Cynopsis: Kids!

12/12/07

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, December 12, 2007, and this is your first early morning briefing.

Did anyone buy the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD, which arrived at retail yesterday?  Well, if you did and you actually plopped the disc in to watch, you were treated to a look at the 6th Potter picture, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, slated for theatrical release a year from now on November 21, 2008.  You can also view the footage now on YouTube.com.

Fox announced release dates for two of its upcoming feature films, Variety reports.  The studio will release Night at the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian on May 22, 2009.  Additionally, Fox is will release Avatar, the James Cameron 3D movie, on December 18, 2009.  Avatar had been slated for Memorial Day weekend.

MORE KIDS STUFF

WGBH Boston Video will release the kid-targeted series Between the Lions in a 13-hour DVD set on January 8, 2008 The special DVD set is comprised of all 30 episodes from the first season of Between the Lions.  Bonus features on the DVD release include downloadable materials such as: a guide for kindergarten teachers, designated reader materials, reading tips, and practice sheets among others; downloadable family activities guides in English and Spanish; and access to the series website, closed captions, and described video for the visually impaired.

Kaiser Permanente and Discovery Health’s Continuing Medical Education (CME) program have teamed up to launch Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity, an educational program designed to instruct physicians and healthcare professionals about childhood obesity and the steps that can be taken to treat and prevent it.  The program was funded through an unrestricted educational grant from Kaiser Permanente.  The CME program, co-developed by a group of Kaiser Permanente Pediatric experts and Discovery Health CME, will air on Sunday, December 16 at 9a on Discovery Health.

Bahu (bahu.com), a private social networking site for high school aged kids in Europe, completes its first round of funding, led by the Lightspeed-Gemini Internet Lab.  The actual sum raised was not disclosed.  Launched in France this July 2007 by two students, Stephane Soler and Fabien Guiraud, and backed by co-founder and president Fotolia.com, Bahu has grown to 300,000+ international members, and has expanded to the UK, Germany, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands.  The site had 15 million page views in November.  Future plans include expanding into South America and Asia.

Diane Cardinale, a 27-year employee of the Toy Industry Association, passed away last week following a long illness.  The industry veteran served as the TIA’s unofficial resident historian and keeper of countless facts, figures and information about the toy industry.  Even if you didn’t know Diane by name, members of the press will know her as the ever-present organizer of the Press Room each February at the American International Toy Fair in NY.  She is survived by her parents, four siblings, and their respective families.

MARKETING/LICENSING

GameStop Corp., the video game/entertainment software retailer, announced today the opening of its first combination store and tournament center, which at 4,000 sq ft is larger than the average GameStop location, in San Jose, California.  The first in a series of planned store/tournament focused stores, the new center includes 24-networked gaming stations (with plasma monitors), with tournament play slated to take place over the course of most weekends.  GameStop system-wide tournament finals will occur at least once a quarter.  The inaugural tournament will be held this Saturday, December 15, 2007 from 12-4p and will feature Madden NFL 08.

eigoManga enters into a marketing pact with WT.Cox Subscriptions, a magazine subscription agency, to offer magazine subscriptions to libraries and educational institutions.  Under the arrangement, eigoManga will offer and circulate magazine subscriptions formatted exclusively for this market.  eigoManga will circulate a color edition of its comic book, Rumble Pak, to libraries beginning January 2008. Rumble Pak will contain a refreshed and ongoing line-up of OEL (Original English Language) manga stories.  Additionally, under the new venture, eigoManga will launch Sakura Pakk “Show Me Shojo,” a female-centric comic book modeled after the company’s Sakura Pakk graphic novel series. The premiere issue of Show Me Shojo will launch in February 2008. eigoManga will also provide magazine subscriptions for other publications such as Palbot and Mr. Kim Come To America.

STONE SOUP

The Nielsen Company has released its year-end look at the most popular trends among Americans in 2007 including:

Top 10 Box Office – All Theatrical – thru Dec 9, 2007, worth noting here is that almost all of these movies are rated G, PG or PG-13.
Title (distributor/rating)                                                    Cumulative Total US$    Open Date
Spider-Man 3  (Sony/PG-13)                                                    336,530,303         05/04/2007
Shrek The Third (Paramount/PG)                                               321,012,359         05/18/2007
Transformers (Paramount/PG-13)                                              319,071,806         07/03/2007
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Disney/PG-13)               309,420,425         05/25/2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros./PG-13)     292,000,866         07/11/2007
The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal/PG-13)                                     227,471,07           08/03/200
300 (Warner Bros./R)                                                              210,614,939          03/09/2007
Ratatouille (Disney/G)                                                             206,435,493          06/29/2007
The Simpsons Movie (Fox/PG-13)                                              183,106,242          07/27/2007
Wild Hogs (Disney/PG-13)                                                        168,273,550          03/02/2007
Source: Nielsen EDI/The Hollywood Reporter
Note: Data from Jan 1-Dec 9, 2007, US and Canada Only. Traditionally, box office sales see significant increases during the holidays

Top 10 DVD Sales – thru Nov 18, 2007
Title (Distributor/ratings)                                             Retail Release Date
Happy Feet (Warner Home Video/PG)                                  03-27-07
Transformers (Paramount/PG-13)                                       10-16-07
300 (Warner Home Video/R)                                               07-31-07
Night at the Museum (Fox Home Ent/PG)                             04-24-07
The Departed (Warner Home Video/R)                                 02-13-07
Ratatouille (Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid/G)                       11-06-07
Casino Royale (Sony Pictures Home Ent/PG-13)                    03-13-07
Shrek the Third (Paramount Home Video/PG)                        11-13-07
Wild Hogs (Disney/Buena Vista Home Vid/PG-13)                  08-14-07
The Pursuit of Happyness (Sony Pictures Home Ent/PG-13)    03-27-07
Source: Nielsen VideoScan
Note: Data from Jan 1 – Nov. 18, 2007; several key 4Q titles have not yet been released as of Nov. 18.  Based on aggregate disc (incl. Blu-ray & HD DVD) unit sales. Does not include sales from Wal-Mart. Most other sell-through retailers are included.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Pokemon USA, Inc. president Akira Chiba will make his egress from the company at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities.  Chiba is credited with re-establishing the Pokemon brand.  Taking the reins from Chiba is Kenji Okubo, currently EVP and Head Pokemon USA’s Seattle office.  Okubo will manage Pokemon USA’s NY, Seattle and London offices as well oversee all Pokemon initiatives outside Japan, including the TV series, Pokemon Trading Card Game and Trading Figure Game, and North American and European licensing.  Chiba, who joined Pokemon USA in 2002 when the NYC was established,

RATINGS

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K2-11 (000) 12/3-12/9/07 :
Total Day     (000)   Primetime     (000)
NICK°:           1193    DSNY*:           1236
DSNY*:            747    CARTOON:        759
CARTOON:        559    NAN**:            474
NAN**:            262    TOON DIS:        155
ADSM**:          163    ESPN:               134
TOON DIS.:      124    NICKTOONS:       97
NOG/THE N:     112    DISCOVERY:        86
NICKTOONS:      73    MTV:                   83
MTV:                 50    BET:                    71
DISCOVERY:      49    TLC:                    59
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
°Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among K6-11 (000) 12/3-12/9/07 :
Total Day      (000)  Primetime     (000)
NICK°:             650    DSNY*:            973
DSNY*:            500    CARTOON:        532
CARTOON:        347    NAN**:            378
NAN**:            197    TOON DIS:         78
ADSM**:          113    ESPN:                91
TOON DIS.:        64    NICKTOONS:      59
NICKTOONS:      46    DISCOVERY:       56
DISCOVERY:       32    MTV:                  55
ESPN:                 31    BET:                  47
MTV:                  29    TLC:                   33
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
°Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Weekly Top Ten Basic Cable Ad Supported Networks, Total Day and Primetime Rankings among Tweens 9-14 (000) 12/3-12/9/07 :
Total Day   (000)  Primetime      (000)
NICK°:         484     DSNY*:          853
DSNY*:        419     CARTOON:      378
NAN**:        254     NAN**:           467
CARTOON:    230     MTV:              140
ADSM**:      156     ESPN:             125
MTV:              81     COMEDY:          82
ESPN:            52     DISCOVERY:      76
DISCOVERY:   46     BET:                 66
COMEDY:        44     TLC:                 47
BET:               41     TOON DIS.:      45
Source: Disney Research from Nielsen Media Research Data Live + SD Data
*Disney Channel is not an ad supported cable network, unlike the others in this listing.
**Denotes a network that broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24hr day.
°Nickelodeon Total Day 6a-11p

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Saturday, December 8, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1495; K6-11 1035; TWEENS 9-14 733
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   981; K6-11   655; TWEENS 9-14 526
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   638; K6-11   438; TWEENS 9-14 320
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   187; K6-11   109; TWEENS 9-14   58
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Sunday, December 9, 2007, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1339; K6-11 947; TWEENS 9-14 748
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   964; K6-11 632; TWEENS 9-14 482
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   697; K6-11 467; TWEENS 9-14 284
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   141; K6-11   86; TWEENS 9-14   54
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question: In the holiday Coca Cola commercials featuring the polar bears, what is the tag line?  ALWAYS COCA COLA  Kudos to only one:  Kimberly Keeley-Safety4Kids/ Stamford, CT

Today’s Trivia Question: Which Disney comedy originally starring Hayley Mills and Dean Jones was remade in 1997 with lead roles held by Christina Ricci and Doug E. Doug? ( 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!
12.12.07

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JOB OPENING: GREAT! MKTG COORDINATOR/Nashville & Atlanta: Passionate about radio, TV, event planning & promotion? Enjoy creative collaboration? Help WOW our GREAT! clients. 2+ yrs exp. Ask for Job description: [email protected]    (12/19)

JOB OPENING: SR. DRTV Buyer/Active Int’l in Pearl River, NY (15 miles from NYC): Min 5 yrs exp. in planning, negotiating and buying DRTV req’d. Resumes to: [email protected]  or call 845-732-8943 (1/3)

JOB OPENING: SALES EXEC/NYC:  Sponsor multimedia content. Min. 3 years exp. Know how to prospect & close, superior communication and multitasking. Send cover letter & resume to: [email protected]  (12/19)

JOB OPENING: CONTENT PROD/Fisher-Price Brands/NY: Exp req’s incl BS Deg w/ 3-5 yrs exp in content design for toys, software, interactive games, CD-ROMs, web etc.  Full description/apply: Our Company/Career Page on fisher-price.com. (12/19)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC/Documentary Channel/NYC: Immediate opening. Sr. AE – 5+yrs exp. Emmy winning ntwrk. Concept/integrated sell at client/senior agency level. Top incentive for top performer. Apply: [email protected] (12/19)

JOB OPENING: ASSOC. AD PRODUCER/Oprah.com/Chicago: Write and project-manage online splash pages, sweepstakes and microsites for our sponsors.   See full posting & apply @ www.harpocareers.com   (12/19)

JOB OPENING: ONLINE MEDIA SUPERVISOR/NYC: 3+Online media planning/buying exp.; Proven ability to manage an internal team of Media Planners; Entertainment industry client exp. a PLUS! Contact:  [email protected] (12/18)

JOB OPENING: MGR/DIR /Brand Strategy Team: Dvlp original digital content experiences within the NBC portfolio site:NY/NJ & Burbank, CA: apply http://www.nbcunicareers.com job #784234, 784230, 784227 (12/18)

JOB OPENING: VP of  THEATRICAL MARKETING/Screen Media Films/NYC:  Develop/execute marketing plans; Monitor budgets; oversee all theatrical PR. Min 3 yrs experience. Send resume to [email protected] (12/18)

JOB OPENING: RECRUITMENT MGR/Discovery/NY: Recruiter/HR Gen to mng full life cycle efforts; identify/acquire talent for Ad & Affil Sales, Corp Dev, E commerce, Educ, TLC, Animal Planet Ntwrks. Apply: discovery.com/careers Req#6200  (12/18)

JOB OPENING: Seeking MEDIA BUYERS in NY with 1-5 years agency experience.   Excel benefits: 401K, Pension, Medical & Dental Send Resume to: [email protected] (12/18)

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]. (12/18)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE PROMO WRITER/PRODUCER/TLC/LA: Requires Writer/Producer with excellent writing skills. Highly conceptual. Reels & resumes: Discovery, Attn: HR, 10100 Santa Monica Blvd, suite 1500, Los Angeles, CA 90067.  (12/18)

JOB OPENING: RECRUITMENT MGR/Discovery Comm/MD: Requires Recruiter/HR Generalist to screen candidates, interview, and refer suitable applicants for open positions in assigned client groups. Apply: discovery.com/careers Req#5722. (12/18)

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:  [email protected] (12/18)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA PLANNER/Disney/N. Hollywood: BS in, Media or related field. 5 yrs + media or Exc PC Skills, Exp working w/ Atlas, DART ,Point Roll and Eye blaster pref’d. APPLY: www.disneycareers.com search for JOB ID: 133265 (12/15)

JOB OPENING:  MANAGER AD SALES TRADE MKTG- TV LAND/MTVN-NY: BA; 5 yrs mktg exp. Creative thinker w/ strong proj mgmnt sk; highly organized. Understands brand mgmnt, advtg, promos, resrch. EOE/M/F/D/AAP.  Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/15)

JOB OPENING: LIFETIME: MEDIA CRD (LA): Perf file bsed mdia mgmnt, srvice reqs for edit sess, dup ordrs, & prep shpmts. Avid proj, ISIS strge, mdia protectn, diag ops, bck-up, archive, & tpe libry. Apply: [email protected]   (12/15)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR W/P CSTV/NYC: Conceptualize, W/P & Direct on air promo campaigns to launch & support prog., games & ntwk initiatives. 5- 7+ yrs on air exp. College sports enthusiast & creative thinker a must. Res: [email protected] (12/15)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASSISTANT/Hallmark Channel/LA:   Work w/ VP & AE to service and maintain agencies and clients on daily basis. See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (12/15)

JOB OPENING: WEB PRODUCER (Freelance) /Hallmark Channel/LA: Creative strategy & mgmt. and on-time, delivery of small to large-scale web-based projects. See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (12/15)

JOB OPENING: WEB DESIGNER (Freelance) /Hallmark Channel/LA: Maintain and create the online identity & marketing materials for the Hallmark Channels. See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (12/15)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/Hallmark Channel/NY: Analyzes standard and custom reports on all Nielsen systems; MRI and or/Simmons databases.  See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (12/15)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC COORDINATOR/Hallmark Channel/NY: Edits daily broadcast logs; executes agency traffic instructions; maintains commercial inventory. See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (12/15)

JOB OPENING: DIR OF CONTRACTS/CBS TV DIST/NY: Mng ad sales admin w/ staff of 4 from order thru reconciliation. Finc’l background w/strong Excel, mngrl, & analytical skills pref’d  5+ yrs exp. Res/salary req: [email protected] (12/15)

JOB OPENING: SALES EXEC/NeuLion/LI: (www.neulion.com) new media sales experience preferred. Must be able to prospect, qualify and close new opportunities. Content Delivery Network (CDN) exp a plus. Email Res to [email protected] (12/15)

JOB OPENING: DIR, OPS/ LIFETIME/LA: Oversee tech, creative, client srvc, & admin ops for Post Prod facility. Post prod exp w/ mgmnt/proj plan’g skills. Asst client proj, & liaison to NY & Eng Dept.Apply: [email protected] (12/14)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/MTV Tr3s/NYC: BS/BA. 1+ yrs exp resrch/data analy cable/brdcast. Exp w/ Nielsen (Explorer, NPower, MarketBreaks, etc). Str analytic sk. Bi-ling Spanish a +. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/14)

JOB OPENING: ACCT REP/RSRCH ANALYST/LA:  Role uses Return Path Data (RPD) for TV audience ratings for interactive svcs. RPD is the cutting edge of audience analysis allowing second-by-second reporting. Apply at TNS-US.com (12/14)

JOB OPENING: ASST, RSRCH/Comcast Networks/NY: Media ind exp pref; Asst in creating reports, maintain Nielsen prog names, retrieve audience data, maintain rsrch library, maintain dept calendars/sched. Contact [email protected] (12/14)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER, SHOWS/VH1.Com/NYC: 4+yrs prod online media exp, Strg multi task/time mgment skills, Strg Microsoft Word, Visio, Adobe skills. Knwldge of brand/digital prgrming. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (12/14)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER OF DEVELOPMENT for TV host and his prod co/LA: Must identify commercial ideas & talent. Strong contacts. Previous development exp a must. Hands-on production exp preferred. Email: [email protected] (12/14)

JOB OPENING: BRAND MGR/CNN (NY): 5-7+ yrs exp in brand mgmt; MBA preferred. Will research market/consumer trends, analyze client brand strategies, develop strategic positioning. Apply online via www.turnerjobs.com , Req# 91872. EOE (12/14)

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: ADV & PROMO INTERN/LIFETIME, NY: Cable net mktg dept & prod. Rsch, logging, assist post, and runs. Strong MS Office skills, comm. bkgrd, and good written/oral skills. Min 2-3 days/wk. Email [email protected] (12/19)

WINTER INTERNSHIPS CREDITS ONLY:  TALENT AGENCY INTERN/LA: For those interested in learning more about the inner workings of a talent agency. Min or 15/hrs/week. Email cover letter & resume to:  [email protected] (12/15)

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

SITUATION WANTED: Seeking agent or representative for new children’s brand, The Lunchbox Bunch. Please visit www.lunchboxbunch.com for more details. Contact Kathy with inquiries at [email protected] (12/19)

SITUATION WANTED: 11 yr old boy-actor looking for part in TV show. Exp’d dedicated, remember lines in a second, work well under pressure, living in NY but can travel on moments notice. Plz visit me at www.matthewglaser.com my web site (12/18)

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