Category Archives: Highlight

Maestro Media partners with international tabletop game consulting firm All About Games for global expansion

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Maestro Media, the strategic product and business development firm specialising in innovative tabletop game publishing, has officially announced its partnership with All About Games, a consulting company dedicated to international tabletop and board game markets, to help expand Maestro Media’s international reach, sales, localisation, manufacturing and distribution, and to assist in further scaling the company to create a larger impact in the tabletop gaming market.

All About Games initially partnered with Maestro Media to help source localisation partners for Maestro’s hugely successful The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Requiem Kickstarter campaign, which generated over $6.7 million, becoming one of the top 20 performing Kickstarter campaigns of all time. All About Games secured placement of the game in eleven territories, generating an additional $1 million in sales. Due to the success of that initial partnership, Maestro Media and All About Games have decided to expand the partnership to help continue Maestro’s international growth and expansion.

“Because of the amazing and experienced team behind All About Games, we were able to achieve international growth we would not have seen otherwise around The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Requiem,” says Javon Frazier, Founder and CEO of Maestro Media. “The success of our initial collaboration is just beginning, as our massive partnership will include many exciting projects launching globally every year, and the most important part to us – quality working relationship and collaboration – has already proven to be unparalleled. Our two teams have already started ramping up on future projects with the goal of elevating Maestro as a true staple in the global tabletop gaming industry.”

The partnership will focus on international expansion of Maestro Media through marketing growth as well as strategising and executing global manufacturing and distribution of Maestro’s games catalogue. As part of its upcoming slate of projects, Maestro Media will work in conjunction with All About Games to continue to expand popular game IPs, including Umbrella Academy, Tapeworm, Sugar Heist and The Binding of Isaac, with many more in the works. The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Requiem is set to release in 2022.

 

 

Polly Pocket magazine to hit UK shelves on 22 October

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Signature Publishing has teamed up with Mattel to launch the official Polly Pocket magazine, a brand-new magazine dedicated to the iconic toy line and animated TV series.

With over 30 years of legacy and 17m+ compacts sold worldwide, Polly Pocket, the original micro doll, is currently the fastest growing playset doll property, with toy sales up 40 per cent. The animated series by Mattel Television and WildBrain has been a huge success, amassing over 3 billion minutes of watch time, and is available on Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime. Two new series are currently planned, along with a feature film due for cinematic release.

Polly Pocket magazine follows the adventures of Polly and her friends and is jam packed full of puzzles, games, colouring and crafts. Every issue will feature adaptations of the mega popular Polly Pocket TV episodes, and will come with bespoke Polly Pocket toys.

“Polly Pocket has proved to be a really enduring toy property with a long legacy – just as you’d expect from Mattel, the creator of Barbie – and is now bigger than ever,” says Amanda Clifford, Signature Publishing’s Editorial Director. “It’s a fabulous brand to create a stand-alone magazine and we know that the magazine is going to be hugely popular with children and parents.”

Polly Pocket magazine will be available to buy nationwide at all good supermarkets and newsagents from 22 October, with the first issue priced at £5.99.

 

Polly Pocket magazine to hit UK shelves on 22 October

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Signature Publishing has teamed up with Mattel to launch the official Polly Pocket magazine, a brand-new magazine dedicated to the iconic toy line and animated TV series.

With over 30 years of legacy and 17m+ compacts sold worldwide, Polly Pocket, the original micro doll, is currently the fastest growing playset doll property, with toy sales up 40 per cent. The animated series by Mattel Television and WildBrain has been a huge success, amassing over 3 billion minutes of watch time, and is available on Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime. Two new series are currently planned, along with a feature film due for cinematic release.

Polly Pocket magazine follows the adventures of Polly and her friends and is jam packed full of puzzles, games, colouring and crafts. Every issue will feature adaptations of the mega popular Polly Pocket TV episodes, and will come with bespoke Polly Pocket toys.

“Polly Pocket has proved to be a really enduring toy property with a long legacy – just as you’d expect from Mattel, the creator of Barbie – and is now bigger than ever,” says Amanda Clifford, Signature Publishing’s Editorial Director. “It’s a fabulous brand to create a stand-alone magazine and we know that the magazine is going to be hugely popular with children and parents.”

Polly Pocket magazine will be available to buy nationwide at all good supermarkets and newsagents from 22 October, with the first issue priced at £5.99.

 

Spin Master champions new League of Legends Collection

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Leading global children’s entertainment company Spin Master has launched the first of its collection as the global master toy licensee for Riot Games’ League of Legends, the most-played PC game in the world.

A mainstay in the multiplayer online battle arena, League of Legends is a team-based strategy game in which two teams of five powerful champions face off to conquer the other’s base. Players choose from over 150 champions to make epic plays and take down towers as they battle their way to victory.

“We are honoured to debut the first of our League of Legends collection, delivering to fans their favourite champions in action figure form and bringing the excitement of the renowned game to the toy aisle,” says Chris Beardall, Spin Master’s President of Toys and Chief Commercial Officer. “Our assortment of core and collector figures deliver innovation, meticulous attention to detail and enhanced collectability for the massive international League of Legends fan base both on and offline – and this is just the beginning.”

“Our mission is to make it better to be a player,” says Ashley Maidy, Head of Global Consumer Products at Riot Games. “This involves extending the joy of our League of Legends IP into the real world through a variety of products including toys and collectibles. We are excited for players to see more of the Spin Master collection in the coming months.”

The Fall 2021 League of Legends Collection includes 6” Collector Figures, 4” Core Figures 5-pack, and 4” Core Figures. To mark the launch, Spin Master teamed up with two renowned toy photographers, Mitchel Wu and Jax Navarro, to create dynamic imagery to honour the champions and highlight the authenticity of the figures.

Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands PAW Patrol, Bakugan, Kinetic Sand, Air Hogs, Hatchimals, Rubik’s Cube and GUND, and is the toy licensee for other popular properties. Spin Master Entertainment creates and produces compelling multiplatform content, stories and endearing characters through its in-house studio and partnerships with outside creators, including the preschool success PAW Patrol and nine other original shows along with multiple short-form series, which are distributed in more than 190 countries. The Company has an established digital games presence anchored by the Toca Boca and Sago Mini brands. With close to 2,000 employees in 28 offices globally, Spin Master distributes products in more than 100 countries.

Founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, Riot Games is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends, to worldwide acclaim. League has gone on to be the most-played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. Riot continues to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and multiple work-in-progress titles, while exploring the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects across music, comic books, TV, and more.

 

 

The Point.1888 to represent Moonbug Entertainment’s Little Baby Bum in EMEA

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Moonbug Entertainment has signed with The Point.1888 to represent another brand within its portfolio, Little Baby Bum, a fun and educational show for babies featuring classic and new nursery rhymes. It is the #2 nursery rhymes channel on YouTube (following another Moonbug Entertainment property, CoComelon, in the top spot) with 99 million subscribers, and has achieved over 4bn views this year alone.

The Point.1888 commenced programmes for other Moonbug Entertainment brands including CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle in May of last year and has since secured 66 licensees across EMEA with the help of its sub-agent partners.

Collectively, Moonbug Entertainment receives over 7+ billion monthly views and operates the largest network of kids’ channels on YouTube, encompassing 235+ million subscribers. Its beloved kids’ brands are available on over 100 platforms globally, including major on-demand streaming giants such as Netflix, Apple TV, Sky and Hulu.

“We are really looking forward to representing this new brand alongside our other Moonbug Entertainment properties,” says Olivia Wiggett, Associate Commercial Manager at The Point.1888. “Little Baby Bum is extremely popular with the younger years and will benefit so much from having a booming licensing programme in place. The opportunities really are endless.”

“As with our other Moonbug Entertainment properties, we shall make use of our fantastic sub-agent partners to ensure we have best-in-class support on the ground across EMEA for retailers and licensees. In fact, we already have retailers asking us how this property can become part of their future calendar of events and product buy-ins.”

Simon Philips, Managing Director of Global Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, commented: “The results The Point.1888 has achieved in such a short space of time for CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle have been nothing short of incredible. Not only does its retail-first model work, but the team also recognises that each of our brands has its own values and serves a very different audience and so the licensing programmes must be carefully designed around that. Given this approach and understanding, I have every confidence in their plans for Little Baby Bum and am delighted to have them involved.”

Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail-focused brand extension programmes by creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like. This supports a higher chance of retailer buy-in and a better sales performance.

The Point.1888 to represent Moonbug Entertainment’s Little Baby Bum in EMEA

Posted on by

Moonbug Entertainment has signed with The Point.1888 to represent another brand within its portfolio, Little Baby Bum, a fun and educational show for babies featuring classic and new nursery rhymes. It is the #2 nursery rhymes channel on YouTube (following another Moonbug Entertainment property, CoComelon, in the top spot) with 99 million subscribers, and has achieved over 4bn views this year alone.

The Point.1888 commenced programmes for other Moonbug Entertainment brands including CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle in May of last year and has since secured 66 licensees across EMEA with the help of its sub-agent partners.

Collectively, Moonbug Entertainment receives over 7+ billion monthly views and operates the largest network of kids’ channels on YouTube, encompassing 235+ million subscribers. Its beloved kids’ brands are available on over 100 platforms globally, including major on-demand streaming giants such as Netflix, Apple TV, Sky and Hulu.

“We are really looking forward to representing this new brand alongside our other Moonbug Entertainment properties,” says Olivia Wiggett, Associate Commercial Manager at The Point.1888. “Little Baby Bum is extremely popular with the younger years and will benefit so much from having a booming licensing programme in place. The opportunities really are endless.”

“As with our other Moonbug Entertainment properties, we shall make use of our fantastic sub-agent partners to ensure we have best-in-class support on the ground across EMEA for retailers and licensees. In fact, we already have retailers asking us how this property can become part of their future calendar of events and product buy-ins.”

Simon Philips, Managing Director of Global Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, commented: “The results The Point.1888 has achieved in such a short space of time for CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle have been nothing short of incredible. Not only does its retail-first model work, but the team also recognises that each of our brands has its own values and serves a very different audience and so the licensing programmes must be carefully designed around that. Given this approach and understanding, I have every confidence in their plans for Little Baby Bum and am delighted to have them involved.”

Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail-focused brand extension programmes by creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like. This supports a higher chance of retailer buy-in and a better sales performance.

Epic Story Media signs deals on slate of zombies, horses and heroes

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Independent content creation, distribution and licensing company Epic Story Media (ESM) has signed deals for both broadcast and licensing partners on a number of key titles across its slate of children’s programming – as well as debuting new MIPCOM launches.

ESM has sold evergreen brand Pocoyo to WarnerMedia Kids & Family US, which launched on 13 September, for its Cartoonito preschool block. Additionally, ESM has also recently signed with Knowledge Network to air the series in Canada.

Owned by Zinkia Entertainment, Pocoyo (209 x 7’) is a fun and educational series about a little boy who discovers the world around him with his inseparable group of friends, now with a brand-new season available. It is co-managed in North America by B&R360 and ESM representing licensing and content distribution.

ESM and Mowrer Meta-Story have partnered with Reesee Entertainment for its brand-new animated series Hailey and the Hero Hearts (26 x 11’), which launched in China this summer on over 40 mainstream linear and digital platforms. Reesee has developed and is also distributing an expansive toy line in China. Hailey and the Hero Hearts (pictured) has a social-emotional curriculum at its core and is primarily aimed at girls aged 4 to 8. ESM handles worldwide sales ex. Asia for the series.

ESM is also launching global sales for Pet Shop Zombies (20 x 5’), a hilarious short-form series created by Aron Dunn (Treason Media) and Simon Watts (Alibi Pivotal Kids), with animation services provided at Loomi Animation and supported with the help of Shaw Rocket Fund.

Ken Faier, El Presidente and Founder of Epic Story Media, said: “ESM has an exciting slate of diverse and inclusive properties for kids of all ages, we’re working with the best creators making and selling projects from around the world that kids will connect with and treasure. We’re proud to have secured fantastic collaborations with partners like Reesee Entertainment, WarnerMedia, and Knowledge Network on this dynamic bunch of shows.”

Other projects on the slate include the adventure/comedy Dex and the Humanimals(6 x 11’), produced by sister company Epic Storyworlds and commissioned by Radio-Canada, which follows Dex as he saves the world from destruction by battling Kaz and her cybernetic henchmen; and Piper’s Pony Tales (30 x 3.5’) – the unique series created by Alexander Bar (Ricky Zoom, Wolf Joe) is supported by Shaw Rocket Fund and CMF. Piper’s Pony Tales launched earlier this summer as a digital-first property and has already secured Breyer as its Master Toy Partner for North America and LATAM.

 

 

 

Epic Story Media signs deals on slate of zombies, horses and heroes

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Independent content creation, distribution and licensing company Epic Story Media (ESM) has signed deals for both broadcast and licensing partners on a number of key titles across its slate of children’s programming – as well as debuting new MIPCOM launches.

ESM has sold evergreen brand Pocoyo to WarnerMedia Kids & Family US, which launched on 13 September, for its Cartoonito preschool block. Additionally, ESM has also recently signed with Knowledge Network to air the series in Canada.

Owned by Zinkia Entertainment, Pocoyo (209 x 7’) is a fun and educational series about a little boy who discovers the world around him with his inseparable group of friends, now with a brand-new season available. It is co-managed in North America by B&R360 and ESM representing licensing and content distribution.

ESM and Mowrer Meta-Story have partnered with Reesee Entertainment for its brand-new animated series Hailey and the Hero Hearts (26 x 11’), which launched in China this summer on over 40 mainstream linear and digital platforms. Reesee has developed and is also distributing an expansive toy line in China. Hailey and the Hero Hearts (pictured) has a social-emotional curriculum at its core and is primarily aimed at girls aged 4 to 8. ESM handles worldwide sales ex. Asia for the series.

ESM is also launching global sales for Pet Shop Zombies (20 x 5’), a hilarious short-form series created by Aron Dunn (Treason Media) and Simon Watts (Alibi Pivotal Kids), with animation services provided at Loomi Animation and supported with the help of Shaw Rocket Fund.

Ken Faier, El Presidente and Founder of Epic Story Media, said: “ESM has an exciting slate of diverse and inclusive properties for kids of all ages, we’re working with the best creators making and selling projects from around the world that kids will connect with and treasure. We’re proud to have secured fantastic collaborations with partners like Reesee Entertainment, WarnerMedia, and Knowledge Network on this dynamic bunch of shows.”

Other projects on the slate include the adventure/comedy Dex and the Humanimals(6 x 11’), produced by sister company Epic Storyworlds and commissioned by Radio-Canada, which follows Dex as he saves the world from destruction by battling Kaz and her cybernetic henchmen; and Piper’s Pony Tales (30 x 3.5’) – the unique series created by Alexander Bar (Ricky Zoom, Wolf Joe) is supported by Shaw Rocket Fund and CMF. Piper’s Pony Tales launched earlier this summer as a digital-first property and has already secured Breyer as its Master Toy Partner for North America and LATAM.

 

 

 

Novel Entertainment’s Horrid Henry heads to Amazon Kids+ in the UK

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Novel Entertainment has partnered with Amazon Kids+ for all five seasons of its acclaimed animated TV series Horrid Henry (250 x 11’). From 11 October, Horrid Henry can now be found in the UK through Amazon Kids+ on Fire TV, Fire Tablets and compatible iOS, Android and Chrome devices; a subscription service offering unlimited access to thousands of kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, games and more.

Mike Watts, Co-Founder of Novel Entertainment, says: “It’s been 15 years since Horrid Henry first debuted in the UK and since then, the series has successfully established a wide and deeply loyal fan-base, which now spans multiple generations. Both new and existing Horrid Henry fans will now be able to access all 250 episodes of the series, in an age-appropriate environment that also offers peace of mind for their parents and carers.”

To date, Horrid Henry has sold to nearly 150 territories with broadcasters on board across the globe, including: Nickelodeon and Netflix (UK), MBC (Middle East), Alati International (Russia), Atlantic Digital Networks (Canada), TG4 (Ireland), Amazon Prime Video (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), Produkcija (Slovenia), Kids Network (Latvia and Estonia), Turner Broadcasting System (Asia Pacific), Mediacorp (Singapore), POP TV (Slovenia), E-Vision (Middle East) and Discovery+ (India).

Novel Entertainment was founded in 2001 by Mike Watts and Lucinda Whiteley. The company specialises in the creation and development of children’s character brands across a wide array of media. Novel’s core programming includes Horrid Henry, Cinemaniacs, Fimbles, Rockit’s Pocket and The Roly Mo Show. Novel have produced more than 850 programmes for television and radio and their expertise extends into brand licensing and merchandising, computer games, interactive online content, music, theatre and film.

BBC orders live-action series A Kind of Spark from 9 Story Media Group

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9 Story Media Group has announced that BBC Children’s has ordered its new live action series A Kind of Spark (8 x 24’). Based on the award-winning book by neurodivergent children’s author Elle McNicoll, A Kind of Spark is the first project to be put into production from 9 Story’s first-look deal with award-winning publishing company Knights Of, which focuses on improving inclusivity in children’s books, both on the shelf and behind the scenes.

Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award and the Overall Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, A Kind of Spark tells the inspirational story of 11-year old Addie, a neurodivergent girl. When she learns about the witch trials that happened centuries ago in her hometown, Addie knows that there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just as there is more to her own. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her and her autism and make her voice heard?

Past and present interweave in eight action-packed episodes full of magic, mystery and friendship with a strong message of inclusion. A Kind of Spark is created for television by Anna McCleery (Free Rein, The Secret Life of Boys), written by Anna McCleery and Elle McNicoll (A Kind of Spark, Show Us Who You Are) and produced by 9 Story Media Group.

Sarah Muller, BBC Head of Commissioning & Acquisitions 7-12, says: “We’re delighted to bring this moving and powerful story to audiences in the UK. In Addie we have a character who is relatable, uplifting and inspiring and we can’t wait to bring her story to life. Our aim is to reflect all of our audience on screen and this story of difference and acceptance is one that we can’t wait to tell.”

“We are thrilled to partner with BBC, to bring this incredibly special story to the screen,” says Gráinne McNamara, Vice President, Live Action for 9 Story. “Just like the countless kids who have fallen in love with the book, we were instantly captivated and inspired by Addie’s way of looking at the world. Representation is crucial in kids television and we are excited to bring A Kind of Spark to new audiences in the UK.”

9 Story Media Group is a creator, producer and distributor of kids and family focused intellectual property whose award-winning animation studio, Brown Bag Films, is recognised around the world for brands such as Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Octonauts, Wild Kratts, Blue’s Clues and You, Ada Twist, Scientist andKarma’s World.