MIP Junior: The New Content Creators

CANNES: MIP Junior is set to feature a case-study presentation on Saturday by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, the founder and CEO of Teshkeel Media and creator of The 99, an animated series debuting on The Hub and being represented worldwide by Endemol Worldwide Distribution. He tells World Screen Newsflash about how the show came about, and about his partnership with Endemol.

Al-Mutawa’s presentation takes place during the 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. session on Saturday called Case Studies: The New Content Creators. His presentation, entitled The 99: A Case Study in Diversity, will touch on how a concept that was developed in the Middle East has been modeled to cater to international tastes, while still being true to its origins. Al-Mutawa says he was inspired to create The 99—which originated as a comic book series—by his sons. "As my sons were learning vicariously what television was programming them to learn, so was I," he tells World Screen Newsflash. "As a psychologist and businessman, I thought what better way to influence our future culture than by animated characters. And this got me thinking and ultimately hatched a plan to mainstream the positive elements within my own culture that are shared with the rest of humanity."

The comic books are serving as the springboard for the new animated series, which is bring produced by Endemol UK. "The big picture themes of diversity, tolerance, respect, multiculturalism (and action packed adventure!) are as wonderfully represented in the animated series as they are in the comic books."

Scoring a U.S. placement, on The Hub, was "a validation on many fronts," Al-Mutawa says. "The CEO of The Hub, Margaret Loesch, was an early mentor to me. I met her several years ago and she was generous with her time when I needed advice and was just starting out. She was one of three people I turned to when Endemol approached us to co-produce the series. She followed our development closely and when she became the CEO of The Hub it was serendipitous. The fact that we are to be aired in the United States is a coup. But the fact that it is on The Hub has a special meaning for me."

Commenting on his relationship with Endemol, meanwhile, Al-Mutawa notes. "The relationship with Endemol literally dropped out of the sky. Subniv Babuta, a freelance television producer, was visiting a friend in Egypt when his friend’s son pulled some comics he was reading from under his bed. The comics were The 99. Subniv introduced himself to us via e-mail inquiring about the animation rights to The 99. I told him I would only be interested in partnering with someone if there were distribution attached. Next thing you know he showed up on our Kuwait doorstep with behemoth Endemol in tow. I was both flattered and confused. I knew enough about the business to know that animation was not Endemol’s sweet spot. Nor were they known for producing shows they didn’t own. So I reached out to one of my mentors who explained to me that Endemol’s then new CEO, Ynon Kreiz, used to run Fox Kids in Europe and that if anyone understood kids’ programming it was him. And the rest as they say is history. We have had an incredible relationship."