Imira Gears Up for Cannes with New Kids’ Titles

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MADRID: Imira Entertainment has acquired more than 300 half-hours of new product that it will present at MIPJunior and MIPCOM.

Among the deals, Imira secured distribution rights for the 39×15-minute boys’ action series DinoCore, from Korean studio Tuba, in Europe and Latin America. Sergi Reitg, Imira’s CEO, says of the robot action comedy, “Its amazingly high-quality animation and entertaining storytelling is perfect for 6- to 9-year-olds, taking them on an adventure to save [an] island from an outer-space invasion.”

Imira also took distribution rights in Europe and Latin America for Tuba’s Larva in New York. The company already handles distribution for the existing Larva series in those territories.

Tuba’s general manager, Chang-II Bae, comments, “Larva has been quite challenging due to its short format, but thanks to Imira, it is [has] translated to [the] global market successfully. I am very excited to be teaming up with Imira again for our new boys’ content DinoCore and I am sure it will stand out in the competitive boys’ action genre because of the appealing story line and quality.”

In addition, Imira picked up worldwide distribution rights for the preschool series Hogie the Globehopper from Malaysia’s Lil Critter Workshop. Reitg describes Hogie the Globehopper as “a delightful and fascinating series for 4- to 7-year-olds that gives kids the chance to discover the world around [them].”

Lil Critter Workshop’s managing director, Walid Omar, adds, “We are extremely excited to team up with Imira Entertainment. We know that Imira share our passion and belief in the potential of Hogie and his adventures, and we look forward to sharing Hogie’s journey with them.”

Imira also secured distribution for Europe, Latin America, the U.S. and U.S. Hispanic market for the preschool edutainment series Vroomiz, featuring talking vehicles shaped like animals. From Korea’s SAMG, Vroomiz is “a great 3-to-7 target series with high-speed adventures that suggests a new way of problem-solving, leading kids to logical thinking through fun,” says Reitg.

Imira also represents SAMG’s MiniForce. The 52×13-minute action-comedy series for kids 4 to 9 is about a special commando force on a mission to protect small and helpless animals from an evil villain.

SAMG’s CEO, Suhoon Kim, remarked, “Vroomiz and Miniforce are both our key IPs. We are very pleased to meet a momentum of overseas business with a great partner like Imira Entertainment. Vroomiz and Miniforce are already in aggressive expansion in Asia. We are confident that this move will continue in Western countries as well, relying on the rich experience and networks of Imira Entertainment.”

These titles are all part of the company’s international catalog of more than 150 titles that make up 3,000-plus half-hours of programming, which Imira is showcasing in Cannes. “We will be presenting many new premium titles, all [of which have] universal appeal,” says Reitg.

He continues: “For MIPJunior and MIPCOM 2016, Imira wanted to present a whole new slate of series, hence completely renovating our catalog. Our goal is to meet the needs of our customers who increasingly demand premium content as well as multi-territory rights.

“We are very pleased to offer a whole new catalog consisting of ten new series for various targets and genres, all with multi-territory rights. We have pushed to invest in series with immediate availability, so this will surely delight our international customers.

“With this commitment, the [most] important in recent years, Imira aims to become a key partner for all broadcasters, SVOD platforms or digital services looking for premium kids’ content that they can program internationally. We are delighted with the support of all the production companies who are trusting in Imira to handle the global distribution of their product, and we continue in our quest to have the best kids’ properties for international distribution.”