Elastic Rights is looking to secure strategic, local partners at MIPCOM, including theatrical, TV, home entertainment, licensing, publishing and Internet companies for its portfolio of projects. The aim is to add value, by developing an integrated brand management strategy for each property.
Ignacio Orive, former commercial managing director of BRB Internacional (Spain), set up the company in Madrid two years ago, with backing from the founders of Spanish investment group Inveralia. Elastic Rights (ER), which works primarily in Spain, Portugal and Italy, is handling a number of complementary projects ranging from animation to live action, for children, youth and family audiences.
Priorities at MIPCOM include placing CINAR’s highly successful pre-school animation series CAILLOU (46 x 30 minutes) in Spain (all media) and Portugal (all media excluding TV). ER concluded a deal for CAILLOU to air on TVE (Spain) from August 2003, and the award-winning series has already been licensed to RTP (Portugal). CAILLOU has been licensed to a raft of major broadcasters worldwide, including PBS KIDS (USA), where it has consistently ranked as one of the five most popular TV series amongst pre-schoolers, as well as TELETOON (Canada), ABC (Australia), TV3 (New Zealand) and Living (U.K.).
ER is looking to sign up key partners across all media (except toys) in Spain and Portugal for GUNDAM WING (52x30). The Bandai animated sci-fi franchise targets an older demographic, boys aged seven years plus. The long-running Japanese show, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, is a major international brand, sold to Cartoon Network USA and U.K., as well as a number of European territories including France (M6), Italy (Mediaset), Benelux (RTL) and Germany.
In addition to these two contrasting TV series, ER is also offering two animated football series produced by Japanese producer Enoki Films, FLASH KICKER (128x30) and CAPTAIN TSUBASA (52x30).
ER has also secured multi-media rights for Spain, Portugal and Italy for the Oscar-nominated Chilean feature film OGÚ Y MAMPATO (80 minutes). ER has already singed a deal with leading independent film distributor Aurum for theatrical and home entertainment rights in Spain and with Mediafilm for all Italian rights. Aurum plans to launch OGÚ Y MAMPATO in July 2004, in Spain, with +100 prints. Based on the popular Chilean comic of the same name, the film tracks the charming adventures of Mampato, a young boy, who is able to travel through time with the aid of his amazing magic belt.
“At Elastic Rights, our aim is to focus on a small number of complementary properties across a wide range of media platforms,” said Elastic Rights president Ignacio Orive. “In order to build long-term brands, it is essential to see the big picture and work strategically with all multimedia partners. MIPCOM is an exciting market for us because we have been busy securing product, and now we are ready to select appropriate local partners in each territory and build up brand visibility.’
Orive, will be at MIPCOM, based at the Spanish producers’ stand FAPAE/ICEX, R31.29. Elastic Rights website is
www.elasticrights.com .
