Jetpack restructures sales, acquisitions and marketing outfit for global expansion

Global kids and family content distributor Jetpack Distribution has today announced a new team structure to grow its operations across the globe and consolidate the company’s efforts in the sales and acquisitions of stand-out, high quality content.

Sophie ‘Kido’ Prigent has been promoted to Global Head of Sales, leading sales in Asia, Canada, France, Latin America, Portugal, Spain and the Nordic countries, and AVOD sales globally. She will drive the sale of all content within Jetpack’s catalogue, working with broadcasters and VOD platforms, to find homes for the company’s diverse range of kids and family series across all genres and formats. Kido will continue to support the global acquisitions team and be the direct contact for producers in her territories.

Gillian Calvert Ridge has been promoted to Global Distribution Director – Acquisitions and Development, leading the company’s acquisition of shows that are produced and in development stages. She will be focused on significantly growing this area, to further build Jetpack’s slate and identify the best content from producers and creators across the world. She will also handle content sales for Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Matt Bowen has been appointed as Acquisitions Co-ordinator and will report directly to Gillian.

Sales Executive Toby Jones grows his remit to include selling kids’ and family content in Benelux, Central Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Italy. Toby will report to Sophie ‘Kido’ Prigent.

Rhiannon Lyons has been promoted to Marketing and Operations Manager, working alongside CEO Dominic Gardiner to promote the company – and its slate – across the world.

Sophie, Gillian and Rhiannon will report directly to Gardiner.

Gardiner says: “Jetpack has enjoyed exponential growth since launch, momentum we wish to pick up and accelerate even further! We’re blessed to work with 40-plus producers of exceptional quality content and are focused on further expansion.

“The changes and promotions reflect the hard work and dedication of the team, as well as their brilliant relationships and connections within the kids and family industry.”

Jetpack Distribution was founded in 2014 and it has gone on to become a leading global distributor of kids shows including Master Moley, Clangers, Chuggington, Mighty Little Bheem, Wolf, Talking Tom and Friends, Yoko, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed and Kitty is Not a Cat. The company was nominated the number one distribution business in the prestigious KIDSCREEN HOT 50.

Jetpack brokers three new deals for Moley

Jetpack Distribution has announced three new deals that will see the top-ranking CGI animated series Moley (52 x 11 minutes) and the 30-minute special Master Moley: By Royal Invitation hit free-to-air screens in Germany and New Zealand, and TV screens in Brazil.

German public service broadcaster ZDF has acquired the free TV and video-on-demand (VOD) rights. The special launched in December.

Further afield, Latin America’s Globo has paid for the TV and SVOD rights to air in Brazil. Both the animated series and the 30-minute special are available on Globoplay, Brazil’s largest video streaming platform.

In New Zealand, the country’s leading broadcaster TVNZ has bought the free TV and VOD rights.

Following a massive launch campaign and premiere at London’s Leicester Square Odeon, Moley hit EMEA screens in October this year.

The uplifting family animation, aimed at ages four and upwards, is inspired by bedtime stories about a magical mole, created by entrepreneur James Reatchlous, and told to his daughters.

It features an award-winning cast including Warwick Davis, who is also Executive Producer, (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Moominvalley), Julie Walters (Mamma Mia!, Harry Potter, Billy Elliot), Gemma Arterton (Their Finest, Quantum of Solace) and Richard E. Grant (Can you Ever Forgive Me?, Horrid Henry: The Movie).

Jetpack’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner, says: “Charming, warm-hearted and extremely high quality, Moley is a timeless gem, perfect for families across the world. I’m very happy to see the show acquired by such prestigious networks, ones we highly value, respect and enjoy working with. We’re looking forward to bringing Moley to more screens globally.”

 

 

Jetpack acquires international rights for live action toddler series The Mini Kids    

Global kids and family content distributor Jetpack Distribution has acquired the rights for The Mini Kids, a live-action preschool show commissioned and produced by Norway’s PSB digital terrestrial channel NRK Super.

The deal sees Jetpack acquire the first two seasons (16 x 17 minutes) of The Mini Kids, which targets babies and toddlers (0 – 3-year-olds), alongside their parents or carers, plus season three (12 x 17 minutes), which is being delivered in summer 2022.

The first two seasons have aired in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and The Faroe Islands to critical acclaim, delivering strong performance among all age-groups particularly on channel-led video on demand platforms.

The Mini Kids aims to stimulate activity and development for toddlers. It features real-life one- to two-year-olds and combines them with animation and music. The show’s objective is to inspire positive interactions among young children. It also stars ‘Fantus’, an animated character the audience engages with throughout each episode.

The series is structured in accordance with curriculum based preschool/kindergarten’s practice, with safe and familiar frameworks and rituals.

It won the Prix Jeunesse 2020 and best VFX at the Golden Screen Awards Norway 2020 and 2021.

Jetpack Distribution’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner, says: “The Mini Kids really strengthens our preschool offering and is one of a few outstanding shows for this age group. It’s hugely didactic and something that parents across the globe will welcome. Safe, funny and enjoyable for the youngest sector!”

The Mini Kids has had exceptional ratings in Norway and we are very happy that the show can now travel the world with Jetpack,” says Head of NRK Super, Hildri Gulliksen. “We are optimistic that The Mini Kids will be as well received outside of the Nordics.”

Jetpack Distribution inks 14 new deals for kids’ shows

Global kids and family content distributor Jetpack Distribution has announced that it has signed 14 new deals with video-on-demand (VOD) and linear platforms across the globe for 964 hours of TV series from its burgeoning catalogue of kids’ character driven shows.

The deals are heavily focused on VOD rights and are testament to the growing demand for VOD content from both platforms and audiences worldwide.

The following European networks have paid for rights for a selection of hit animated shows.

  • Discovery Italy has bought both linear and SVOD rights for pre-school animation Yoko (seasons one to three).
  • C+ in France renewed the PTV and SVOD rights for Talking Tom & Friends (seasons one to three) and licensed both rights for Kitty is Not a Cat season one.
  • Kidzone TV (across the Baltics, Middle East and North Africa) is taking pay TV and SVOD rights for Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! season one and pay TV rights for Kazoops, The Sisters season two, Talking Tom & Friends seasons one to three, Talking Tom Heroes and Talking Tom Minis.
  • Minimax has bought pay TV and VOD rights across Central Eastern Europe for Oswaldo, and Marsupilami seasons one, two and  three.
  • JimJam has bought the Pay TV and VOD rights for Daisy & Ollie seasons three and four for their pan-Europe feed.
  • UK’s Pop has acquired the free-to-air and FVOD rights for Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty.
  • NRK in Norway is taking the free-to-air and FVOD rights for Welcome to Cardboard City.

The following VOD networks across the globe have paid for the rights to air a further selection of animated series across all age groups.

  • HBO Max in Latin America has acquired the SVOD rights for Chuggington S6, Talking Tom & Friends seasons four and five, Talking Tom Heroes and Talking Tom Minis seasons one to four.
  • Semillitas pay TV Channel and SVOD services in US, Central America and Caribbean ‘Flix Latino’ and ‘Pinguinitos’ has picked up the rights for Chuggington, seasons two and three.
  • Lingopie, ​​educational app for language learning based on TV content to learn languages has taken the rights for The Sisters season one (German and Italian), Wolf season one (German and Italian), Talking Tom and Friends (Italian) seasons three, four and five, Yoko season one (Italian).
  • Toon Goggles in the UK, USA and Canada has bought the AVOD and SVOD rights for Boj, Daisy and Ollie seasons one and two, Emmy & GooRoo, Kitty is Not a Cat, My Petsaurus seasons one and two,Talking Tom & Friends seasons four and five and Yoko season one.
  • Tet Sia in Latvia is taking the SVOD rights for Talking Tom & Friends seasons three to five and Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! seasons one and two
  • Kartoon Channel in the USA and Canada have bought the AVOD and SVOD rights for Boj, Kitty is Not a Cat season two and Yoko season one.
  • Indonesia’s Mola TV has bought the SVOD rights for Emmy and GooRoo seasons one and two and is renewing Wolf seasons one and two.

Dominic Gardiner, CEO of Jetpack says: “It’s hugely inspiring to cement deals with such a strong selection of networks. Our content library has broadened significantly in recent times with multiple shows that work for different age groups, cultures and networks.

“We see – more than ever – the growing demand for VOD content and these deals demonstrate the proliferation of opportunities for content producers and distributors in this area. They also reflect the ever-evolving consumption habits of viewers worldwide.”

 

Daisy & Ollie secures new series commission from Channel 5’s Milkshake!

Manchester-based Hoopla Animation has announced that Channel 5 has greenlit a brand new fifth series of Jason Manford’s hit 2D animation Daisy & Ollie for its multiplatform preschool brand, Milkshake!.

In addition, Channel 5 has also inked a five-year deal with Hoopla to air all five of the Daisy & Ollie series on Milkshake!, including series 1 and 2, which originally launched on Cartoonito in 2017.

The show has proven hugely popular with Milkshake! audiences, airing daily since its launch on the channel in March 2020. Daisy & Ollie was recently showcased at the broadcaster’s live ‘5 on the Farm’ event which took place on August Bank Holiday weekend at Cannon Hall Farm in Yorkshire, featuring meet and greets and live nursery rhyme shows led by the show’s official costume characters.

The Channel 5 commission will see Hoopla Animation produce a further 26 x 7-minute episodes, due to launch on the channel’s children’s block Milkshake! next year, bringing the total number of episodes created to 130. The show is based on an original idea by Hoopla’s Helen Brown and co-written and executive produced by comedian Jason Manford, who also voices some of the main characters including Daisy’s Daddy and Whizzy the Robot.

Each episode follows best friends Daisy (voiced by Sarah Hadland) and Ollie (voiced by Claire Morgan) on their adventures, as they seek out the answers to questions that many children ask each day such as ‘How Do Bats See In The Dark?’, ‘Why Do We Have To Wash?’ and ‘What does adoption mean?’.

Daisy & Ollie has featured a host of celebrity guest stars to date, including comedian Paddy McGuinness and TV Star Christine McGuinness, who appeared in a much-acclaimed special episode in partnership with the National Autism Society. Further guest stars have included TV presenter and comedian Romesh Ranganathan and Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Brendan O’Carroll, whilst Take That star Gary Barlow performed in a Christmas special.

Jetpack Distribution have the worldwide distribution rights for Daisy & Ollie and the series has sold in multiple territories across the globe.

Dominic Gardiner, Jetpack’s CEO, says: “The fact that Daisy & Ollie has been greenlit for a fifth season is a testament to its quality and appeal. It’s been a top-selling show in our preschool line up and proved universally popular across the globe, with some timeless themes for preschoolers, and inciting their curiosity and wonder. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the next season and taking it to market.”

 

Jetpack acquires worldwide rights for new Paper Owl Films preschool shows

Global kids’ content distributor Jetpack Distribution has acquired the worldwide rights for three brand-new pre-school animated shows from the award-winning Northern Ireland-based animation outfit, Paper Owl Films.

Comprising 26 two-minute episodes (with series two in development), Ladybird & Bee (pictured) tells the charming stories of the natural world as seen from the perspective of two tiny best friends, with viewers learning things about them and their habitats along the way. Commissioned by Irish public service broadcaster RTÉjr, Ladybird & Bee launched in Irish in March, and will launch in English on 4 October.

With 52 eleven-minute episodes planned and due to go into production late 2023, Mr Dog is based on the best-selling books by Ben Fogle about a globe-trotting pooch who solves other animals’ problems in lovable, funny and often mischievous ways.

Finally, Florida – also comprising 52 eleven-minute episodes and set to be produced in late 2023 – highlights the wonders of engineering, and features a girl (the Florida of the title) who has come to live with Aunt G in her GEM (Gadgets of Everyday Marvel) shop, where the ‘gems’ are wonders of human invention and creativity. With imagination and plenty of optimism, Florida and her friends help these unwanted objects find a new purpose in the world.

These shows from Paper Owl Films make delightful, quirky and unique additions to our preschool catalogue,” says Jetpack’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner. “They are gently introducing young children to concepts such as teamwork, helping others, using creativity, exploring the world around you and looking at everyday objects in new ways. All are set in locations that preschoolers will find fascinating and intriguing. Something that we love to encourage in young audiences.”

Jetpack Distribution was founded in 2014 and it has gone on to become a leading global distributor of kids shows including Master Moley, Clangers, Chuggington, Mighty Little Bheem, WolfTalking Tom and Friends, Yoko, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed and Kitty is Not a Cat. The company distributes an extensive catalogue of award-winning kids’ properties through a wide variety of channels, from traditional broadcasters to digital platforms.

Paper Owl Films’ Creative Director, Gráinne Mc Guinness, says: “We’re honoured that Jetpack is distributing these shows that are very close to our hearts. Paper Owl Films is committed to delivering memorable content that has a positive impact on young preschoolers – whether that’s as simple as a giggle or helping them learn valuable lessons through fun and funny content. This ranges from the beauty of natural biodiversity balance with best ‘beasties’ Ladybird and Bee, madcap animal rescues with Mr Dog, or being inspired by Florida’s confidence and commitment to a better world for everyone she meets.”

Coolabi’s Clangers eyes new global ventures with Jetpack Distribution worldwide deal

The independent kids and family content distributor, Jetpack Distribution, has acquired the worldwide rights to Coolabi Group’s popular pre-school stop motion animated show, Clangers in a deal that includes three seasons of the BAFTA-winning show that currently airs on CBeebies in the UK.

The new partnership covers all audio-visual rights for territories worldwide, excluding the UK, Australia and China and arrives as part of Coolabi’s ongoing mission to extend the pre-school brand across the international scene.

The Clangers are a family of lovable, pink, mouse-like creatures who live out in space on their Little Blue Planet. The planet’s surface is peppered with holes topped with metal dustbin lids, which flip open with a ‘Clang!’ to reveal steps down to their home beneath the surface of the planet which contains a series of interconnecting tunnels and caves.

Co-produced by CBeebies, Coolabi Group and Smallfilms, the all new episodes have been animated by Factory (Scream Street, Newzoids)  in the UK.

Jetpack CEO, Dominic Gardiner, said: “Clangers has a timeless magic. It’s truly delightful for young children and their parents. As well as being highly entertaining and making them laugh, it’s helping children appreciate important developmental aspects such as team work.

“Quality content for children is imperative right now. As parents and professionals, we hugely value shows made with heart and soul which nourish young viewers.”

Allison Watkins, director of licensing and TV distribution at Coolabi, commented: “Dominic and his amazing team at Jetpack are recognised as being one of the best children’s content distributors in the world and we are delighted to have the Clangers join their family.”

Jetpack Distribution secures major content deal with South Africa’s SVOD service Showmax

The international children’s and family distributor, Jetpack Distribution, is rocketing into South Africa having secured a new deal with the region’s subscription-based VOD service, Showmax for an entire suite of children’s properties.

The deal, finalised last week, will see more than 153 hours of content from Jetpack’s expanding catalogue broadcast across a range of devices in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa.

Shows available through the service in 2020 and 2021, will include the BES comedy animation Kitty is not a Cat, Funrise’s hit animation Rainbow, Butterfly, Unicorn, Kitty, Outfit 7’s Talking Tom and Friends, Pop-Up Workshop’s puppet live action show Pop Up, CBBC’s award winning liver action drama Katy, and more.

Jetpack CEO, Dominic Gardiner, said: “In the last few years, we’ve been increasingly focused on building a rich and diverse catalogue, one that spans beyond our heartland of comedy animation; breaking new ground where possible.

“This deal demonstrates that we can offer a great deal of choice and variation for one network. While consistently delivering high quality and enduringly appealing content.”

Showmax head of content, Candice Fangueiro, added: “Our business has fundamentally changed over the past few months with SVOD usage jumping dramatically, and kids’ content in particular has been extremely popular. The timing for this deal, which adds a wide range of new kids shows, couldn’t be better, and it’s a perfect complement to the total revamp of the kids section that we recently completed, giving parents full control over what their kids can see.”

Jetpack Distribution secures global rights for series based on Marvel Comics’ New-Gen

The independent kids and family TV distributor, Jetpack Distribution – has secured the global rights for a new sci-fi animated series now in production called New-Gen. The new series is based on the superhero comic book series printed and distributed by Marvel Comics.

The series features a cast of multi-dimensional, multi-cultural characters. Brothers Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, The Addams Family, It, It: Chapter Two, The Goldfinch and Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Nick Wolfhard (The InBetween, The Last Kids on Earth, Beyblade Burst, Howard Lovecraft And The Kingdom Of Madness, and World Trigger) have been cast as the lead roles.

Anya Chalotra (The Witcher, Wanderlust, The ABC Murders and Sherwood) has been cast as female lead Carmen.

The TV series will target kids aged seven year olds and upwards and follows the adventures of twin brothers who live as ordinary teenagers and nanotech superheroes. New-Gen is a futuristic utopia where human beings, alien creatures, and mechanical life-forms peacefully co-exist.

Designed and built with nanotechnology, New-Gen balances nature and technology, weaving together an ecologically sustainable paradise. Its existence becomes threatened by a nanotech war and heroes from Earth and New-Gen are called to defeat the encroaching evil.

Viewers will be able to download an augmented reality app enabling players’ use of nanotech powers to battle various creatures from the show. Fans can explore a web-based experience which weaves scientific fact and fiction to depict what nanotech is and where it might be in the future.

New-Gen is created by APNG’s J.D. Matonti and the showrunner is Brent Friedman, a storyteller with substantial experience across film, TV and gaming including: Star Wars franchise, Halo 4, Call of Duty, Resident Evil, Star Trek: Enterprise, Tale from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series, Command & Conquer 3, Tiberium Wars and Subway Surfers.

Jetpack’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner, said: “The moment we were introduced to New-Gen we were blown away. There’s so much going on in this show for kids. It’s a thrilling sci-fi adventure where everyday teenagers become superheroes on a mission to defeat a demonic overlord.

“The show contains other universal themes such as brotherhood, teamwork and identity. It will offer unique digital elements which will allow viewers to experience the story and characters in ways becoming increasingly more relevant to them. We are looking forward to finding homes for New-Gen and bringing it to global audiences.”

Creator, Director and Executive Producer J.D. Matonti, added: “We intend to take you to a visual place never seen before in the futuristic utopia of New-Gen. Nanotech governs this rich world and the superheroes who dwell in it. Finn Wolfhard, Nick Wolfhard and Anya Chalotra, young talent breathe life into the relatable lead characters as we move from comics distributed by Marvel to animated series and other multimedia platforms.

“We are enthusiastic to work with Bardel Entertainment and Jetpack Distribution to bring the New-Gen story to a New Generation of audiences around the world.”

CITV picks up Jetpack’s animated comedy Buck and Buddy in newest broadcasting slate

The independent kids and family distributor, Jetpack Distribution, has secured a string of new broadcast deals for its portfolio of children’s shows, including Daisy & Ollie, Emmy & Gooroo, Buck & Buddy, and Talking Tom and Friends.

The Jetpack shows will be airing this year across a series of international networks.

Discovery Kids (Middle East and North Africa)has boosted its pre-school offering with the acquisition of the pay TV rights for season three of Daisy & Ollie and season two of Emmy & Gooroo. It has also bought non-dialogue comedy animation Bucky & Buddy.

Meanwhile, AMC Networks International – Central and Northern Europe has acquired pay TV and video on demand (VOD) rights for five seasons of comedy animation Talking Tom and Friends, shorts from the same series and Talking Angela videos for its Minimax channels in Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.

WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks channels including Boomerang and Cartoon Network in SoutheastAsia, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand has extended its offer to include series four and five of Talking Tom and Friends. The deal also includes Talking Tom Heroes.

Super RTL has acquired the SVOD rights for Talking Tom Heroes, while the UK’s CITV has bought the free-to-air rights for Buck & Buddy.

German channel KIKAhas acquired the free-to-air rights for animated show Wolf, and finally, United Media has bought the rights for Emmy & Gooroo and seasons one to four of pre-school live action Our Family for Pikaboo and seasons one to three of The Cul De Sac and seasons one and two of comedy animation Barefoot Bandits for Vavoom.

The deal covers Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

Jetpack’s CEO, Dominic Gardiner, said: “These are challenging and uncertain times for the TV industry as we face unchartered territory. These deals are testament to the enduring appeal of good quality kids and family content. Long may that continue.”

“We are really pleased to be working with such brilliant production and IP owners and doing business with prestigious international networks who remain as committed as ever to delivering great experiences for young audiences.”