Manage production team & vendors. 5+ yrs cable or agency mktg exp required. Apply at http://bit.ly/1lyPGds (5/10)
JOB OPENING: DIR, AFFILIATE RELATIONS/MUSIC CHOICE/NYC: Oversee all sales, aff relations/promo effrts. Min 5-7 yrs exp in strategic sales & mrktg in cable/dist. http://musicchoicecareers.iapplicants.com (5/10)
JOB OPENING: SR MGR, INTEGRATED CLIENT SOLUTIONS/NY: Help drive revenue via the effective mngmnt of a team, 7-10 yrs directly related Integrated Media Sales mktg exp. Strong knwldg of RFP dvlpmnt & media /ent industry. Full Info/apply HERE (5/9)
JOB OPENING: CONTROLLER/44Blue/LA: Prod Co seeks self-motivated Sr. Finance exec. Oversee all aspects of financial reporting & day to day accntng functions in fast paced enviro. Min 8-10 yrs exp. CPA pref. [email protected] (5/8)
JOB OPENING: MEDIA PLNR/BYR/Mahwah, NJ: Lding kid media buyg/plng agcy looking for 5+ yrs nat’l media buying exp. needed in kids/adult media to steward nat’l TV buys. Strong comm; excel; analytic skills. Resumes to: HERE (5/8)
JOB OPENING: MEDIA ASSIST/Mahwah, NJ: Leading kid media buyg/plng agcy looking for media plng assist with 2+ exp; inputter, & day-to-day maint of nat’l buys. EXCEL WIZ A MUST; digital exp a +. Great bnfits. Resumes to: HERE (5/8)
JOB OPENING: BIZ DEV AE/CBS TV Stations: Experienced, creative and hard-working BIZ DEV AE needed for our NY office. Pitch and close multi-platform new business for CBS TV Stations. Search Job ID 18229BR at www.cbscorporation.com/careers (5/8)
JOB OPENING: DIR, BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT/NEWCAST/NYC: Division of ZenithOptimedia, seeks an exp’d dir to dvlp/execute non-traditional, cross-platform solutions for key accts. 7+ yrs sponsorship mktg/branded ent exp. More info/apply: HERE http://emea3.mrted.ly/ccmi (5/8)
JOB OPENING: RSRCH ANALYST/NCC RESEARCH/ATL: Provide rsch mngment & sales dept w/detailed data analyses. BA deg (pref math/science) & Exp @ media co, synd. rsrch co or ad agency in rsrch-related position a + Apply: HERE (5/8)
CASTING CALL: Companies can showcase their casting notices/casting calls here. For information on rates and specs for posting a casting notice, please email Trish at [email protected]
EXPERT SERVICES ADS: These ads are for companies or people who offer an expertise in the field of media by way of production, voice over artistry, writing, set development, etc. For information on rates and specs for posting an Expertise Service ad email Trish at [email protected]
INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].
SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: CONTENT & MEDIA INTERN/Immersion /San Jose: Exciting entertainment internship on http://immersion.com team in the mobile space for top biz/communication students. Successful NASDAQ company. E-mail: [email protected] (5/13)
SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Non-Fiction TV Dev. Summer Internship/NYC: Major TV Prod Co seeking creative interns interested in reality TV and motivated to research, write and develop new ideas for TV series.Res/cov let:[email protected] (5/13)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected].
E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203-899-8459 for rates and specs for Job Openings.
Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.
Copyright Cynopsis 2014
All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2014
