Albie Hecht’s Studio Secures $9 Million in NBC Universal-Led Financing

NEW YORK, August 7: Worldwide Biggies, the digital
entertainment studio founded by former Nickelodeon and Spike TV chief Albie
Hecht, has secured $9 million in Series A financing, led by NBC Universal and
Platform Equity.

This round of funding also included significant
participation from Hearst Corporation, Alan Patricof’s Greycroft Partners and
Prism VentureWorks. The financing will be used to continue Worldwide Biggies’
strategy of developing original characters and franchises in the broadband
universe and then extending them to multiple platforms including mobile,
television, film and consumer products. The outfit focuses on content for kids,
young adults and families.

The company has already produced a number of successful
multiplatform projects led by Nickelodeon’s The Naked Brothers Band, which includes the top-rated TV series, web shorts
and podcasts. Worldwide Biggies has also created a destination for dog videos
in WorldwideFido.com, and
partnered with a leading celebrity news website to launch the online game STARVSSTAR.com. A range of webisodes are also in development for
the likes of IFilm and Spike TV.

Commenting on the investment, George Kliavkoff, NBC
Universal’s chief digital officer, noted: “We know that innovative,
professionally produced content is a differentiator on all platforms for both
consumers and marketers. Albie and the Worldwide Biggies team have a noted
track record of creating engaging and unique content and we are delighted to be
working to further expand our capabilities in this dynamic and growing area.”

In addition to today’s financing announcement, NBC Universal
has also entered into an operational relationship with Worldwide Biggies. As
part of the agreement, NBC Universal has committed to a right of negotiation
whenever Worldwide Biggies takes any of its young adult properties into film,
television, theatrical, home video, merchandising, platform or console gaming
and mobile. In addition, NBC Universal will have the opportunity to sell
advertising for all existing and future Worldwide Biggies multiplatform
content. The NBC Universal Digital Media team will work with Worldwide Biggies and
its Digital Studios unit to produce branded entertainment solutions for
marketing clients.