Tag Archives: children’s content

Sutikki welcomes Simon Philips to board and announces Hannah Mungo as CEO

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Sutikki, the children’s entertainment company and production team behind the popular UK show, Moon & Me, has officially announced the appointment of Hannah Mungo as its CEO and Simon Philips as its newest board member.

Both specialists in the licensing and children’s entertainment industries, the pair join Sutikki with a combined vision to build engaging global brands based on powerful stories, and drive the business’ commercial success through the production of new content and consumer products.

“I’m delighted to take the lead at Sutikki and drive the company forward for what is set to be a very bright future,” said Mungo. “Our vision is to create amazing content, maximise exposure of that content across the globe, and engage consumers with a 360-approach.

“Moon & Me is a great example of the quality, internationally scalable content created at Sutikki and I’m excited for the future opportunities that come with our existing and new IP.”

Mungo steps into the top executive role at Sutikki, a role previously held by Scott Greenberg, bringing with her vast experience across the brand licensing and kids’ entertainment space. The former head of UK licensing at Entertainment One was a key member of the team that built Peppa Pig into a globally recognised brand.

Most recently, Mungo served as the Country Director, UK and Ireland for NBCUniversal’s Brand Development division where she led a team across consumer products, marketing, retail and product development that leveraged entertainment brands like Minions, Trolls, and Jurassic World.

Meanwhile, Philips joins Sutikki’s robust board of directors to provide guidance on the company’s vision and the execution of its global brands. He brings a wealth of experience from his history as EMEA Executive Vice-President & General Manager at Disney, President of Marvel Entertainment International, and Managing Director at 4Kids Entertainment International. His creativity and leadership have resulted in billions of dollars in revenue and unparalleled global brand recognition.

“Building creative ideas into cultural touch points has been my lifelong passion and I see the opportunity to continue this legacy with Sutikki and its team,” said Philips. “I’m thrilled to be joining Frank Patterson, Brett Coker, Jim Garrett and Scott Greenberg on the board. Together, we couldn’t think of a better qualified person to step into Scott’s shoes and lead Sutikki into the future than Hannah.”

Trilith Studios, where films like Avengers: Endgame and Sony’s Passengers were produced, recently made a significant investment in Sutikki as part of its expansion plans into content. Other investors include JSB Toons.

PJ Masks embarks on Dubai Fitness Challenge to encourage local children to get active

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PJ Masks is embarking on the month-long Dubai Fitness Challenge throughout November, helping to promote a healthier lifestyle to children, and encouraging them to be active for at least 30 minutes a day. The campaign, developed in partnership with Hasbro and eOne, will be delivered through exclusive workout videos released through the month.

The partnership was secured by 20too Licensing, Hasbro’s local sub-representative in MENA and Eventbox.

PJ Masks’ own Catboy, Owlette and Gekko are known for being active throughout the series. The heroes have to master their physical abilities in every episode, learning the values of teamwork, discipline and co-ordination in all their adventures – showing children that they too can be superheroes.

Four PJ Masks workout videos have been created for children of all ages, inspired by the well-known hero moves from the trio: Catboy, Owlette and Gekko. The first PJ Masks workout video will be released on the Dubai Fitness Challenge YouTube channel on 30 October 2020 and once a week thereafter until 28 November 2020.

The videos feature catchy and fun PJ Masks themed songs and the routines are energetic, challenging and intent on keeping the kids’ focus featured in iconic locations in Dubai. Children will be encouraged to replay the videos to keep learning and perfecting their own version of the routine with their favourite PJ Masks moves.

Whether it is inside or outside the home, children can learn the importance of staying active and healthy from a young age combined with the values of the PJ Masks heroes, where friendship and teamwork always saves the day.

Baby Shark Dance beats Despacito to become most-viewed YouTube video in history

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The perennial ear worm and children’s music video sensation, Baby Shark Dance, has become the most-viewed YouTube video in history, surpassing Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. The Pinkfong IP breaks the record just as the Baby Shark single receives the RIAA Diamond certification for selling over 11 million records.

Baby Shark is now one of the only 41 Diamond singles in history, alongside best-selling artists such as Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga. The song has also been recognised as Brit certified two-times Platinum in September this year.

Baby Shark became a breakout sensation when it launched on YouTube in November 2015. With its catchy music, iconic characters, and playful dance, all combined together, Baby Shark took the world by storm, recording a 20-week-streak on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Official Singles Chart, the highest position ever achieved by a children’s song in history.

The hit song spawned a viral dance challenge named #BabySharkChallenge, generating over one million cover videos around the world.

“We are very proud at Relentless Records/Sony Music to have built a great global partnership with the Pinkfong/SmartStudy team. It has been very inspiring to watch something that brings so much fun to so many people become such a worldwide record,” said Shabs Jobanputra, managing director, Relentless Records.

“Without the love and support of fans around the world, Baby Shark’s new record would have been impossible,” said Min Seok Kim, CEO, SmartStudy. “We’re very honored by this record and will continue to focus on delivering high-quality entertainment beyond the digital platforms.”

Smiffys lands Masha and the Bear costumes and tableware through Lisle Licensing deal

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The party and fancy dress specialist, Smiffys has been named the costume and tableware partner for the popular children’s animated IP, Masha and the Bear. The partnership arrives via a deal brokered by Lisle Licensing, the UK licensing agency for Masha and the Bear.

The popular animated series has become a firm favourite with children across the world, and now, thanks to Smiffys latest signing, will be able to delight in a range of officially licensed costumes, scheduled to launch at the start of 2021.

This will be followed by the roll-out of a range of Masha and the Bear tableware. Both will be made available across the UK and Europe.

Smiffys has long been recognised as a leading supplier of fancy-dress costumes, wigs, accessories and make up. The company, originally founded as R H Smith & Sons (Wigmakers) but now more commonly known as Smiffys, is a family-run company and has been in business since 1894.

The firm is proud to design all of its costumes and accessories “in-house” in the UK.

Jazwares to launch toy line for YouTube’s Like Nastya with lifestyle licensing roll-out to follow

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The next six months will witness the global launch of a new line of toys based on and inspired by the current YouTube sensation, Anastasia (Nastya) Radzinskaya, lead by the leading toy company, Jazwares. The new range will encompass the first Like Nastya doll land in January 2021, followed by toys, games, dress-up, role-play and more.

Anastasia Radzinskaya is a six year old YouTube sensation who has risen to fame having hit more than 170 million subscribers and over 85 billion total views on YouTube – more than any other creator in the world currently. The YouTube channel and its fun, educational videos will now be brought to life through the Jazwares toyline and a subsequent lifestyle collection.

In a suite of new partnerships brokered by IMG Licensing, the brand’s global exclusive licensing agent, and launching just in time for the holiday season, a colorful collection of apparel, accessories, bags and stationery featuring Nastya will be available globally on Amazon by early November, with additional Like Nastya sleepwear, headwear, accessories, bags, girls underwear and apparel collections set to launch in stores and online in spring 2021.

January 2021 will see the first Like Nastya doll, created by leading toy company Jazwares, released exclusively on Amazon, with a full Jazwares collection of toys, games, dress-up, role-play and more set to launch widely online and in stores from spring 2021.

“Over the past couple of years, Nastya has become a global phenomenon and the most popular YouTuber in the world with localized content in 12 languages,” said Eyal Baumel, CEO at Yoola and Anastasia’s manager.

“Her fun, playful, educational, and unique content has created such a deep connection with her fans, that they see her not just as an entertainer and role model, but more importantly, a good friend.

“We are excited to expand the franchise into consumer products that represent Nastya’s spirit and values, and will allow kids and families all over the world to enjoy the Like Nastya experience in a variety of ways.”

Laura Zebersky, chief commercial officer, Jazwares, added: “With her vibrant personality and relatable adventures, it comes as no surprise that Like Nastya has quickly become one of the most popular YouTube channels for kids and parents to co-view.

“We are looking forward to bringing families a robust toy line that embraces the playful, imaginative nature of Nastya’s storytelling and gives kids a new way to engage with their favorite YouTube superstar.”

Gary Krakower, vice president of licensing, IMG, said: “The fact we’ve built such an extensive licensing programme in just a few short months shows Like Nastya’s global influence and ability to inspire and entertain through imaginative, playful and educational content.

“We’re excited to explore additional categories including outdoor toys, footwear, homeware, food and beverage, and arts and crafts.”

Nastya was recently named to Variety’s 2020 Power of Young Hollywood list and is ranked third on Forbes’ 2019 Highest-Paid YouTube Stars list.

Molang team Millimages appoints former Walt Disney exec as new senior sales manager and producer

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The French animation studio, Millimages, the producer behind hit animated series such as Molang, Louie, Mouk, and Pirata and Capitano, has reinforced its commercial team with a new senior sales manager and producer in the form of Sépideh Shirazi-Moayed.

In her new position, the former Disney acquisitions manager will help to propel the studio’s success by focusing on the production of new series on major video on demand platforms such as Netflix, iTunes and Amazon. She will also be a key player in enhancing exposure on linear and non-linear channels across the US, UK, Germany, and the Middle East.

With a background in law initially,, it was a love for animation that drove Shirazi-Moayed to pursue a master’s degree in Audiovisual Marketing and Distribution, and from that point on her career quickly evolved from programming and acquisitions coordinator at major French channels Canal J and Tiji, to acquisitions, compliance and productions manager at The Walt Disney Company in France.

Throughout her successful career, Shirazi-Moayed has also held roles such as compliance supervisor for Al Jazeera children’s channel, as well as contracts administrator for Canal Plus’ legal department. Her years of experience working with some of the biggest names of the entertainment industry eventually led to her assuming a managing position at Disney.

“I am very excited to join one of the most established independent animation studios in Europe that develops, produces and distributes high quality family entertainment worldwide,” said Shirazi-Moayed. “I am confident that my background in acquisitions will provide me with the right tools to lead Millimages’ commercial activities to new dimensions.”

Roch Lener, CEO, Millimages, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Sépideh to the Millimages team. She will play a pivotal role in maximising the potential of our existing and future commercial success.”

Franchise Building: How WildBrain Spark is building the digital world of Mattel’s Cave Club

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WildBrain Spark is an expert in navigating the YouTube scape and developing emerging IP in the children’s entertainment space into world-conquering franchises. This month, WildBrain Spark’s commercial director, Rachel Taylor illuminates the industry on the firm’s current partnership with Mattel and its new kids’ property Cave Club.

YouTube has changed how the toy world works, how kids play, and how they identify which products will be at the top of their wish-list. Indeed, analytics show that kids are more likely to encounter brands on YouTube than ever before.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, YouTube viewing of kids’ content in WildBrain’s network climbed 36 per cent in Europe and 57 per cent in North America during the subsequent two months, in comparison to the prior two months, and the average monthly watch time rose 1.2 billion minutes and 1.6 billion minutes, respectively. 

There’s no avoiding that the life cycle of toys is now tied to their popularity on YouTube, so taking an innovative marketing approach is essential. Toy companies are increasingly looking to YouTube to launch and sustain the popularity of their brands rather than heading down the traditional linear TV route. While it can initially be a little daunting for companies to take the plunge with a digital-first launch strategy, the data and insights speak for themselves with toys ranking as one of the largest genres on YouTube. 

In this article, we’ll look at a bold, forward-thinking strategy we are pioneering with Mattel – the development and execution of a digital-first launch strategy for their new franchise, Cave Club. We’ll explore how we are working with Mattel to roll-out the Cave Club brand in EMEA on YouTube before it launches at retail, and the benefits of taking a digital-first approach with new brand and toy launches.

Digital-First Strategy

When we were approached by Mattel to co-create an international YouTube-first strategy for their new Cave Club franchise in EMEA, it was clear they already recognised the value of strong digital content in driving new audiences, raising awareness and creating demand for product. Since the beginning of 2020, we’ve been working closely with Mattel to create an engaging YouTube strategy, spanning channel management, content curation and paid media, which would serve as the primary driver for its Cave Club launch. This digital-first strategy would be designed to introduce audiences to this exciting new IP, build excitement ahead of the retail launch, and also to create a solid fandom to sustain and grow the brand’s popularity for the long-term.   

In a study for WildBrain Spark, research shows that YouTube drives buying decisions – with 80% of parents in the US saying they would consider buying a toy, game or apparel based on their child’s favourite YouTube character. Creating strong visibility for your brand on YouTube ahead of product hitting shelves is key. 

The type and quality of content created to support a brand is also pivotal. Our data tells us that for girls watching YouTube, animation and toy play content rank as the #1 and #2 content formats, respectively. To tap into this demand, WildBrain Spark built a marketing strategy for Cave Club around the launch of two original series from Mattel. 

Firstly, Cave Tales is a CGI doll play and motion comic hybrid which introduces the dolls and their adventures. The series, which is being produced by Peacock Kids and Relish Interactive as the studio providing the animation, has been designed to bring the characters to life through animation, creating fan affinity to the brand.

Alongside this is a world-class 2D animated series called Cave Club, which is being produced by Academy Award® winning studio Six Point Harness. This series brings core themes of the brand to life with dynamic colours and humour. With each episode containing a stand-alone story, this type of content allows the WildBrain Spark team to create YouTube compilations which are highly effective for extending brand engagement. We also match key words and descriptions on each video to popular relevant searches on YouTube, and thematic playlists in the YouTube Kids App. 

Since the Cave Club channel launched in July, it has already received 60M global views and the response to the advertising campaign has been 110% above industry benchmarks. 

In today’s multi-platform and multi-screen world, toy companies and brand owners need to make sure they are playing where their audience is. By taking a bold approach and launching a brand with a YouTube-first strategy, Mattel and WildBrain Spark are trailblazing a smarter way of getting on the radar of an increasingly digitally native generation and their families. 

Spacetoon to develop consumer product programme for YouTube’s The Moshaya Family across MENA

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Spacetoon, one of the MENA region’s largest family content providers, has signed a new partnership with The Moshaya Family – the top rated family friendly content creator in the Arab world – to roll out a consumer products and digital media programme that will encompass a new animated series.

Through the agreement, Spacetoon will work to transform the hit YouTube channel into a lifestyle franchise across a variety of consumer products including toys, animation series, video games, and FMCG specially designed to targeting and entertain kids and families.

In developing the consumer products programme for the channel, Spacetoon will introduce the franchise to the toy industry for the first time. The official announcement coincides with the unveiling of a new brand identity for The Moshaya Family, including a new logo reflective of the connection the family has established with its fan base across MENA.

The new brand identity is considered to be the first action towards building a strong brand positioning in the market for The Moshaya Family. As a result, this will pave the way for companies which look for partnership opportunities to boost their businesses through products for children and families.

Ahmad Weiss, commercial director of Spacetoon, said: “This is truly one of the most exciting partnerships that we have ever involved with. We’re so thrilled to be collaborating with the pioneer in the family content creation in the region to provide new experiences for kids and families throughout a variety of consumer products.

“Being in the family entertainment industry for over 20 years has made us closer to the consumers especially parents in a way that helps us win their trust. This couldn’t have been done without the massive support of our global and local partners.”

Muhammed Moshaya, the founder of The Moshaya Family YouTube channel, added: “We are so thrilled for this opportunity with Spacetoon. We have always been interested in enlarging our work throughout in many fields such as toys and licensing, but it was difficult to find the right partner. Now with this alliance we are so excited to finally see the results coming to light.”

Spacetoon has already partnered with Toy Pro, a Dubai-based company specialised in toy distribution and licensing, to launch the first toy line for The Moshaya Family brand in the markets alongside working on wide range of consumer products.

 

WildBrain Spark to manage growth of pre-school brand Shimajiro for English-speaking market

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WildBrain Spark – the digital media division of WildBrain – has been appointed by Benesse Corporation to manage the English-language channel and content for its popular edu-tainment pre-school brand, Shimajiro on YouTube.

Shimajiro is an educational character and learning buddy famous across Asia. Under the new partnership, WildBrain Spark will look to grow the presence of the brand’s English-language content with a focus on the UK, US and the wider English-speaking global market.

Benesse Corporation has been creating educational and publishing content for the past 30 years, with the aim of making early childhood learning fun for kids and easier for their parents and guardians. The content explores Shimajiro’s life as a pre-schooler and the lessons he needs to learn on a daily basis.

As with any toddler, Shimajiro needs to acquire social skills such as empathy for others, playing in groups and helping around the house. However, the series also focuses on teaching physical skills such as brushing your teeth and washing your hands. There is a mixture of both live-action and animation in the show, creating a balance between learning with Shimajiro and also learning real life issues.

Rachel Taylor, commercial director at WildBrain Spark, said: “As we continue growing our connections with brand owners all around the world, we’re very much looking forward to working closely with the Japan-based Benesse Corporation to grow their Shimajiro brand in key international markets.

“Shimajiro’s success in educating young viewers in a fun and accessible way makes it a perfect fit for the WildBrain Spark network and we look forward to bringing the English-language content to new preschool audiences.”

Daisuke Tebayashi, director of global business development division at Benesse Corporation, said: “Shimajiro has delighted kids and parents in Asia for years. We are excited to be launching him to the global English market. The last few months have shown all parents around the world the importance of learning at home, and this is something we are experts at.

“With its history of brand building, WildBrain Spark is the ideal match for our digital-first strategy, and we are excited to be making this move into new markets.”