INK Global Makes Its Mark with Kids

Bruno Zarka, the company’s media director, talks about some of the properties in the catalogue, including the animated hit Masha and the Bear.

The story of a little girl and her friendship with a retired circus bear has enchanted audiences and broadcasters the world over. Masha and the Bear, sold by INK Global, has been a resounding success, sold into some 135 markets in a wide swath of territories.

Dmitry Gordinsky, INK’s head of development, heard about the series from the creator and writer of Masha, which originally had been done for Russian TV. “He realized immediately that it was great for an international audience because Masha is adorable, lovable, hyperactive and the show is full of real sentiment,” recalls Bruno Zarka, the media director at INK Global. “In the end, it’s a series all about love. That’s why it’s resonating with people all over the world.”

There is a third season of Masha and the Bear now available in the international market, watching as the two friends embark on new adventures. “Each episode of Masha is a little gem of creative production,” says Zarka, likening the series to an animated theatrical motion picture. He says that it takes about two months to produce a single episode.

As international broadcasters began asking about more episodes, the idea came about to create some spin-offs for the show. The first, Masha’s Tales, featured the little girl talking to her favorite toys and telling them stories. “The great thing about that series is that every episode is a legacy of the Russian school of animation,” says Zarka. “Each episode has a different kind of 2D animation.”

The new spin-off, which is in production, is Masha’s Spooky Stories. The show has a lot of comedy in it, and features Masha telling tales, but to the audience instead of to her toys. “We are working with broadcasters (and we have a lot of them on board!) on a special Halloween release for the series,” Zarka says.

Also in the INK slate is The Mojicons, a comedy that dives into the world of the web, which is where the Mojicons live. The concept for the show came from a somewhat unexpected source, explains Zarka. Claus Tømming, INK’s managing partner, was approached by his young son with an interesting question: What is the internet? It’s a difficult concept to break down for a child into a simple answer, but that seed of an idea inspired Tømming and Gordinsky to meet with the Russian producers and creators of Kolobanga Studio who were in contact with Gordinsky and developing a series starring emoticons. And thus was born The Mojicons. The series is in production for 52 episodes; the first 26 are planned for delivery in the fall, and the second 26 in spring 2017.

The INK catalogue also includes the new project Tindili, which follows the adventures of five alien children in the environment of Tindletown. “Each episode is like a small movie, featuring a problem that, through dialogue and teamwork, the characters are able to solve, while bonding and reinforcing their friendship at the same time,” says Zarka.

“At INK Global, we decided to look for stories from the most unexpected places in the world and because they are good stories, and we can be good storytellers, they create a bond with children everywhere,” Zarka says.

“All these shows are projects that combine distinct originality with a really strong story, as this appeals not only to international media buyers, but most importantly to kids,” he adds. “We don’t represent a lot of shows, as we value quality over quantity, but all these projects fit the bill and will benefit from our long-term dedicated global cross-media plan for building a franchise.”