Press Release from The Rastamouse Company

The Rastamouse Company, the rights holder for the Rastamouse brand, is pleased to announce it has begun production on the stop motion animated pre-school series Rastamouse (52x11') for CBeebies.  The show is scheduled to TX in early 2011.

The series will be produced by Greg Boardman and Eugenio Perez of independent production company Three Stones Media in association with award-winning animation company Dinamo Productions and publishers Little Roots.  The programme was commissioned by Kay Benbow at CBeebies and executive produced by Jackie Edwards.

DHX Media subsidiaries DECODE Enterprises and DHX Licensing will handle worldwide TV sales (excluding UK), and worldwide licensing and merchandising.

EMI Music Publishing - Music Week's Publisher of the Year for the last fourteen years and Billboard's Publisher of the Year for the past twelve years - has recognised the potential of Rastamouse as a music brand and will be supporting and investing in the show. The impressive reggae inspired soundtrack will be produced by The Rastamouse Company and UK composer Andrew Kingslow. Further investment in the production comes from the Wales Creative IP fund.

Based on the books by Michael De Souza and Genevieve Webster, Rastamouse is a show with positivity and fun at its core. The main character, Rastamouse, together with Scratchy and Zoomer, make up the Easy Crew; a crime-fighting, mystery-solving, special agent, reggae band. Redemption not retribution is their motto, as the group set about helping the baddy rebuild their life 'making a bad ting good'.  

The acquisition follows the success of The Rastamouse story books which have engaged children and parents alike, receiving wide critical acclaim and endorsement for their gentle, thought provoking narratives alongside the dynamic activities of the characters.

Greg Boardman, Producer, Three Stones Media, says: "The market is changing rapidly; it's about big ideas with the ability to transcend their originating platform.  Rastamouse fits this concept perfectly and is an important property for our business. We are delighted about working on this project and look forward to developing the brand further."

Guy Moot, EMI Music Publishing President, UK & European Creative adds: "We're thrilled to be involved at this stage of the development of a project that we believe will appeal to both children and their parents, and that will introduce the musically and culturally important sounds of reggae to a whole new generation. Everybody working on Rastamouse is incredibly talented, and I really think that will come through in the final product."

Aron Evans, Managing Director, Dinamo Productions comments: "We at the studio are all really excited to be part of this fantastic and highly original show. Blending great design with enriching and amusing scripts, it's a pleasure to be associated with this wonderful series."

Kay Benbow, Controller, CBeebies adds: "The animated series of Rastamouse faithfully reproduces both the spirit and message of the wonderful Rastamouse books.  We are delighted to have this intrinsically positive, distinctive, funny and uplifting show on CBeebies."

About The Rastamouse Company:
The Rastamouse Company is the rights holder for Rastamouse designed to maximise the potential of the IP.  The company is owned by the talents who have brought the project from a self published book into a happening TV production.

The Rastamouse Company will look after all aspects of the TV production and the potential of Rastamouse beyond the small screen.

About Three Stones Media:
The Three Stones Media philosophy is simple; to combine the best emerging talents with established creatives to produce great storytelling and the highest quality products.

Formed in 2007, independent production company Three Stones Media is a collaboration between producers Eugenio Perez and Greg Boardman, entrepreneur Nick Dhandsa and accountant Kirit Doshi.