Cynopsis: Kids!

11/27/07

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, November 27, 2007, and this is your first early morning.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Simon & Schuster has entered into a deal for its Tom Swift book series with Worldwide Biggies, per Variety.  The company will adapt the books, which follow the adventures of a young genius/inventor, for a feature film as well a video game(s), TV series and online content.  The original Tom Swift book series dates back to the early 1900s and includes some 40 titles all of which appeared under the author pseudonym Victor Appleton, which was a creation of the Stratemeyer Syndicate that was also responsible for kids book series such as the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins among others.  A second round of the Tom Swift series was born beginning in the 1950s (with 30+ titles), a third series born in the 1980s (with 11 titles), followed by the fourth series in the 1990s (13 titles) and a fifth from 2006 (currently 6 titles).

MORE KIDS STUFF

Nickelodeon will premiere a new Unfabulous original hour-long TV movie, The Best Trip Ever, on Sunday, December 16, at 8p.  In the TV movie Addie, played by Emma Roberts, takes charge of planning the eighth-grade graduation trip (a three-day cruise no less) in her ongoing endeavor to be one of the hip kids, but life being what it is the perfect trip is complicated when they hit rough waters (multiple kinds).  TurboNick will feature sneak peeks of The Best Trip Ever e and will promote it on the Nick.com Unfabulous supersite a week prior to its TV premiere.  Roberts’ upcoming feature film projects include Universal’s Wild Child (April 2008) and DreamWorks’ Hotel for dogs (TBD).

Teen Titans is poised to swoop back into the Kids’ WB! lineup on The CW from this Saturday, December 1 at 9:30a.  Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Glen Murakami, the animated Teen Titans TV series is based on the DC Comics comic book characters.  Kids’ WB! brings Teen Titans back into its block by beginning with the very first episode of the series this Saturday, the subsequent episodes will not air in their original episodic order.  On January 5, Kids’ WB! will feature a special two-part (1 hour) special episode on January 5, 2008 entitled Apprentice.  The new Kids’ WB! programming line-up will now look like this as of December 1, 7a-12p:

7:00a   Will & Dewitt

7:30a   Magi-Nation

8:00a   Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue!*

8:30a   Tom and Jerry Tales

9:00a   Skunk Fu!

9:30a   Teen Titans

10:00a Eon Kid

10:30a Johnny Test

11:00a Legion of Super Heroes

11:30a The Batman

*Shaggy & Scooby shifts to 8a, taking the place of repeats of Tom and Jerry Tales

Entertainment Rights has inked a range of major broadcast deals for the preschool 2D animated series Toopy and Binoo with Rai Sat (Italy), ETV (Estonia), Cartoon Network (Latin America), Canal J (France), Al Jazeera (Middle East), EBS (South Korea), NRK (Norway) and Media Corp (Singapore), with other deals for other territories currently under negotiation.  ER acquired the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) for Toopy & Binoo with Canadian based Spectra Animation this fall.  Under the deal ER picked up the two seasons (104×5 and 78×2) and interactive TV segments (12×2), as well as thematic/holiday specials (6×25).  Animators/broadcasters Treehouse and Telequebec, in partnership with PBS are developing season 2 for delivery in spring 2008.  Based on the kid’s books by Dominque Jolin, Toopy and Binoo encourages kids to use their imagination and creativity though the series adventures.

DHX Media Ltd., an indie producer/distributor of TV and interactive content, has acquired 16.77% interest in privately held Tribal Nova Inc, in a cash deal valued at US $2+ million.  Based in Canada, Tribal Nova is an on-line game developer and operator of gaming and VOD broadband channels for Kids 3-12.  Additionally, Tribal Nova recently launched its first channels in France and Canada in collaboration with ISPs including Orange and AOL/Neuf Cegetel, with another channel slated to launch in the US in early 2008, in partnership with a US TV kid’s broadcaster. According to DFC intelligence, the worldwide kids online game market is expected to grow to $655+ million in 2011.

Shaftesbury Sales Company prepares to attend Asia Television Forum (ATF), for the first time, with a new multi-territory deal with Super RTL already completed for the live-action kids’ series Life with Derek.  Under the new pact with Super RTL, for the first two series of the series, Life with Derek is slated to bow on December 1, 2007.  Super RTL picked-up the free TV rights in Germany and German-speaking Europe for the first 26 half-hour episodes.  Created by Daphne Ballon and commissioned by The Family Channel (Canada), Life with Derek (70×30) is produced by Shaftesbury Films and distributed internationally by Shaftesbury Sales Company.  For additional information about the series, please visit Shaftesbury Films at ATF exhibition suite 668.

MARKETING/LICENSING

Imagination International Corp. releases the new Planet Earth DVD board game, which is based on the BBC TV series Planet Earth, which ran on Discovery here in the US.  Like the series, the game is aimed at kids, adults and families and features categories such as Pole-to-Pole, Fresh Water/Ice Worlds, Shallow Seas/Ocean Deep, Deserts/Great Plains, Seasonal Forests/Jungles and Caves/Mountains.  The Planet Earth DVD Game is available exclusively at Wal-Mart ($24.99) through December, and then in January 2008 will be available everywhere.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Animation Collective has identified a new COO in Doug MacLennan, who had been VP/Finance for the company.  In his new position, MacLennan will be responsible for heading Animation Collective’s corporate strategy and multi-platform initiatives, and will report to Larry Schwarz, Founder and CEO.  He takes over for Michael Gold, who left the company for an educational software venture.  Previously, MacLennan toiled for Merrill Lynch in its Corporate Strategy & Development Group, and then for the William Morris Agency in its trainee program.  Additionally, Olga Marino is named International Director/Sales.  In this role she will coordinate the company’s third party sales agents as well as directly selling to broadcasters.  Marion previously toiled for Cookie Jar where she was responsible for sales in the Latin American and Central and Eastern European regions.

RATINGS

Cartoon Network reaped extra relish and several new records with the premiere of its original live-action TV movie Ben 10: Race Against Time, which bowed over the holiday weekend on Wednesday, November 21 at 8-9:30p, bringing the network its largest ever Total Viewers P2+ audience with just under 4 million. Based on Cartoon Network’s animated series, the Ben 10 movie debut knocked the net’s 2002 play of Dragon Ball Z out of the top spot.  The made-for-TV movie was particularly popular with boys as the debut earned the best performance for Boys 2-11 (1.6 million) in Cartoon Network’s history, and tied Dragon Ball Z’s 2001 record for the most watched show among Boys 6-11 (1.2 million).  The premiere of Ben 10: Race Against Time was the network’s most watched program among K6-11 (1.5 million) and K2-11 (2.1 million) in the last five plus years.  Additionally, November 21 was Cartoon Network’s most watched day ever in total day with K6-11, K2-11 as well as with Boys 6-11 and Boys 2-11.

Top 10 Combined Broadcast/Basic Cable shows among Kids 2-11 for the week of 11/12-11/18/2007 , 6a-6a:
K2-11                                             Total Delivery (000)
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/12; 8-8:45p) 4830
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 7:30p)       3490
NICK:    Behind The Pantis (11/12; 8:45-9p)             3383
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 6:30p)       3274
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 8p)            3122
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/17; 9-10p)    3086
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 6p)            3036
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/17; 11a)          2623
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/18; 9:30a)       2575
NICK:    Back at the Barnyard (11/17; 10a)               2571
Source: Disney from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.

Top 10 Combined Broadcast/Basic Cable shows among Kids 6-11 for the week of 11/12-11/18/2007 , 6a-6a:
K6-11                                                         Total Delivery (000)
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/12; 8-8:45p)             3287
NICK:    Behind The Pantis (11/12; 8:45-9p)                         2337
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 7:30p)                  2258
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/17; 9-10p)                2175
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 6:30p)                   2163
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 7p)                        2016
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 6p)                        1868
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/18; 9:30a)                   1632
DSNY*: Adventures Shark Boy & Lava Girl (11/17; 9-10:40p) 1614
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/18; 9a)                        1608
Source: Disney from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.

Top 10 Combined Broadcast/Basic Cable shows among Tweens 9-14 for the week of 11/12-11/18/2007 , 6a-6a:
Tweens 9-14                                                   Total Delivery (000)
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/12; 8-8:45p)                   2601
NICK:    Behind The Pantis (11/12; 8:45-9p)                               1701
DSNY*: Hannah Montana (11/12; 7:30p)                                    1641
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/17; 9-10p)                      1574
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 7:30p)                         1524
NICK:    Zoey (11/18; 8p)                                                          1491
DSNY*: Suite Life of Zack & Cody (11/17; 8p)                              1453
DSNY*: Hannah Montana (11/12; 7p)                                          1409
NICK:    SpongeBob SquarePants (11/12; 6:30p)                          1386
DSNY*: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (11/13; 8-9:40p) 1375
Source: Disney from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.

Top 10 Combined Broadcast/Basic Cable shows among Teens 12-17 for the week of 11/12-11/18/2007 , 6a-6a:
Teens 12-17                                             Total Delivery (000)
NICK:    SpongeBob Atlantis Pantis (11/12; 8-8:45p)            1381
FOX:     Family Guy (11/18; 9-9:31p)                                  1331
FOX:     House (11/13; 9-10p)                                            1265
FOX:     American Dad (11/18; 9:31-10p)                            1134
DSNY*: Hannah Montana (11/12; 7:30p)                               997
FOX:     King of the Hill (11/18; 8:31-9p)                               970
MTV:     Shot At Love: Tila Tequila (11/13; 10-11p)                960
ABC:     American Music Awards (11/18; 8-11p)                      954
NICK:    Zoey (11/18; 8p)                                                     964
FOX:     Simpsons (11/18; 8-8:31p)                                       933
Source: Disney from Nielsen Media Research Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**New abbreviation for Adult Swim, which airs on Cartoon Network

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Monday, November 19, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1130; K6-11 525; TWEENS 9-14 385
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   940; K6-11 581; TWEENS 9-14 420
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   587; K6-11 378; TWEENS 9-14 256
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   223; K6-11 131; TWEENS 9-14   92
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1214; K6-11 569; TWEENS 9-14 449
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   958; K6-11 620; TWEENS 9-14 508
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   507; K6-11 330; TWEENS 9-14 264
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   185; K6-11   91; TWEENS 9-14   47
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: On what show would you find the animated characters Widget and Walden? WOW! WOW! WUBBZY (Nick, Jr.)    Kudos to:  Enid Chaban-
Random House Children’s Books/NY; Amrita Sooklall-MTV Networks/NY; Sarah Donnell-Simon & Schuster/NY; Kelly-Ann Fentress-Nickelodeon Preschool Television/NY; Michael Hawkins-PromoDoctors/Irving, TX; Al Ovadia-Al Ovadia & Associates, Inc./Hidden Hills, CA;  Jennifer Ripley-THQ Inc./Agoura Hills, CA;  Brenda Nietupski/Corus Entertainment/Toronto

Today’s Trivia Question: In the 2004 movie Shark Tale, Lenny (Jack Black) had a secret that he eventually reveals. He tells Oscar (Will Smith) he’s a what?    ( 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!
11.27.07

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JOB OPENING: ADMIN ASST/WE tv/NYC: Support programming execs & mgmt team with all admin needs. Handle phones, schedules,  travel, budgets, tape library, etc. Degree & Ent exp pref. res to www.cablevision.jobs ref #4860BR  (12/4)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH DIR/Screenvision Cinema, NY: 8-10 yrs; Run sales research, strong know of resch resources, Nielsen exp req, prim resch exp plus, TV bkgnd pref, Mgmt Exp req. Submit resumes:  [email protected] (12/4)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/TV10s/NYC: For Closed Captioning & 10-second commercial sales: Create proposals, mkgds, manage adu, detail oriented. Power Point a +. Resume: [email protected] (12/4)

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   (12/1)

JOB OPENING:  PROJECT MANAGER,AD SALES RES (Syn/Digital/NY-Warner Bros.) strong math and pres. writing skills. Adept w/Nielsen,digital measurements, Galaxy, Npower, Adviews, MRI. Email: [email protected] RE: UCTC/91155BR    (12/1)

JOB OPENING:  DIR OF PROGRAMMING/Rainbow/NYC: Develop & supervise production of Sportskool programming; oversee integration of branded content; assist in creating scheduling strategy. Apply to req 4926BR at www.cablevision.jobs   (12/1)

JOB OPENING: SR CLIENT ANALYST/MSA Media/NY: Manage cable nets on Gabriel/other SW. Perform biz svcs, issue resolution, training, Jr Acct mgmt duties, prod planning. Must have tech knowledge. Send res & $ req to [email protected]     (12/1)

JOB OPENING:  MTV EXEC PROD/NYC: 8+ yrs exp in TV production incl Sr and/or Supervising Producer exp. Extensive knwldge US market/pop culture. Strong mngmt exp; travel and work late hours. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com     (12/1)

JOB OPENING:  VP RESEARCH MTVTr3s/NYC: 10-15 yrs media/market research exp. Strong analy sk + broad range qual/quant methodologies; Knwldge re key issues US Hispanic advertising industry. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com   (12/1)

JOB OPENING:   PROMOTIONS & MARKETING MANAGER/Cartoon Network/[adult swim], NY:  Must have 3-5 yrs of exp in promos/mkting, advertising. Strong project mgmt, client service. Apply online via www.turnerjobs.com , Req# 90869    (12/1)

JOB OPENING:  SALES ASST/TV/DVD Dist. Co. in Norwalk, CT: Seeks energetic multi-tasker. Proficient in all MS Office apps. Accounting software knwldg  a +. Terrific hands-on experience! Send resume to: [email protected]     (12/1)

JOB OPENING:  MANAGER, PROGRAM PLANNING/MTV/NYC: 4+yrs TV prgm scheduling exp, Strg interpersnl & Excel skills, Knwldge of MTV brand /prgming/TV ratings & Entertainment industry. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/1)

JOB OPENING: TV ACQUISITIONS MGR/Orange, CA: Research, screen, select and schedule content for inflight entertainment. Experience of global TV markets, negotiation, planning and attention to detail are musts. [email protected]  (11/30)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Gorilla Nation Media/NYC: – Support sales team in managing proposals & campaign management. 1-2 yrs online sales & planning experience; Microsoft office exp. Apply at [email protected] (11/30)

JOB OPENING: VP CREATIVE DIR/Fuse TV/NY: Responsible for the overall dir, conception, creation, dvlpmnt & implementation of all On-Air promotions and packaging for all marketing platforms. Please send resume to [email protected]. (11/30)

JOB OPENING: WRITER/PRODUCER/Discovery Communications/LA: Conceive, write & produce TV & Radio campaigns for TLC On-Air promotions & mktg. Please apply online at www.discovery.com/corporate to job opening number 5931. EOE M/F/V/D (11/30)

JOB OPENING: NETWORK CABLE BUSINESS ANALYST/NY: Exp. With VCI software required. Background in Traffic & Ad Sales. Strong documentation & training skills needed.  [email protected] (11/30)

JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, CUSTOM RESEARCH/NHL: 3+ yrs exp in ad sales rsrch. Extensive exp with custom research (e.g. Simmons/Scarborough/MRI) req’d. Strong knwldg of Excel and Power Point a must. Apply: [email protected] (11/29)

JOB OPENING: WDCW Washington DC seeks BROADCAST SALES VETERAN with 4+ years of exp. Aggressive seller with successful agency and direct business exp. Stellar presentation and negotiating skills required.  [email protected] EOE (11/28)

JOB OPENING: Rainbow/NYC: PROD MGR, ONAIR PROMOS for VOD cable nets; create & oversee budgets & project mngmt for post-prod/shoots/gfx. 3+ yrs ent/media exp. Strong detail/org/comm skills. www.cablevision.jobs.com req 4856BR. (11/28)

JOB OPENING: Rainbow/NYC: ASSOC. PROD, ONAIR PROMOS for VOD cable nets; write/produce/edit promos on FCP. Writing test req. Oversee digital file mgmt. Apply to req 4780BR at www.cablevision.jobs.com (11/28)

JOB OPENING: VP CONSUMER/AFFILIATE MKTG/Fuse TV/NYC: Establishes strategic mktg, promos & ad campaigns for Fuse, drive awareness & promote brand attributes to the trade, press & consumer.  Please send resume to [email protected] (11/28)

JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT/NY: 2 yrs devo or agency exp to maintain databases, draft deal memos and conduct research for fastest growing ad-supported cable network. To apply go to www.turnerjobs.com req# 90639 (11/28)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AE/History/A&E/LA: Sell digital advertising solutions to clients/agencies. Dvlp new business. Client service and acct mgmt. 4 yrs in sales -min 2 yrs digital sales. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (11/28)

JOB OPENING: VP, PROGRAMMING & DEVELOPMENT/ EGO TV/LA: Scout, produce web and mobile video content for new Gen Y network. Must have strong talent agency relationships. 10+ yrs  exper. Resumes to [email protected] (11/28)

JOB OPENING: ON AIR TALENT/Web/NY:Looking for a 30-45 yr old female talent. To host a weekly prgrm on the latest in books, CD’s, DVD’s. Needs to appear knwldgble & authoritative, ditzy need not apply. Contact: [email protected] (11/28)

JOB OPENING: EXP’D CO-EP SHOW RUNNER/Powderhouse Productions: Develop and execute a stripped one-hour infotainment series for a major cable net. Science-tech background, web integration, a big plus. Resume to: [email protected] (11/28)

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] .

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …

SITUATION WANTED: JACK OF MEDIA TRADES/Over 10 yrs of hands on film & video exp varying from prod and post-prod to national spot sales. Willing to relocate to lrg or moderate mrkts in US or abroad.  Email:  [email protected] (12/4)

SITUATION WANTED:  Script Coordinator with previous work experience in animation industry seeks script or production coordinator position in Vancouver, BC. [email protected] (11/30)

SITUATION WANTED: CASTING DIRECTOR: Commercials, shorts, music videos. Very experienced Reality Casting Director/Frmr Talent Agent would love to do scripted! Great eye for talent of all kinds! Contact: [email protected] (11/29)

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