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CAA-GBG reveals its expansion plans of design capabilities of Brand Studio division

In order to further grow both new and existing client businesses globally, the world’s largest licensing agent CAA-GBG has revealed that it is expanding the design capabilities of its Brand Studio division.

In order to support the initiative, Brand Studio has added new design teams and studios in London, Seoul and New York.

Furthermore, the studio’s team of designers who specialise in creating brands, brand development and experiential retail design, will continue to serve as a creative management source for CAA-GBG’s portfolio of brands as well as focus on adding new clients to Brand Studio’s roster of clients, including the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer, Fred Segal and Mondelēz (Cocoa Life).

Additionally, the agency has named Sandra Kang to serve as the managing director of Brand Studio. In her new role, Kang will work with the division’s chief creative officer, Alice Ann Wilson, to expand its business globally.

Prior to her appointment, the lady spent 13 years with CAA Marketing and worked with brands such as Burberry, Moet & Chandon, Dolby, Samsung, Diageo, Best Buy, eBay, QVC and more.

 

Nickelodeon discloses plans to launch multi-day music festival in the U.S.

 

Nickelodeon has disclosed its plans to launch a multi-day music festival for kids and families titled Nickelodeon Slimefest in the U.S.

Due to debut next year, the festival will feature a host of performances from top artists, Nickelodeon stars and characters, on-site experience and plenty of the network’s signature green slime.

Throwing further light on the same, Cyma Zarghami, president, Nickelodeon Group said, “Nickelodeon Slimefest will combine the best of our brand with all the things we know kids love–pop music, family time and incredibly cool interactive experiences that they can’t get anywhere else.

Around the globe, Nickelodeon Slimefest has seen success since its inception in Australia in 2012. The event has expanded year-over-year and currently takes place in regions including the U.K., Spain, Italy and South Africa.

 

Australian pubcaster in search of next great female creators of TV content

In its support to gender equity and diversity in the Australian film and television industry, Australian pubcaster ABC has launched a programme aimed at finding the next great female creators of TV content for the country’s tween girls with local funding body Screen Australia.

Individual applicants, or creative teams, are required to submit a concept for a standalone TV episode that reflects the life of Australian girls encompassing their hopes, dreams and challenges.

According to ABC, the content must be appropriate for ABC Me’s eight- to 12-year-old audience and can be presented in any genre viz. sketch comedy, factual, scripted comedy and drama.

Stories that help the audience better understand global issues around body image, gender stereotypes, pay gaps, gendered language and STEM careers will be encouraged.

The programme to be launched on International Women’s Day, today (March 8), will be open to women aged 18 will close on April 13.

Up to five individual winners or teams will be awarded AU$80,000 (US$61,000) each to produce a 20-minute episode and will receive mentorship from experienced female producers along with editorial guidance from ABC commissioning editors Libbie Doherty and Jan Stradling as well as Screen Australia’s senior development exec Nerida Moore.

A season branded ‘Girls’ will then premiere on ABC ME, the ABC ME app and ABC iview in October in celebration of International Day of the Girl.

Jakks Pacific renews licensing agreement with two

California-based Jakks Pacific has renewed its licensing agreement with Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) in China where the toy manufacturer will continue to hold merchandise rights to several Mouse House entertainment properties.

According to Jakks, the renewed licensing agreement will allow it to open new distribution channels and expand online sales as it increases its footprint in China.

More than 50 Disney properties are covered by the multi-year deal including Disney Princess and Disney Frozen as well as newer brands like Moana and the rebooted Beauty and the Beast.

Categories covered in the deal include large dolls, dress-up, role-play, costumes, masks, accessories, action figures, Disney Tsum Tsum collectibles (pictured) and ride-ons and wagons.

Jakks has taken on a number of new products in recent months. In January last it made its foray and brought out its new tea party-inspired Cuppatinis toy line and in February Warner Bros. Consumer Products tapped the company to create a retail line based on the DC Super Hero Girls universe.

Rising Sun Pictures joins team of Logan

Reprising its role on The Wolverine, Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) has joined the team of director James Mangold for Logan, the third and final installment in 20th Century Fox/Marvel’s Wolverine saga.

Working under the supervision of VFX supervisor Chas Jarrett and co-producer Kurt Williams, RSP contributed some 230 shots to the dark, visceral tale with the work ranging from animating the title character’s trademark claws to producing finely-detailed matte paintings of locations in Mexico, Texas and elsewhere.

Logan is a move away film from other X-Men movies in tone and style. Set in 2029, the film reveals a declining population of X-Men and a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) with diminishing powers. His attempt to hide from the world and provideshelter an aging Professor X, is foiled by the arrival of a young mutant.

 

Hasbro teams up with IDW Publishing to transform its board game into a comic series

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Thanks to a new deal with IDW publishing, Hasbro’s iconic board game Cluedo is being transformed into a comic named Clue.

The game will be recreated in magazine form courtesy to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated adventures’ writer, Paul Allor while the artwork has been put together by Nelson Dániel.

Fans can expect to see all the familiar characters, from Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet.

To help keep readers in suspense before they find out who the killer is, the first issue will also boast three alternate endings.

Clue is set to launch in June.

 

Japanese toy company BANDAI Co. to embark on intl. tour

Japanese toy company BANDAI Co. Ltd. is embarking on an international tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Tamashii Nations collectible figures brand.

The figure display events will take place in 10 cities throughout the year with the next one set for April 29 and 30 in New York City.

The Tamashii Nations 10th Anniversary World Tour in NYC will be held at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, and will be free to the public.

After NYC, the tour will proceed to Mexico in June, with further locations to be announced leading up to the finale in Tokyo in November.

The event will highlight new Dragon Ball products (with Dragon Ball Super now on the air in the US), and the Meisho Movie/Manga Realization action figure series, which re-envisions the characters of Star Wars and the Marvel Universe as Japanese Samurai.

Fans can also check out character goods from hit anime Naruto and Sailor Moon, as well as toys inspired by the characters of the WWE and Godzilla franchises. A total of nine commemorative products will make their sales debut.

The tour event will also include a “touch and try” corner for direct interaction with the figures and a fun photo area.

It may be recalled that the first Tamashii Nations 10th Anniversary World Tour stop was in Sao Paulo, Brazil in December followed by Hong Kong in February.

 

PGS Entertainment bolsters free-TV carriage of Zag across Europe

 

In a slew of new broadcasting deals, Paris-based PGS Entertainment has bolstered free-TV carriage across Europe for Zag and Method Animation’s CGI series Zak Storm.

The 39 x 26-minute action/adventure toon has been lapped up by Pop (UK), Super RTL (Germany), DeAgostini (Italy), RTVE (Spain), Canal Panda (Spain), VTM KZoom (FL Belgium), OufTivi/RTBF (FR Belgium), RTS (FR Switzerland), RTL Telekids (Netherlands), SIC (Portugal) and Plus Plus (Ukraine).

Created by Man of Action Entertainment, commissioned by French channel Gulli and distributed by PGS, Zak Storm follows the story of an everyday kid who becomes captain of a ship of misfits after being swept into the Bermuda Triangle. In his new life, Zak must learn to master a magical, talking sword in order to gain super powers and leadership abilities on the long journey home.

Aimed at kids between six to 11, the series has been produced by Zagtoon (Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir), Method (The Little Prince), South Korea’s SamG Animation and Indonesia’s MNC Animation.

Besides, Zak Storm has been sold to Netflix, TVNZ Kidzone (New Zealand), Amazon (India), DHX TV/Family Channel (Canada), TVA (French Canada), Discovery (India), Zoom TV (Israel) and Spacetoon (Middle East).

 

Boat Rocker Brands ties up with Haven Licensing on a TV series based clothing line

 

Canada’s Boat Rocker Brands has entered into a collaboration with Australia-based Haven Licensing have collaborated on a clothing line featuring the cast members of Radical Sheep’s live-action TV series The Next Step.

Haven Licensing, which was recently taken on board to represent the tween series down under, is launching the leisure apparel line for girls on the heels of the recent sold-out The Next Step Live on Stage tour in Australia.

Licensee Caprice has signed on to manufacture the line, which will include leggings, leotards, sweaters and pajamas. Items will be sold at mass-market retailer Big W across the country beginning this month.

The live tour is due to travel next month across Australia and New Zealand to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland, Newcastle, Canberra, Hobart, Wellington and Christchurch. The 90-minute stage performance features 10 cast members from the TV series.

Filmed in Toronto, The Next Step features a group of elite dancers attempting to win the national dance championship. It airs on Disney Channel in Australia and New Zealand and on pubcaster ABC Me in Australia.

Currently in its fifth season, the show is produced by Boat Rocker-owned Radical Sheep in association with Family Channel.

 

 

Ben Pyne to leave Disney after 25 years

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Disney’s longtime head of TV distribution, Ben Pyne has decided to relinquish his post that he held for  25 years.

Since 2007, Pyne served as president of Disney Media Distribution. In this period, he’s steered the company’s negotiations with MVPDs and streaming platforms and helped drive the company’s push into VOD amid a period of great transition for programmers and distributors.

“Ben’s reputation in our industry is second-to-none,” said Bruce Rosenblum, president of business operations for Disney/ABC TV Group. “What he’s built here at Disney and what he’s been able to accomplish over the past 25 years, is truly remarkable. While we’ll be sad to see him leave, we’re excited to see what his next chapter holds.”

Pyne joined Disney in 1992. He was part of the team that transitioned Disney Channel from a pay cable service to a commercial-free basic offering in the U.S., growing its base from 6.5 million subs to more than 100 million today

Disney expects to name Pyne’s successor by the time he exits in late summer.