CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis: Kids!
01/05/06
Good morning. It’s Thursday, January 5, 2006 and this is your first early morning Kids! briefing.
Herb Scannell, President/Nickelodeon Networks Group and Vice-Chairman/MTV Networks announced yesterday that is leaving the company after 20+ years. Scannell joined Nickelodeon in spring 1988 and became President of the network in 1996. During his tenure at Nickelodeon he has led the company, and its related networks, into new production and lines of business including Nickelodeon’s move into developing and producing original animated series, feature films, and the expansion of the uber consumer products and licensing divisions, opened an animation studio, and launched a number of channels (Noggin/The N, GAS, TV Land), to name a few. Prior to joining Nickelodeon Scannell was with Showtime.
Disney Pictures has optioned the live action movie concept The Missing Link, which will be penned by Ron Friedman and Steve Bencich, the team that wrote Chicken Little, according to Variety. The movie is a family comedy. The report also says the duo have sold their story The Treehouse to Warner Bros., and are in the midst of several projects with Sony Animation.
TFO/TVO Canada and France 5 have picked up a second season of the animated series Miss BG (the BG is short for Big Girl) from Ellipsanime and Breakthrough Animation. The series follows Miss BG, a precocious 8 yr-old who has taken it upon herself to teach her brother about the world, but of course from her point-of-view (“snow comes up Charlie Brown, snow comes up!”). Targeted to K5-8, Miss BG is based on a French book series titled Gudule & les Bébés (Hachette-Jeunesse) by author Fanny Joly and illustrated by Roser Capdevilla. Miss BG is a co-production between Ellipsanime, Breakthrough Animation, Def2Shoot, TVO, TFO (Canada), and France 5.
Angel Gate, a publisher of graphic novel and young adult novels, has launched a new series of board books for preschoolers, Atlas School for Superheroes: Learning Tools for Superkids. The first books will be available beginning this month, with additional titles set to be published in fall 2006. The book series was created by Davis and Debbie Bishop; while Atlas, the comic book superhero, was created by Darren G. Davis.
Public Square Books, Spanish language publisher, will release Spanish language translations of its first manga titles this year according to Publishers Weekly. The first two Spanish language manga titles to be released in the US by the publisher from the Rave Master and Tokyo Mew Mew manga series. Public Square Books will release 9 volumes of Rave Master between March and August 2006, with additional books in the series following at one a month after that. Under a partnership between Public Square Books and Norma Editorial/Spain, the Spanish language versions of both manga series will be those translated by Norma. Both manga series are licensed from Kodansha.
MARKETING/LICENSING
Cartoon Network and Kids’ WB! have teamed up as official sponsors of the third annual 2006 Sports Illustrated For Kids Next Snow Search, a national ski and snowboard program for kids/tweens 9-13. Designed to help identify the up and coming generation of extreme skiers and snowboarders, the season long search includes 70 competitions in the US and Canada, and will culminate in a championship competition at Killington Resort, Vermont, in March 3-5, 2006. This year’s search includes an All-Stars event that will bring together previous Kids Next Snow Search teams to compete. The All Stars event will be held at the Keystone Resort in Colorado, and will air as a one-hour NBC Sports special on Saturday, February 11, at 2p. At the All-Stars event, Cartoon Network will project an original 30-min cartoon special called Mount Miguzi onto the snow. The network will also develop Next Snow Search content for its Miguzi weekday afternoon block. At the Vermont competition, Kids’ WB will host its Saturday Unleashed Snow Show at the site, and show its series Loonatics Unleashed and Johnny Test. Kids’ WB will support Next Snow online with a microsite and with an on-air with a sweepstakes.
The Wildflower Group has been named North American agent for The World of Beatrix Potter by property rights holder, Frederick Warne, an imprint of the Penguin Group. The new licensing program for the property will feature licenses in a range of product categories including gifts, accessories and infant products. Among the first new licensees for the property is Workshop Toys, an Oregon-based toy company that will create figurines and a playhouse. Pre-existing licensees include Gund, CR Gibson, and Heyman. A feature film based on the life of Beatrix Potter, starring Renee Zellweger, is slated to begin production spring 2006. Additionally, Peter Rabbit will serve as a spokes-character for book retailer Barnes & Noble during spring and Easter 2006.
Following the finalization of the merger of parent companies Bandai Co. and Namco Ltd., now known as Namco Bandai Holding Inc., the US divisions of each former company, Namco Hometek Inc. and Bandai Games Inc. have completed the integration process and moving forward will be called Namco Bandai Games America Inc., North America. Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. owns all of the Bandai Namco Group US subsidiaries including Bandai America Inc. (Toy), Bandai Entertainment, Inc. (Visual/DVD), Namco America Inc. (Arcade machine), Namco Cybertainment Inc. (Arcade facility), Namco Networks America Inc. (Mobile games) and Namco Bandai Games America Inc. (Video games). In May 2005 Bandai Co, Japan’s biggest toymaker and the third largest in the world, announced is was acquiring Namco Ltd, a developer/publisher of video games and arcade equipment for a total price tag of $1.7b. While called Namco Bandai Holdings in the US, the newly united company will be known in Japan as Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai Namco Holdings.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
With the exit of Herb Scannell from MTV Networks, Viacom, Judy McGrath, Chairman/CEO, MTV Networks unveiled the restructuring of the Nickelodeon Networks Management. Cyma Zarghami, currently President/Nickelodeon TV, will now head the newly formed MTVN Kids & Family group. That group includes Nickelodeon TV, Nick at Nite, Nick Online, Nick Movies, Noggin/The N, Nicktoons TV, Nickelodeon Games & Sports (Nick GAS), as well as Nickelodeon’s magazine, recreation divisions and Nickelodeon’s digital businesses, including Neopets. Zarghami joined Nickelodeon in 1985 and was instrumental in Nickelodeon’s growth since that time. Moving out of the Nickelodeon Networks brand is the TV Land network, which will join Spike TV and Comedy Central under President Doug Herzog. TV Land President Larry Jones will now report into Herzog. Additionally, Jones will continue to lead Nick at Nite with a dual report into Zarghami.
Mitch Budin has been named EVP/Sales, Genius Products, Inc. Budin joins Genius Products from DreamWorks SKG, where he was Head of Sales North America, Home Entertainment division. While at DreamWorks, Budin developed marketing strategies for the launch DVDs, including Madagascar, Shrek, Shrek2, and Shark Tale, and Gladiator among others. Genius Products, Inc. is the US home entertainment distributor for The Weinstein Company.
Alison Lee has been appointed Head of Business Affairs, Granada International. She will report to Helen Fox-Gladwell, Director/Business Affairs. In her new role Lee will be responsible for managing the business affairs team, overseeing all sales and licensing deals and negotiating co-production and output agreements. Most recently Lee was with Channel Four (UK).
Answer to yesterday’s trivia question: The house used for exterior shots for Marcus Welby M.D. was the same house used for exterior shots of this classic 50’s and 60’s show. What tv show was it? LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. Kudos to: Chris M Fagan-Morales Staffing Inc/NY; John Molish-Brighter Child Interactive/Columbus OH; Mindy Bloom-Ronald McDonald House/Winston Salem NC; David Lerner-Mindshare/NY; Tom Boyd-WGN TV/Chicago; John Harper-NBC Universal Television/Universal City; Pat Brady-CES Talent/LA; Rob Mills-CBC/Toronto
Today’s Trivia Question: When she wasn’t working at the bank, what was Miss Hathaway’s favorite pastime? (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 Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis Kids!
01.05.06 – 3:52a
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