Cynopsis: Kids!

12/06/07

Good morning. It’s Thursday, December 6, 2007, and this is your first early morning.

Teletoon and Jetix Europe have given the go-ahead to Breakthrough Animation to produce the new animated comedy series Jimmy Two Shoes, which was developed with the two broadcasters.  Slated for air in early 2009, Jimmy Two Shoes follows Jimmy, a wild 14-yr-old who, following some slip-ups, finds himself in Miseryville, a place where everything is designed to cause pain to its inhabitants.  Additionally, Breakthrough Animation is developing the kid-aimed property, My Big Big Friend, as a co-production with 2D Lab in Brazil.  Simultaneously Breakthrough is developing adult-targeted animated primetime shows including, Foolz N The Hood, The Orphanage (CBC) and Producing Emily (Canwest Global).

Beacon Media, a kids media buying and TV distributor, has teamed with Entertainment Licensing Associates (ELA) and animation production house InVision Entertainment to form a joint venture to acquire/develop/produce/distribute and merchandise kid-centric properties.  The first projects for the joint effort will be announced in January 2008.  Led by Sheldon Hirsch, Beacon Media, his previous company Summit Media Group was a key player in the US TV launch and brand strategy for Pokemon, and later the introduction of Yu-Gi-Oh! and other Japanese anime series here.  ELA, helmed by Daniel Kletsky, is best known for producing the animated Mega Man series, which is based on the Capcom video games, to the US with Hirsch’s company distributing the series here. Additionally, Kletsky formed InVision Entertainment with animation insider Michael Hack, which brought a range of animated programming to the US such as Jim Benton’s The Secret Files of the Spydogs, Dragon Tales, baby Looney Tunes, Astroboy among others.

MORE KIDS STUFF

PBS Kids Sprout is looking to help parents of preschoolers this Christmas Eve when it bows its first Snooze-A-Thon, December 24 from 7p through the Christmas morning at 6a.  The 11-hour event will feature The Good Night Show’s Nina and her puppet pal Star, as they sleep the night through, sort of a Yule Log for K2-5.  Leading up to the holiday Sprout will offer two US TV movie premieres, Caillou’s Holiday Movie, a Cookie Jar Entertainment production, on December 12 at 4:30p; and Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember on December 18 at 4:30p, produced by HIT Entertainment the special features music by Elton John. 

Goodbye Zoey, a special one-hour original Nickelodeon TV movie will premiere on the network Friday, January 4 at 8p.  Based on the TV series Zoey 101, the movie Zoey is faced with making a big decision when her parents announce their impending move to London.  Will Zoey make the move with her folks, leaving her BFFs behind, or will she stay put at Pacific Coast Academy.  The movie is the set-up for the next season of Zoey 101.

Dolphin Entertainment has inked additional international sales for The N’s original teen series, South of Nowhere.  Broadcasters picking up the South of Nowhere include: Klub RTL (Belgium) and GO (South Africa). Other international networks that recently acquired the series include MTV France, MTV Poland, RTE (Ireland), and Canal J (France).

MARKETING/LICENSING

20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising has completed new licensing deals for its TV and movie properties across a range of categories.

• The Simpsons: Design International (combination locks, locker mirrors, magnet clips, hooks and bulletin boards, mini flashlights); Earthwise Bag Company (re-usable shopping bags); Wesco Limited (USB accessories)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: Brash Entertainment (Videogame)

Nickelodeon and The Hertz Corporation team launch Nick on the Go, a portable, pre-loaded, touch-screen media player for families to take along on their vacations.  The Nickelodeon-branded units can be rented exclusively from Hertz at 21 different airport locations in the US from Saturday December 15, with additional locations to rollout in early 2008.  The Nick on the Go portable devices features 40-hours worth of pre-loaded Nick/Nick Jr. programming content including episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants, Drake & Josh, Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues among others.  Nick and Hertz also plan to add new features to the unit next year, such as various Nick video games, Internet access (to Nick related sites), as well as healthy living Public Service Announcements and the like.

American Eagle Outfitters is streaming a holiday-themed claymation series to promote its line of casual clothing on 77E, a new entertainment platform distributed on AE.com, YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. Digital production company Divide Pictures created the series.

STONE SOUP

Toy Wishes Magazine unveils the winners of the 2007 Ultimate Toy Awards, a program under which the publication asked consumers to select their favs in toy and kid’s products across 21 categories.  The Ultimate Toy Awards category nominees were all featured All Stars in the Holiday 2007 issue of Toy Wishes.  The All Stars are selected by the Toy Wishes editorial board, as the most innovative toys in 20+ categories, with the Hot Dozen list is chosen from these.  The 2007 Ultimate Toy Awards winners include favorites in:

• Action and Adventure Toy: Transformers Movie Ultimate Bumblebee (Hasbro/Ages 5+/$89.99)
• Activities Toy: Crayola Model Magic Fusion (Crayola/Ages 5+/$7.99)
• Construction & Building Toy: LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants: The Chum Bucket (LEGO/Ages 7+/$34.99)
• Dolls & Accessories Toy: Hannah Montana Singing Dolls & Pop Star Stage (Play Along/Ages 6+/Doll-$19.99 Pop Star Stage-$59.99)
• Educational and Learning Toy: Clickstart My First Computer (LeapFrog/Ages 3-6/$59.99)
• Electronic Entertainment Toy: I Can Play Guitar System (Fisher-Price/Ages 6+/$99)
• Games: DVD & CD-Rom: Scene It? Disney’s 2nd Edition DVD Game (Mattel/Ages 6+/$34.99)
• Games: Traditional The Game of Life Twists and Turns (Hasbro/Ages 9+/$34.99)
• Infant Toy: Laugh and Learn Learning Kitchen (Fisher-Price/Ages 6 months+/$64.99)
• Radio-Controlled Toy: Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle (Spin Master/Ages 8+/$79.99)
• Tech Toy: Eye-Clops (Jakks Pacific/Ages 6+/$49.99)
• Screen Time winners
  • Computer Game: Easy Link Internet Launch Pad (Fisher-Price/Ages 3+/$29.99)
  • Video Game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Red Octane/Rated T for Teen/$99.99)
  • TV Game DreamLife Superstar (Hasbro/Ages 8+/$39.99)

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: First aired in 1966, Dr. Seuss’ classic animated TV special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, was narrated by whom? BORIS KARLOFF
Kudos to:  David Stern-BARD Entertainment/NY; Charles Lippert-Exel Direct/Cincinnati; Tim Stalker-Toys “R” Us/Wayne, NJ; David Hughes-BangUp Prod/Southport, CT; Leigh Ann Schwarzkopf-Lookout Marketing/Minneapolis; Michael Edelstein-RC2/Learning Curve Brands/Oak Brook, IL; Micki Barnett-4bucksmedia Inc./Bell Canyon, CA; Steve Behling-Disney Publishing Worldwide/LA; Sandy Dibble-Ice Box Advertising/Van Nuys, CA; Brittany Bond-Schiefer Public Relations/Santa Ana, CA; Tristan Homer-9 Story Entertainment/Toronto

Today’s Trivia Question: In the Disney film Bambi, what is the name of the skunk?   ( Click here 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!
12.06.07

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JOB OPENING: RESEARCH DIR/FOX/NY: Mng daily aspects of Ad Sales Rsrch (tracks/trends & analysis) for channel. Formulate innovative concepts w/regard to sales objectives/goals.6-8 yrs exp media ind rsrch pref’d; www.foxcareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: COORD PROGRAMMING/Comedy Central-NYC: 1 – 2 yrs exp working in television; working knwldg TV programming/scheduling. Detail oriented; good comm sk. Proficient in MS Excel. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: COORD PROGRAMMING MOBILE TV/Comedy Central-NYC: 1-2 yrs exp working in TV; working knwlge TV prog/promo sched; knwldg digital/mobile landscape a plus. Proficient in MS Excel. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/12)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA PLAN’G COORD/SOAPnet/Burbank: PLAN’G/SCHED’G ON-AIR PROMO. 2+ yrs exp mktg/adv/progrmng. Detail-oriented a must; strategic thinker. Encoda, Grip-it! Filemaker Pro a +. Apply: www.disneycareers.com , Req #127799. (12/12)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA MGR/NY : Work w/ all aspects of TV/radio/outdoor media campaigns. Asst dvlpmnt of media strategies/promos. BA deg mktg. 2-3 yrs agency or at ntwrk within ad sales and/or mktg Res to: [email protected] (12/12)

JOB OPENING:  2 SALES PLANNERS/Galavision/NY: Generate upfront/scatter plans. Handle all aspects of ongoing deal maintenance/stewardship. Dealmaker/VCI/media experience & Spanish a plus. Apply: [email protected]. EOE  (12/12)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE & POSS FT DESIGNER/3d/Animator/Viewpoint Creative/LA: Strong design & comm skills, EXP pref’d in Cinema 4d (or Maya), After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator.Send reel/res/URL to [email protected] (12/12)

JOB OPENING: ART DIRECTOR/Word World, LLC/NYC: 5+ yrs exp.  Branding, digital design, direct mail, print design, video packaging and special projects. Experience in children’s market a plus. Email: [email protected] (12/12)

JOB OPENING: Seeking top notch SR AE for Channel One News-NYC: Must have min. 7+ yrs consultative sales, proven Biz Dev exp; ideally in Broadcast/TV, and/or non-traditional space. see full desc and apply: www.adweek.com (12/12)

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JOB OPENING: INVENTORY ANALYST /BET, NY: 1-2years experience in sales or traffic; strong analytical skills;Dealmaker,VCI, Excel experience preferred. Email resume to: [email protected] (12/11)

JOB OPENING: PROJECT MGR/HBO.com/NYC: Manage planning and execution of online projects/scope, budget & time tracking, and stakeholder mgt/3 yrs interactive exp as PM. Apply: http://www.timewarner.com/corp/careers , Req: 86605. (12/11)

JOB OPENING: AFFIL MKTG MANAGER/qubo/NYC: Manage/execute mktg efforts for affiliate launches, campaigns and trade shows. Prefer 3+ yrs exp, some travel. Send resumes to [email protected]  (12/11)

JOB OPENING: ON AIR MKTG COORD TEMP/USA NETWORK/NY: PLAN’G/SCHED’G SECONDARY EVENTS, NBCU BARTER COORDINATION. 1+ yrs exp mktg, adv, or related field. Strong database skills for content mngmnt/sched’g. Res: [email protected] (12/11)

JOB OPENING: NAT’L TV REP – PROG DEPT NYC: High visibility. Deal w/TV nets & syndicators. Good analytical, problem solving & comm. skills. Multi-tasker w/strong writing & math. 1 Yr related exp or recent media grad. [email protected] (12/8)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH SALES MGR/NY (tivo651): 5 yrs research sales exp /Aggressively pursue & close bus. to meet/exceed quarterly revenue goals. Visit http://www.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Job.aspx?j=o7K9VfwF&s=Cynopsis for job desc (12/8)

JOB OPENING: DIR AD SALES RESEARCH/Vh1/NY: Detail-oriented, proactive; provide sales research, materials, create estimates, analyze rtg data. Expert w/Nielsen,  MRI, etc. 8+  yrs Na tl’ TV Rsch. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply mtvncareers.com (12/8)

JOB OPENING: NETWORK BUYER/ NATIONAL TV & SYNDICATION/Initiative/NY: 2-3 yrs. Network TV buying experience. Supervise 3 assts. Knowledge of Donovan (DDS) or similar. Resume to [email protected], subject “Network Buyer” (12/8)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASST/CABLEVISION/Woodbury, NY:  2+ yrs exp in mrkt, adv or bus related field.  Assist VP and Sales team. Strong Excel and Powerpoint skills. See full posting and apply to www.cablevision.jobs req 4906BR (12/8)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES OPERATIONS COORD/National Football League/Culver City, CA: Resolve client issues & work w/ Technology and Product teams to insure that all advertising meets pre-defined guidelines. Submit res to:  [email protected]  (12/7)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT DIR AFF SALES/A&E TV/NY: Manage distribution & revenue growth for all AETN products. Lead person in NY Office. BA/BS, 5 + yrs affiliate sales exp at cable or broadcast net. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (12/7)

JOB OPENING: MGR, TECH SVCS/HBO/NYC: Involved in tech aspects of content acquisition, troubleshooting, fixing content issues. Req: TV, post-prod or pre-production bkgrd, knows film elements, min 3-5 years exp. Res to: [email protected] (12/7)

JOB OPENING:  RESEARCH ANALYST/Rainbow Media/AMC/NY: 2+ yrs cable res exp. Support Corp, Sales, Affil, Prog& Mktg team w/data collection & analysis. Nielsen, MRI a +. Rez www.cablevision.jobs ref #4809BR (12/7)

JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, PRICING & PLANNING/G4-Comcast Networks/NY: 1+ yr industry exp; Resp for tracking inventory, assist in training, process MSA posting & supporting sales staff. Contact [email protected]   (12/7)

WINTER AND SPRING INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. They are 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] .

WINTER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: TV PROD. INTERN/PICTURE THIS, NY: New season of Emmy winning Reality Show. Rsch, logging, assist post, phones, runs. Exp w/ Word & Excel. Min 2-3 days/week. Local Trvl Stipend avail. [email protected] (12/12)

WINTER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  ART DESIGN 8 MKTG INTERN/Big Tent Ent, NY: exp with digital photo editing, mkt research, MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, In Design, and Illustrator; good computer skills. Email: [email protected]    (12/12)

WINTER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  MARKETING INTERN/Big Tent Ent, NY: strong MS Office skills, knwldge of mkting and licensing, and good written and oral skills. Email: [email protected]  (12/12)

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SITUATION WANTED:  EXPERIENCED STORYTELLER/STORY EDITOR/SCRIPT ANALYST For more information please visit: www.endofstoryinc.com (12/12)

SITUATION WANTED: VIRTUAL PROJECT MANAGER:TV production, admin and personal assistant support. Let me make your life easier.  E-mail – [email protected] (12/12)

SITUATION WANTED: Dread networking? Not sure what to say? Hate going alone? You’re missing career opportunities!  For professional networking help – [email protected] (12/8)

SITUATION WANTED:  RENT $$$: Experienced reality producer w/tons of show ideas & NO time to develop them as I’m always working, needs a housing deal & time to develop/sell them. Your company wants ’em: [email protected] (12/8)

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