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Tagged With: Entertainment

Entertainment Headline News

THQ Signs Homeworld Gamers For New Property Releases

THQ Inc. has entered into a two-property, multi-year publishing agreement with development studio Relic Entertainment Inc., creators of the critically acclaimed real-time strategy (RTS) titles HOMEWORLD and IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES. The first of the two projects included in the agreement is already in development at Relic and scheduled to release in the second half of 2004. More details and the name of this project will be released later this year. "We've identified the RTS category as a strategic imperative for THQ as we begin to compete more aggressively in the high-end PC market," said Jack Sorensen, evp of worldwide studios, THQ, explaining why his company pursued the relationship with Relic, regarded as a leader in the RTS genre. Alex Garden, ceo, Relic said his studio sought a publisher with global brand management expertise and tremendous influence at retail.

Entertainment Headline News

Spellbound Entertainment Signs Koala Brothers Deal With Hasbro

Spellbound Entertainment has granted an international toy license for its new pre-school property, THE KOALA BROTHERS, to leading toy company Hasbro Inc. The deal covers key merchandise categories including plush toys, figurines, play sets and Play-Doh. Items will be available in stores next year following the show's premiere on the BBC later this year.

Entertainment Headline News

Manex Entertainment Announces Quarterly Profit; $4.6M N.J. Grant Approval

Manex Entertainment, Inc. reported revenues of approximately $1,750,000 with an operating profit of $400,000 in its preliminary unaudited results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2003. Manex Entertainment has been best known in the past for providing Oscar-winning visual effects for big-budget feature films such as THE MATRIX, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. It has west coast facilities in Los Angeles and Hayward, California and is proposing to build east coast facilities in Trenton, New Jersey.

Entertainment Headline News

Canada’s CCI Entertainment Forms Cross-Pacific Deal With Ambience

Toronto-based CCI Entertainment, which just recently formed a cross-Atlantic partnership with Collingwood OHare in the U.K., now has a co-production deal with Australian production outfit Ambience Entertainment to produce ERKY PERKY, a (26x11) 3D animated series. The show was developed in-house by Ambience, a Sydney-based animation and broadcast design firm.

Series Headline News

YTV Orders TV Series Based On Stephen King's Creepshow

Vancouver-based animation company SecondSun Entertainment and Minds Eye Entertainment, will produce CREEPSHOW, a new half-hour animated series in development with YTV for an older 12-17 audience. "It will be a suspense thriller series with all kinds of bizarre characters and unique plot twists and turns to keep kids on the edge of their seats," series producer Chris Delaney. "We are confident that the series edgy and stylish content will appeal to teenage viewers in Canada and around the world," Minds Eye Entertainments executive producer Kevin DeWalt. SecondSun designer John Delaney (BATMAN, SUPERMAN, FUTURAMA) has created a stylish, hybrid look for the series that combines an anime style with North American design sensibilities. Delaney (CHRISTOPHER THE CHRISTMAS TREE, THE LITTLEST ANGEL) is developing the creative concept with consultants Ivan Cohen and Barney Cohen (FOREVER NIGHT, SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH). A teen character in each episode will encounter a seemingly normal, everyday situation that quickly turns into a variety of terrifying, suspense filled situations. It may be that a babysitter is attacked by 'monster' children or a robot comes to life and does battle with its owner. Aaron L. Gilbert brought the parties together who will executive produce the series with DeWalt. CREEPSHOW is licensed from Jim Dudleson's Taurus Entertainment (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD). Minds Eye International, a division of Minds Eye Entertainment, will distribute the series worldwide. Production is expected to begin in Vancouver in the fall of 2003. Established in 1986, Minds Eye Entertainment (formerly Minds Eye Pictures) is a fully integrated production, post-production and distribution entity with offices across western Canada. Check out the company's Website at www.mindseyepictures.com. SecondSun Entertainment (secondsunentertainment.com) is a "transmedia" company specializing in the creation of animation based content for various media platforms, formed in May 2002 by the amalgamation of Brainchild Studios Inc. a 3D company, its interactive game division Furious Entertainment, and Delaney & Friends Cartoon Productions Ltd., a 2D animation company.

Entertainment Headline News

TV Animation Industry Remains MIP-Bound

In spite of battles in the Persian Gulf and concerns over a new Asian virus, most of the animation producers, distributors and broadcasters AWN polled are traveling over the next few days to attend the MIP-TV market in Cannes, France, which gets underway Monday, March 24. Iain Pelling, managing director of Cosgrove Hall Films, said, "It's a difficult time for everybody, but we have to carry on in as normal a way as possible. We will be going to MIP as usual.

Interactive Headline News

Diller Drops Universal CEO/Co-Chair Post

Barry Diller has resigned as co-chairman/CEO of Vivendi Universal Entertainment to end investors' concerns about him also being head of USA Interactive. USA Interactive just unveiled plans to buy control of online service Expedia.com in a deal valued at $3.3 billion. Most of Diller's investments rest with USA Interactive where he is CEO/chairman. "My executive role was never intended to be permanent," Diller said in a statement.

Entertainment Headline News

CCI & Collingwood O'Hare Form Cross-Atlantic Alliance

Toronto-based Cambium Catalyst International Entertainment (CCI) has partnered with U.K. animation studio, Collingwood OHare Entertainment (COE), to co-produce the animated series HARRY AND HIS BUCKETFUL OF DINOSAURS. Based on the successful book of the same name, the animated pre-school series explores the vivid imagination of a child and his dinosaur companions. Production is set for fall 2003 in the U.K. and Canada. CCI Releasing will hold worldwide distribution rights.

Entertainment Headline News

Saban, TF1 Near Historic Buy Of Kirch Media

The businesswires are buzzing that entrepreneur Haim Saban and French broadcaster TF1 will most likely buy Germany's biggest broadcast group, Kirch Media. Saban, who ran Saban Entertainment and Fox Family Worldwide before selling off those assets, was in a bidding war with German publisher Heinrich Bauer who stopped making counteroffers this week. This clears the way for Saban and TF1 to clinch a deal valued at about $2 billion to get a 52.2% stake in Kirch's ProSiebenSat.1 and its vast film rights library.

Entertainment Headline News

Silverwing Takes Flight to MIP-TV

Bardel Entertainment will be unveiling its new animated action series SILVERWING at MIP-TV. Based on the first novel in a trilogy by Ken Oppel, it follows the coming-of-age tale of Shade, who is in search for his father. The book is selling well in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Australia, Holland and will soon be available in Italy. Negotiations are underway for the trilogy to be re-released to coincide with the launch of the television series in fall 2003 on TELETOON in Canada.

Entertainment Headline News

Dunn Takes Charge Of Fox Home Entertainment

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment veteran exec Mike Dunn is taking over as president of the unit responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of all Fox film and television programming on DVD and VHS in North America. He replaces Pat Wyatt who resigned a few months ago to produce anime DVD premiere movies. Dunn, who was EVP of sales and marketing after a 16-year career with Fox, will report directly to Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos.

Entertainment Headline News

Mischel Moves Up To Mainframe

Former Harvey head Rick Mischel takes the reigns as CEO of Mainframe Entertainment, the pioneering computer animation studio in Canada. He replaces Brett Gannon, who stepped down as president in October 2002 for medical reasons. Mischel will be based at the company's headquarters in Vancouver, overseeing production, development, distribution, licensing, operations and business affairs. "We are looking to Rick to expand our computer graphics animation expertise beyond television and into new areas such as feature films.

Entertainment Headline News

Friedman To Take Up Classic Reins

NYC-based Classic Media has appointed former AOL Time Warner exec Robert Friedman president to take its well-known properties such as Underdog, Lassie and The Lone Ranger and create new value out of them across film, television and video. Friedman will also be looking to license these characters to companies such as breakfast-cereal manufacturers for advertising and tie-ins. Friedman started his TV career in the 1980s in the original development team that created MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon.

Entertainment Headline News

Digital Delivery Discussion

How do legal minds view the predicted demise of 35mm? The Film and TV Screen Entertainment Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Section of L.A. County Bar Association will explore this during its panel "Digital Delivery: Now Available at your Nearest Screen" Wednesday evening, February 26, 2003 at the Olympic Collection, 11301 Olympic Blvd., Suite 204, Century Ballroom in Los Angeles. Registration begins at 6:30 pm with dinner at 6:30 pm and the program at 7:00 pm. The panel of exhibition experts from distribution and new technologies will feature Bruce Eisen, EVP, CinemaNow, Inc.; Peter Sheil, GC, Movielink; Jay Swerdlow, EVP, Pacific Theaters; Steve Gilula, president of distribution Fox Searchlight and moderater David Bloom, reporter for "Variety." Registration is limited, call 213-896-6560.

Comics Headline News

Archie Comics Gets New President

Veteran media executive Allan Grafman joins Archie Comics Entertainment as president to expand the company's worldwide operations. His mandate is to increase the media exploitation of such characters as Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and the Pussycats. Several Archie characters have been developed for films and TV shows, which Grafman will pursue as well as opportunities in video, video games, music, live events and licensing. Grafman led the turnaround and restructuring of Hallmark Entertainment where he served as XVP.

Entertainment Headline News

CINAR Has New President/CEO In Its Corner

CINAR Corp. has named former WWF Entertainment head Stuart C. Snyder its new president and CEO. Snyder has extensive management experience in video, television, film, animation and live-action entertainment, as well as contacts in the production and distribution communities plus retail and licensing. The CINAR board is counting on Snyder to return the entertainment division to profitability and broaden the range of family products.

Entertainment Headline News

JM Entertainment Toys With Feature

JM Entertainment, based in Seoul, Korea and Glendale, California, has started production on its first 2D/3D animated feature film THE TOY WARRIOR. Hollywood TV animation writer Brian Swenlin wrote the script about the Land of Toys, an imaginative world ruled by the popular doll, Princess Sherbert. When a dark force threatens her toy kingdom, Jinoo, a trouble-making boy from the real world, must save the day. JM Entertainment president Ji-Moon (Jeff) Lim and Seoul Movie president Chang-Rok Jun are executive producers.

Entertainment Headline News

Entertainment Rights Appoints New Sales Executive For The Asian Market

Children's entertainment group Entertainment Rights has expanded its sales team and appointed Matthew Ashcroft as sales executive responsible for developing business in the key markets of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, India, Australia and New Zealand. Ashcroft's most recent position was sales executive for Fireworks International, the international distribution arm of Canadian based Fireworks Entertainment, where he was responsible for pay and free TV sales to Asia and Latin America.

Television Headline News

Abandon Entertains Japan

New York's Abandon Entertainment is making inroads in the Japanese market with the help of agency Creek & River. Abandon has teamed with Creek & River to gain direct access to unique and untapped Japanese properties across television, comic books, anime and games. The company, which includes Abandon Television, Abandon Internet Group and Collision Entertainment, hopes to access properties that have the potential to be exploited internationally across multiple distribution platforms.

Entertainment Headline News

Raven Moon Entertainment Plans For Home Video Spin-Off

Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc., a producer of childrens programming based in Orlando, Florida, plans to spin off Raven Moon Home Video Products LLC into a separate publicly traded corporation. Pending shareholder approval, the spin-off would take place by the end of April 2003. The proposed spin-off is expected to reduce Raven Moon Entertainment's debt by approximately $1,000,000.

Entertainment Headline News

ALT Systems To Provide SGI Solutions To The Entertainment Industry

ALT Systems, Inc., a media solutions reseller serving the entertainment industry throughout Southern California, has become an SGI Platinum Solution Provider. With a customer base of high-end post-production and visual effects facilities, ALT Systems, of Hollywood, California, delivers visual effects workstations, networking, data storage, rendering, data archiving and recording solutions.

Mainframe Headline News

Mainframe Lands At NATPE With Two New Properties

Vancouver-based computer animation studio Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. is bringing two new animated projects to this year's NATPE: ALIEN LEGION and MAXINE 5. ALIEN LEGION, based on the cult comic book series created by Carl Potts, follows the futuristic exploits of the Legion's Force Nomad and its multi-species ranks of alien legionnaires. Culled from the unwanted of three galaxies, legionnaires are the expendable shock troops and peacekeepers of the new intergalactic realm.

Mobile Headline News

Mobile Industry Leaders And Game Developers To Meet At GDC Mobile

2003 marks the premiere of the Game Developers Conference Mobile (GDC Mobile), a two-day event taking place March 4-5, 2003, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Jose, California. Exploring the future of mobile entertainment, sessions will give attendees the opportunity to meet mobile game development leaders, learn the latest technologies for developing mobile games and address game design issues specific to the mobile medium.

Entertainment Headline News

Illuminati Entertainment Launches With A Focus On Comics And Game Properties

Illuminati Entertainment, a new management and production company focusing on clients with backgrounds in comic books and video games, has been founded by producer Ford Lytle Gilmore, former vice president of development at Goodman/Rosen Productions. In addition to representing its roster of clients and their properties, the company's mandate is to build new brands and franchises that can crossover into comics, games and toys.

Films Headline News

Fat Rock Entertainment Opens For Business

David Pritchard, former CEO and president of Film Roman, has launched Fat Rock Entertainment, a new venture dedicated to producing and distributing family-friendly films. Fat Rock has licensed multiple properties from Hasbro, including MY LITTLE PONY and SUPER SOAKERS, upon which it will build its first slate of films. The first of the films is expected to debut in theatres in July 2003. The G-rated films will be in the $5-10 million budget range and will be a combination of live-action and digital animation.

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