So much Kids media action!

Alloy Media + Marketing has teamed with Kmart on its new webseries, First Day ( www.firstdaytheseries.com), which premieres today on the multiplatform digital networkAlloyTV ( www.alloytv.com ).

Created by Alloy Entertainment (Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl), a division of Alloy Media + Marketing, First Day will air bi-weekly. Targeted to tweens and teens, the webseries follows a teen girl as she relives the first day of school over and over and over.

Alloy and Kmart put together scripts that showcase Kmart's exclusive fashion brands throughout the eight episode series. Kmart and its retail brands will get extended promotion during the run of the series, with additional media featured throughout the Alloy Digital Network and Alloy's Channel One Network.

Kmart will offer viewers a shopping component in each episode of First Day, during which its fashions will be featured and through a link they can then click and jump to the items on Kmart.com.

Evolve Media is announcing of the formation of its branded entertainment division - Springboard Studios - slated to produce close to 1,000 original video segments this year distributed across Evolve-repped sites as well as sites owned by the company's publishing arm, AtomicOnline (which oversees SheKnows, CraveOnline, GameRevolution, etc.)

Recent Springboard branded entertainment shows include reality decorator series Home Stretch and in-laws reality show Families Collide for SheKnows and Fanboy Fun House for CraveOnline.


Meredith Corp.'s BIG Communications


imbee, a tween-centric social media company, launches Drew ( http://drew.imbee.com ), a new pop culture news site for tweens.
Drew, which by the way stands for the Dopest, Realist, Epic, Wrap-up, will feature anything and everything in entertainment, tech gadgets, sports, style and anything else important to tweens.

With a graffiti style logo, Drew aims to provide news on all these areas by getting information directly from sources and offer a story behind the story/headline/photograph.

Keith O'Brien is named Sales Manager/Non-Linear Digital Media, BabyTV. O'Brien will oversee the commercial development of the BabyTV brand worldwide across non-linear digital media, which includes SVOD, video search platforms, Smart phone, mobile, syndication, gaming, social networking sites, among others.

He previously served as a Sales Executive with Sony Pictures Television, and an Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media.


Wizards Of Waverly Place: The Movie - Disney Channel - Salty Pictures
Peter Murrieta, Executive Producer
Kevin Lafferty, Produced By

Mondo TV, an animation producer/distributor, signs a US$6.7 million production pact with Visual Picnic and Licensing Works to produce the 2D animated preschool series, Playtime Buddies (52x13).

Produced in HD, Playtime Buddies will be showcased at MipJunior this October 2-3, 2010. Mondo TV will head production and worldwide TV and home video distribution, and has also been named licensing agent for the property in Italy.

MEG Toys has been granted the master toy license worldwide and distribute toys based on the series following its debut in each territory.

Visual Picnic owns the property, which was created by Erik DePrince. Licensing Works represents the worldwide licensing and merchandising rights for Playtime Buddies.


CBeebies (UK) acquires Uki (52x2), the first preschool animated series developed by record label Universal Music UK. The series will debut on CBeebies early next month as part of the channel's Show Me Show Me program.

Universal Music UK will handle licensing for the series. Created by Patrick Busschots and Peter Decraene of Universal Music's Belgium office, the series revolves around the daily adventures of Uki ( www.ukiland.com ), a happy little yellow character with endless curiosity and sense of fun, and his friends. Already picked up in a number of countries, Uki is currently airing in Belgium on kid's channels Ketnet and Club RTL, with books, DVDs, greeting cards and plush toys set to be available there from October.

BBC Worldwide will offer Uki at MipJunior this year. Uki was the winning project in the Pitch It award at the 2008 Kidscreen Summit.

MarVista Entertainment acquires the worldwide distribution rights for the feature film Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure, which is based on Lois Leppard's kid-targeted book of the same name, from Lost World Pictures.

Under the original previously announced pact, MarVista picked up the global rights to license the first movie in the series, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, with an option for the next four movies.

MarVista will showcase Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure, as well as the first movie, at Mipcom this fall. Set in the early 1900s, there are 40+ titles in Leppard's Mandie book series. Produced and directed by Lost World's Owen Smith and Joy Chapman, also the rights owners, Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure stars TV/screen/stage actor Dean Jones (The Love Bug, That Darn Cat and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Company), Lexi Johnson (Sugar Creek Gang) and William Yelton (Hounddog, John Adams, One Tree Hill).

The third season of Scholastic Media's animated series WordGirl will debut on PBS Kids Go! beginning September 13, 2010 (check local listings). Produced by Scholastic's animation studio Soup2Nuts, features a voiceover cast including new and returning cast members Kristen Schaal (Toy Story 3, The Flight of the Conchords, Modern Family), John Henson (Wipe Out), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, The Hangover 2), Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), John C. McGinley (Scrubs), and Dannah Phirman (MadTV) as WordGirl, Chris Parnell (SNL, 30 Rock) as the Narrator, as well as Maria Bamford (Kick Buttowski) as Mrs. Botsford, among others.

Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun's Berman Braun Productions penned a deal with Starcom MediaVest Group giving the agency's clients a first-look sponsorship option for all of the producer's online content, per AllThingsD. The deal, involving brands such as Wal-Mart, P&G and Coke, could be worth north of $100 million.


Discovery's TLC.com is partnering with Volkswagen to promote the Routan minivan in a multifaceted campaign, with the automaker exclusively sponsoring family travel content on the site and the van being featured in an original web series dubbed " The Great Getaway.”

Beyond Distribution will debuts its new preschool property Toybox (75x30) at MipJunior in Cannes, October 2-3. Created by Ian Munro and Ron Saunders (Hi-5, New MacDonald's Farm, Bananas in Pyjamas, Magic Mountain and Milly, Molly), Toybox is designed to encourage kids to use their imagination and get up and dancing to music.

The series follows the adventures of a group of toy friends and the mischief and fun they have when they are left alone and come to life. Created with the assistance of childhood development experts, each episode features segments where the characters and audience discovers things together. Among the cast members is actress Brittany Byrnes (Babe).

Director/producer Ivan Reitman is developing a movie based on The Kid Table, an upcoming young adult novel from author Andrea Seigel, per Coming Soon. Reitman will produce the movie and writer Justin Adler (Better Off Ted, Less Than Perfect, Futurama) is adapting the book for the movie.

The Kid Table, set for release from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books on September 14, 2010, revolves around Ingrid and her group of siblings and cousins who have long been seated at the kid's table at family functions ... until the oldest is promoted to the adult table causing some consternation for the rest of the gang, particularly Ingrid.


Disney Channel will offer a North American sneak peek at Aardman Animation's preschool stop-motion animated series Timmy Time ( www.timmytime.tv ) on September 7. Following the preview Timmy Time get its official debut on the channel on September 13.

The series is based on characters in Aardman's series Shaun the Sheep, which runs also runs on Disney Channel. Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment will handle DVD distribution for the series here, with the first title slated for release in early 2011. Additionally, the Timmy Time toy line from Jakks Pacific will launch in spring 2011.



Tween Reporters: The girl tween/teen-targeted AllyKatzz.com ( www.allykatzz.com ) will re-launch this September and is looking for as many as 50 girls from around the world to serve as reporters for the site.

Girls that want to find out about the first set of tween reporters or are interested in becoming a reporter can do so at allykatzz.com.


Family Channel (Canada) gives the go ahead on three new live-action comedy series, each with multiplatform opportunities and all of which will premiere in spring 2011.

Decidedly Debra (13x30) - the series follows Debra, a vivacious teen with her own style and attitude, and her pal Preston as Debra sets out to star her own business. Produced byCookie Jar Entertainment, Decidedly Debra is created by Andrew Nicolls and Darrel Vickers (writers on Jimmy Neutron, Fairly OddParents, Back at the Barnyard)

Really Me (13x30) - When friends Maddy and Julia get their own reality TV series the girls dream of endorsement deals and all the perks they think will go along with the show ... but ... with a pushy producer, over zealous family members, and 24/7 coverage of their every move things are exactly how they'd imagined. Created by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch, the series is produced by Fresh TV.

What's Up, Warthogs! (100x5)- the short-form series revolves around a group of teens looking to make their school's morning announcements an entertainment news show. The series will initially rollout on Family.ca (www.family.ca) prior to premiering on the network. Produced by Aircraft Pictures with Dolphin Entertainment's Bill O'Dowd executive producing, the series is created by Alex Diaz and Julie Sagalowsky. The writing team is led by Dean Batali (That 70s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Discovery Education ( www.discoveryeducation.com) enters into a new deal with The Jim Henson Company that will see the entire preschool Sid the Science Kid(40x30) available via Discovery Education Science for Elementary in the next few months. The animated series, which airs on PBS Kids, is based on national science learning standards and the preschool science curriculum, Preschool Pathways to Science.

Sid the Science Kid revolves around a kid named Sid and his adventures during which he finds answers to questions using basic science principles. Additionally, Discovery Education will add 51 news segments from PBS NewsHour, produced by MacNeil Lehrer Productions, for high school students by the end of year.

Finally, Discovery Education will add 16 new streaming video resources to its STEM Connect area. A curriculum-based and career development science resource to help teachers, the video resources will be available at no cost to Discover Education streaming subscribers as part of its Be the Future initiative.


Haim Saban's Saban Brands acquires Paul Frank Industries (PFI), featuring its library of 150+ characters including Julius the monkey. Though the deal terms have not been announced, the deal is believed to valued at about $50 million. Saban Brands plans to support PFI with new content and media strategies that will incorporate the Paul Frank characters.

Ryan Heuser will continue to serve as Chief Creative Officer, PFI, reporting to Elie Dekel, President, Saban Brands. Mossimo Giannulli, one of the previous owners of PFI, will continue on as an advisor, while John Oswald will exit the company.

Saban Brands, a unit of Saban Capital Group, will manage PFI's business, while the creative operations remain based at PFI's current headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. Saban Brands bought back Power Rangers from Disney earlier this year and plans to launch new episodes of the TV series (the 18th season) on Nickelodeon, with previous seasons running on Nicktoons. Saban Brands previously said it has committed $500 million to acquire various entertainment and consumer properties.

BabyFirstTV promotes Itamar Daube to VP/Creative. Under his newly expanded role Daube, who had been Creative Director, will direct creative development for all series for the network and its cross-platforms (online, mobile).

Additionally, he will oversee on and off-air marketing and branding and lead the graphic art department. Daube will report to SVP/Programming and Operations, Arik Kerman.


Little Airplane Productions and Spin Master Entertainment will launch their new preschool property Suzy Takes the Stage (52x11) this fall at MipJunior.

The series revolves around Suzy, a young confident and tenacious girl, who works hard to learn and help others around her through daily and regular events (e.g. learning to ice skate, getting her brother ready for preschool) with determination, humor and music.

Suzy Takes the Stage is a mix of computer animation combined with elements of theatrical stagecraft (e.g. trap doors, sets, lighting effects). The series features Theatre Arts Animation, a new style of animation developed by Little Airplane for the project. Each episode includes original songs and features a curriculum underlining developmental skills including resilience and self-knowledge.