THE BIG INTERVIEW: Chapman Entertainment

Chapman Entertainment is one of those success stories that don’t come around very often. The Wandsworth-based company isn’t even ten years old, and already it has enjoyed two original successful pre-school shows – with licensing drives to match – on the bounce.

In terms of British successes in our industry, Chapman sits up there with Aardman and, just like its Bristol-based peer, the strong work ethic and drive that got it to this position is still there in spades. At last count, it employed 44 people, with 23 of those based in the South West London office and 21 at the studios in Altrincham, near Manchester.

Established in 2002 by MD Greg Lynn, creative director Keith Chapman and commercial and finance director Andrew Haydon, over the past seven years the company has seen first Fifi and the Flowertots and then Roary the Racing Car carve out strong positions within the pre-school sector.

The eponymous Chapman, of course, had already created Bob the Builder, which, as part of the Hit Entertainment portfolio, has become one of the biggest kids’ properties of the last ten years.

The last 12 months have seen both Fifi and Roary outperform sales expectations – no mean feat in the current economic climate.

“Fifi and the Flowertots has now been sold to over 166 countries worldwide and there are 52 UK licensees,” Lynn says. “It airs daily on Five’s Milkshake and on Nick Jr, with broadcast figures reaching over 200,000 viewers per day. Fifi is also hitting the shelves with a bang this autumn/winter with a new look, featuring a refreshed colour palate including a patchwork floral design coupled with strong hand stitching pieces.”

Chapman has also recently taken the licensing for Fifi in-house, having worked with Target Entertainment for the past five years, giving it the chance to take the brand into a number of new directions, as Haydon explains: “Although Fifi is an established brand after four years in the market, there are still opportunities to expand key product categories. We are always on the look out for new licensees to the programme.”

Meanwhile, a new series of Roary the Racing Car launched earlier this year and, from July 13th new episodes – complete with fresh characters including karaoke fanatic Big Christine – will air on Milkshake and, from August 3rd, on Nick Jr. New licences are also in development, while further books and toys are planned in for later on this year.

While everything is undoubtedly going well, Keith Chapman readily admits that the pre-school sector at the moment is a tough one. “There are a lot of very good shows and less and less shelf space. Plus, retailers are always looking for the next big thing, rather than necessarily helping to build a brand. But doing just that, creating the next ‘big thing’, is what makes it exciting.”

According to Haydon, half the battle on the High Street is won by offering added value to the retailer: “It’s all about having a good property and positioning it at the right price, and providing added value to the retailer. We recently ran a series of successful promotions with key retailers and merged Roary and Fifi together to offer a joint promotion for the first time to provide a girl and boy offering. This worked extremely well, with strong sales uplift for both brands of over 200 per cent.”

Promotions are just one way of achieving stand out, but as Lynn points out, the firm has also managed to create programmes with “freshness and originality mixed with lovability mixed with quality all the way through”. Then you just have to keep your fingers crossed that the kids go mad for it, he adds with a wry smile.

But going mad for it they are, but doesn’t Chapman ever worry – with all his success in the pre-school market – he’s been pigeonholed? “No, I’m not worried about being pigeonholed because we are actually working on lots of new ideas now for different age groups,” he says. Then he shrugs and adds: “Even if I only ever did pre-school, how bad is that? It’s still the most interesting age group and I love it.”

Those other projects include a comedy and action adventure for five to nine year-olds, live action for tweens, animated sit-coms for adults and feature films for families. On top of this, there’s also a focus on continuing to expand Fifi and Roary internationally, as Haydon explains: “With Fifi’s recent move into Russia, the series is now broadcast in over 167 countries. We will continue to focus on appointing strong licensing agents and partners internationally who can help develop the brand into a global evergreen property. A key focus for the team recently in Las Vegas [at Licensing International] was to continue Roary’s growth by expanding into Latin America. So far, he is in 110 countries with over 50 licensees globally.”

Closer to home new episodes of Fifi and Roary will be launching, with the firm’s aim being to keep Fifi listed as a top pre-school brand for girls and hold Roary’s position as the number two boys brand. The ultimate aim, says Lynn, is to one day beat Thomas the Tank Engine to the top spot.

There’s also a hint that acquisition could be another way forward: “We’d still like to be around in ten years time,” concludes Chapman, “bigger either by acquisition or organically, with another handful of global successes under our belts.”