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Henson Headline News

Henson Co. and KCET to Team on Big Idea

The Jim Henson Company will partner with Los Angeles PBS station KCET to produce WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?, a new animated TV series to debut on PBS KIDS in 2008. The educational preschool series, which will promote science readiness by encouraging kids' instinctive curiosity about the world around them, is the latest in a long line of Henson-KCET co-productions, which include FRAGGLE ROCK, BEAR IN THE BIG BLUE HOUSE and MUPPET BABIES.

Animation Headline News

Vancouver Film School Announces Partnership with Joost

Vancouver Film School (VFS), the largest private post-secondary entertainment arts institution in Canada, announced today that it has partnered with Joost, the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, to deliver two channels of unique, award-winning student work.

Chen Headline News

Yan Chen Assumes Supervisory Role on Imagi's Astro Boy

Imagi Animation Studios today announced the appointment of Yan Chen as Lead CG Supervisor on the feature film ASTRO BOY. Chen comes to Imagi with over ten years of experience at Hollywood studios, including Disney and DreamWorks Animation, and a list of credits that includes DINOSAUR, TREASURE PLANET, THE MATRIX, RELOADED, SHARK TALE and EVERYONE'S HERO.

Work Headline News

White-Collar Workers Revealed as Big Gamers

Tens of millions of "white-collar" workers play casual video games, many while on the job, according to a survey released by leading multi-platform games provider PopCap Games. While white-collar workers' consumption of casual games at home mirrored the overall casual gamer audience fairly closely, the survey revealed some surprising facts about the playing of casual games in the workplace -- and the motives behind the activity.

Headline News

4Kids Names Jennifer Askin to Manager Post

4Kids Ent. Inc. has appointed Jennifer Askin to the position of Manager, International Broadcast and Digital Sales, in which capacity she will oversee the marketing of worldwide new-media platforms for 4Kids Ent.'s extensive program catalogue. In addition, she will be responsible for securing traditional media sales for television in the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Poland, the Ukraine, Belarus, all countries in Central Asia, South Africa and Africa.

Channel Headline News

Teletoon Launches Retro Specialty Channel

Teletoon Retro, a new digital specialty channel featuring classic cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Fat Albert, Tom & Jerry, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Superfriends, will premiere across Canada on Oct. 1, 2007 at 6:00 pm. The channel will be available as part of the Digital standard package on Bell ExpressVu, with additional carriers expected to be finalized by launch. Beginning today, Sept. 4, a special Teletoon Retro hour will air every evening at 7:30 pm ET/PT to promote the launch.

Headline News

Carl2 Heads South To HBO Latin America

CARL2 (CARL SQUARED), Portfolio Ent.'s clone-themed animated comedy series for tweens, will make its Latin American debut on HBO Latin America in October 2007. HBO Latin America acquired the first two seasons of CARL2, totaling 39 half-hour episodes, for broadcast in Spanish and Portuguese.

The sale was brokered by Portfolio Ent.'s Latin American agent, Katherine O'Brien of KO Film Distribution.

Mattel Headline News

Mattel Inks Deal with Amberwood for RollBot Toys

Amberwood Ent. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Mattel, Inc. to produce toys and other products based on the 3D animated action-comedy series ROLLBOTS (26x30). The series is in full production and was commissioned by Canada's YTV, a division of Corus Ent. Inc.

Series Headline News

New TV, Licensing Deals Announced for Zap Jr. High

Alphanim's ZAP JR. HIGH will have its free-TV premiere September 2 on France's M6, where it will join the French network's Sunday morning kids block. M6, which will show two 13-minute episodes back-to-back for the kickoff, replaces Canal J as the series' exclusive purveyor. Beginning in February 2008, the series will air on both channels.

Kids Headline News

WHV Promotes Marticorena to SVP

Dorinda Marticorena, VP, Kids & Sports Marketing, has been promoted to SVP, Worldwide High Definition, at Warner Home Video, replacing Steve Nickerson, who announced plans to leave WHV at the end of September.

In her new role, Marticorena will report directly to Mark Horak, EVP & GM, Worldwide Operations & New Packaged Media, and will lead the company's efforts to promote mainstream adoption of the high definition DVD formats.

Anime Headline News

ADV Films & Geneon Announce Strategic Alliance

ADV Films and Geneon Ent. (USA) announced a new distribution agreement. Beginning Oct. 1st, ADV Films will be Geneon Ent. USA's sole distributor. ADV Films will handle all sales and distribution duties for the combined catalog as well as certain marketing functions.

Headline News

Wumblers Website Goes Live in Advance of TV Launch

The Giddy Gander Co., creators of the preschool series THE WUMBLERS, announced that its new family-friendly website is now online. Featuring such diversions as the Patch Match Watermelon Game, the site will also offer kids the chance to paint a Wumbler onscreen and print their favorite Wumblers to color offline. Watermelon recipes are provided by licensing partner The National Watermelon Association.

The Wumblers will begin broadcasting on Trinity Broadcasting Network on September 1, 2007, at 8:30 am (EDT) and on Smile of a Child Network on September 10 at 10:00 am (EDT).

Headline News

Xilam Cements Distribution Deal with Cake

French animation company Xilam has allied with the U.K.'s Cake Distribution to handle English-speaking territories, reports C21 MEDIA. The alliance with Cake, which is headed by Xilam's former exec VP of business development, Ed Galton, will have the London-based distributor handling sales to all English-speaking markets, including the U.K., Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Future Headline News

The Future is Wild in Discovery Kids' New Evolutionary Series

Discovery Kids has announced the upcoming launch of THE FUTURE IS WILD, a new animated series inspired by Animal Planet's CGI documentary specials of the same name. The cutting-edge show turns natural history on its head with scientifically valid predictions for new life forms that seem out of this world, but could really exist millions of years from now.

Entertainment Headline News

Universal and Studio Canal in Joint Distribution Deal

Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE) and Studio Canal have announced the creation of a joint venture to market and distribute home entertainment titles in France.

Effective from January 2008, the joint venture will combine the sales, marketing and distribution skills of the two entertainment entities in France, providing synergies for Studio Canal and Universal Pictures France to build a greater share in a 1.5-billion-euro home entertainment market, and allow further opportunity for significant growth.

Animation Headline News

Icon Animation Joins with Panini to Market Lola & Virginia

Icon Animation, Spain's leading production and distribution company specialising in youth programming, has scored a multi-territory deal with leading collectible stickers and trading card company Panini for its popular girl-skewed animated show LOLA & VIRGINIA. Panini will launch a series of products across Spain, Portugal, Italy and Brazil, including a sticker stack book, story albums, and puzzle and coloring books. The roll out will begin in Italy, where the series airs on the Disney Channel.

Headline News

Edgar & Ellen Lands More TV Deals

Star Farm's new half-hour version of EDGAR & ELLEN has picked up more broadcast venues, reports KIDSCREEN. The growing list now includes MBC3, which will air the series in 26 countries spanning North Africa, the Levant and the Persian Gulf.

The 2-D animated children's show will debut on Nicktoons Network US and Nickelodeon UK in the fall, followed by broadcasts in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Beginning in 2008, the series will also be seen in 17 Asia-Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Singapore.

Headline News

Starz Teams Up With AMD to Promote Vongo Download Service

Starz Ent. has signed a co-marketing agreement with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to promote Vongo, the Starz subscription movie and video download service. The partnership gives consumers who purchase select AMD processors, motherboards or ATI Radeon Graphics one free month of Vongo. Vongo provides unlimited access to more than 2,500 movie and video selections.

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