ER Takes On New Property, Scores U.S. Deal

NEW YORK/CANNES, October 13: Entertainment Rights (ER) has
clinched a U.S. slot for its new CGI animation Shelldon, and has taken on the rights to the award-winning
preschool property Me, Myself and the Others.

The series Shelldon is
set to air on qubo’s children’s programming block on NBC, Telemundo, and ION
TV. The 13×30-minute series, which focuses on environmental themes, targets
kids aged 4 to 8 and is scheduled to premiere in spring 2009. ER holds the
worldwide rights for the show (excluding Thailand, with shared representation
in Japan and Korea) across all platforms, including TV, digital media, home
entertainment, music, licensing and merchandising. The series is produced by
Shellhut Entertainment and aims to teach kids about marine life.

“We are extremely excited to conclude our first major
broadcast partner for Shelldon in the
U.S. and qubo is the perfect home for this new animated series,” said Doug
Schwalbe, the executive VP of sales and co-production at Entertainment Rights
North America. “Shelldon is a
vibrant show that addresses important issues in a very creative, fun and clever
way. Following our success in the U.S. we are now actively engaged with key
international broadcasters at MIPCOM following the delivery of the first
episode, to expand the worldwide presence for this series.”

“Shelldon is a
wonderful addition to qubo’s spring 2009 schedule,” added Rick Rodriguez, the
president and general manager of qubo. “The series’ soft environmental and
educational message delivers on our mission to provide kids and families with
entertainment that focuses on promoting literacy and values.”

At MIPCOM today, ER also announced the addition of Me,
Myself and the Others to its portfolio. The
company has secured the worldwide rights (excluding Italy, Germany, Austria,
German and Italian-speaking Switzerland) to the 52×5-minute 2-D animation
co-produced by RAI Fiction, Enanimation, Motus and Motionworks. The Pulcinella
Award-winning preschool show is based on the highly successful publishing
franchise Favole by Andrea
Pazienza.

Chloe Van den Berg, the executive director of international
at ER noted: “International buyers attending MIPCOM will have an exclusive
first look at this new series. The comic adventures of this charming group of
animals who each have their loveable peculiarities will have universal appeal
to kids around the world.”

—By Mansha Daswani