Buddy the Dinosaur Appears at MIP-TV to Celebrate
First European Licensing Agreement with Norway's NRK
MIP-TV, Cannes, France (March 30, 2009): The Jim Henson Company and BIG Communications PTE Ltd. (BIG) are pleased to showcase the all-new CG animated series Dinosaur Train at this year's MIP-TV market. Dinosaur Train is produced by The Jim Henson Company with Singapore's BIG acting as co-producer and with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority.
Together at the MIP-TV market to celebrate the launch are The Jim Henson Company's President and COO, Peter Schube, and Sam Ewing, Head of International Sales, New Programming; BIG's Roy Ng, General Manager, and Vincent Lim, Managing Director; and Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore's Media Development Authority. Also making his first appearance at MIP-TV to celebrate the announcement is Buddy, the preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex that stars in the series.
Further, Schube is pleased to announce that the MIP-TV market has provided the forum to finalize The Jim Henson Company's latest agreement regarding the series with Norway's public broadcaster NRK, who has acquired television broadcast rights for the territory. This new agreement comes on the heels of recently announced broadcast license agreements in Canada with TV Ontario and British Columbia's Knowledge, and the appointment of RC2 Corporation as the global master toy licensee for the series. Under the multi-year agreement, RC2 Corp.'s Learning Curve Brands will feature a line of preschool products that will debut in the last half of 2010 and bring to life the rich and detailed world of the series.
"We are excited to celebrate the premiere of Dinosaur Train with BIG Communications, one of Singapore's leading integrated media companies, and we anticipate that this innovative new series will encourage our pre-school viewers around the world to have fun with Buddy and his dinosaur friends while they learn more about these amazing creatures," comments Schube. "Furthermore, our company is thrilled to take a stand at MIP for the first time in years to showcase our new properties to international buyers."
Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about natural science, natural history and paleontology. The series is currently in production for 40 half-hour episodes (80 x 11 minute episodes) and will join other top-ranked PBS KIDS® preschool series in fall 2009 including The Jim Henson Company's series Sid The Science Kid, which premiered in fall 2008, and which is also on offer at MIP-TV.
Craig Bartlett, Brian Henson, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford will executive produce. The Jim Henson Company will oversee all ancillary exploitation of the property, including international television and video sales, and worldwide licensing and merchandising. PBS will handle DVD distribution to consumer and education markets in North America. UK production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets (the rights to which are now owned by The Walt Disney Company), Henson is the recipient of over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include "Sid the Science Kid, now airing on PBS KIDS and "Pajanimals", currently seen on Sprout. Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and the recently released direct to DVD "Unstable Fables." Television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape." With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment. The Company is currently in production on 40 episodes of "Dinosaur Train," an animated preschool series teaching concepts of natural science, natural history and paleontology, set to debut on PBS KIDS in fall 2009. The Company's Henson Alternative brand continues to produce "Puppet Up! - Uncensored," a live puppet improvisational show that runs monthly at the Avalon Hollywood. The Company has also announced the creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim Henson's earliest sketches, and The Jim Henson Company: Discoveries, an acquisitions banner that celebrates outstanding third party produced independent film, television and video productions from around the globe embodying the Company's enduring legacy.
www.henson.com
About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and outreach programs. With positive character role models and content designed to nurture a child's total well-being, PBS's online and community resources - including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbsteachers.org), PBS KIDS Raising Readers and literacy events across the country - leverage the full spectrum of media, technology and community to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination and curiosity. Empowering children for success in school and in life, only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 356 public television stations, serving more than 115 million people on-air and online each month and reaching 99% of American homes.
About BIG Communications Pte Ltd
BIG Communications Pte Ltd is one of Singapore's leading integrated media
company with partners in USA, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China
and Korea, and one of Singapore's foremost creators of original HD documentaries
and 2D & 3D animated programmes.
First European Licensing Agreement with Norway's NRK
MIP-TV, Cannes, France (March 30, 2009): The Jim Henson Company and BIG Communications PTE Ltd. (BIG) are pleased to showcase the all-new CG animated series Dinosaur Train at this year's MIP-TV market. Dinosaur Train is produced by The Jim Henson Company with Singapore's BIG acting as co-producer and with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority.
Together at the MIP-TV market to celebrate the launch are The Jim Henson Company's President and COO, Peter Schube, and Sam Ewing, Head of International Sales, New Programming; BIG's Roy Ng, General Manager, and Vincent Lim, Managing Director; and Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore's Media Development Authority. Also making his first appearance at MIP-TV to celebrate the announcement is Buddy, the preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex that stars in the series.
Further, Schube is pleased to announce that the MIP-TV market has provided the forum to finalize The Jim Henson Company's latest agreement regarding the series with Norway's public broadcaster NRK, who has acquired television broadcast rights for the territory. This new agreement comes on the heels of recently announced broadcast license agreements in Canada with TV Ontario and British Columbia's Knowledge, and the appointment of RC2 Corporation as the global master toy licensee for the series. Under the multi-year agreement, RC2 Corp.'s Learning Curve Brands will feature a line of preschool products that will debut in the last half of 2010 and bring to life the rich and detailed world of the series.
"We are excited to celebrate the premiere of Dinosaur Train with BIG Communications, one of Singapore's leading integrated media companies, and we anticipate that this innovative new series will encourage our pre-school viewers around the world to have fun with Buddy and his dinosaur friends while they learn more about these amazing creatures," comments Schube. "Furthermore, our company is thrilled to take a stand at MIP for the first time in years to showcase our new properties to international buyers."
Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills as the audience learns about natural science, natural history and paleontology. The series is currently in production for 40 half-hour episodes (80 x 11 minute episodes) and will join other top-ranked PBS KIDS® preschool series in fall 2009 including The Jim Henson Company's series Sid The Science Kid, which premiered in fall 2008, and which is also on offer at MIP-TV.
Craig Bartlett, Brian Henson, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford will executive produce. The Jim Henson Company will oversee all ancillary exploitation of the property, including international television and video sales, and worldwide licensing and merchandising. PBS will handle DVD distribution to consumer and education markets in North America. UK production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets (the rights to which are now owned by The Walt Disney Company), Henson is the recipient of over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include "Sid the Science Kid, now airing on PBS KIDS and "Pajanimals", currently seen on Sprout. Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and the recently released direct to DVD "Unstable Fables." Television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape." With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment. The Company is currently in production on 40 episodes of "Dinosaur Train," an animated preschool series teaching concepts of natural science, natural history and paleontology, set to debut on PBS KIDS in fall 2009. The Company's Henson Alternative brand continues to produce "Puppet Up! - Uncensored," a live puppet improvisational show that runs monthly at the Avalon Hollywood. The Company has also announced the creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim Henson's earliest sketches, and The Jim Henson Company: Discoveries, an acquisitions banner that celebrates outstanding third party produced independent film, television and video productions from around the globe embodying the Company's enduring legacy.
www.henson.com
About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and outreach programs. With positive character role models and content designed to nurture a child's total well-being, PBS's online and community resources - including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbsteachers.org), PBS KIDS Raising Readers and literacy events across the country - leverage the full spectrum of media, technology and community to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination and curiosity. Empowering children for success in school and in life, only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 356 public television stations, serving more than 115 million people on-air and online each month and reaching 99% of American homes.
About BIG Communications Pte Ltd
BIG Communications Pte Ltd is one of Singapore's leading integrated media
company with partners in USA, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China
and Korea, and one of Singapore's foremost creators of original HD documentaries
and 2D & 3D animated programmes.
