PorchLight Entertainment has appointed Playhut Entertainment its licensing agency and broadcast distribution representative for Mainland China on behalf of PorchLight's preschool franchise JAY JAY THE JET PLANE.
JAY JAY already has more than 50 merchandise licensees throughout the world. The show airs daily on PBS in the U.S. and has already been licensed to leading networks covering 50+ countries, including FIVE's Milkshake block in the U.K., Canal+ children's network in France and Discovery Kids throughout Latin America.
Playhut Ent. will represent the licensing/merchandising, broadcast television, and home video/DVD rights to JAY JAY THE JET PLANE across Mainland China through the company's Guangzhou, China-based, in-house licensing agency.
JAY JAY THE JET PLANE, created by Deborah and David Michel for the preschool audience, features the adventures of a perky and curious six-year-old jet plane named Jay Jay and his airplane friends who live and play at Tarrytown Airport, a place "where imagination takes flight!." JAY JAY THE JET PLANE is produced by PorchLight Entertainment and Modern Cartoons, in association with Knightscove Entertainment. JAY JAY THE JET PLANE can be found on the Internet at www.pbskids.org/jayjay.
"China is an awakening giant with a tremendous appetite for Western culture product that is family friendly. "JAY JAY THE JET PLANE epitomizes quality entertainment for preschoolers. We are delighted to join with PorchLight Ent. in representing this award-winning animated property for broadcast and licensing opportunities in China," said Brian Yu Zheng, president of Playhut.
"Under the leadership of Brian Yu Zheng, Playhut Entertainment has become a significant children's entertainment company in China. Playhut Entertainment's strong network of contacts with China-based broadcast, video/DVD and licensing companies makes them an exciting partner in this burgeoning consumer market," said William Baumann, evp/coo of PorchLight Ent.
Los Angeles-based PorchLight Ent. (www.porchlight.com), the worldwide distributor for JAY JAY THE JET PLANE, is a multi-faceted company focused on the production and distribution of family entertainment. Since its formation in 1995 by veteran entertainment execs Bruce D. Johnson and Baumann, PorchLight has produced the award-winning animated children's series Adventures from The Book of Virtues (PBS), the animated long form movies THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: A MOUSE TALE, THE HAUNTED PUMPKIN OF SLEEPY HOLLOW and The Christmas Dinosaur, and more than 20 live-action feature films. PorchLight is producing the animated series TUTENSTEIN for Discovery Kids and Jetix (formerly, Fox Kids Europe) and FOUR EYES for France 3 and the Disney Channel UK.
Playhut Ent. (www.playhutentertainment.com) is a division of Playhut Co., a toy designer and manufacturer in the City of Industry, California. The new arm focuses on film and television production and distribution. Parent company Playhut Toys maintains an expansive portfolio that includes juvenile, preschool, sport toys, water play, seasonal décor and domestics product categories.
