Fresh TV Expands Development Slate

February 4, 2008 World Screen

TORONTO, February 4:
Following commissions from TELETOON Canada, family entertainment outfit Fresh
TV has started production on three series, including Stoked, as well as a one-hour special.

Stoked is a character-driven animated sitcom targeting
kids aged 8 to 12. The 26-episodes revolve around five teens that come together
one summer to work at a beach resort on the coast of western Canada. For 10
weeks, they live in cramped staff quarters, eat guests’ leftovers, work harder
than they’ve ever worked in their lives, maybe get fired, maybe fall in love
and, most importantly, surf on their days off. The show is set to air on both
the English- and French-language TELETOON networks in 2009.

The other programs in
production include 13 new episodes for the fourth season of 6TEEN and 26 new episodes of Total Drama Action, the sequel to Total Drama Island. Additionally, a one-hour special of Total
Drama Island is being produced and
is slated to air this fall.

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Elliott Animation, Fresh’s
production facility in Toronto, is handling production on all three shows. 6TEEN
is distributed by Nelvana and Total
Drama Action is distributed by
Cake Distribution. A distribution partner for Stoked has yet to be announced.

“Like 6TEEN and TDI before it, Stoked was
created to cater specifically to the tastes and aspirations of a tween
audience,” said Tom McGillis, the co-creator of Stoked. “It respects and reflects a desire for smart,
engaging programming driven by multiple plotlines, memorable characters and
strong humor.”

“We’re looking forward to
working with Fresh on another TELETOON original production,” said Carole
Bonneau, the VP of programming at TELETOON. “What’s great about Fresh is their
expertise in understanding our audience. With sharp writing and strong
characters, shows such as 6TEEN
and Total Drama Island have
raised the bar in animation for tweens and teens and are consistently top
performers for our kids 6 to 11 audience while also drawing impressive numbers
of older viewers.”

—By Ned Berke