Olivier Dumont

Managing Director
TV-Loonland

Over the last few years, TV-Loonland has evolved from being just a leading production company of shows like The Cramp Twins and Pettson and Findus to positioning itself as a brand-management firm within the kids’-and-family programming sector. Leading this change in strategy has been Olivier Dumont, who joined TV-Loonland in 2005 to head up development, production and distribution.

One of the first things Dumont did was align TV-Loonland with Little Princess, from The Illuminated Film Company, signing up as co-producer and taking on the rights for the international TV, home entertainment and merchandising arenas. Recently commissioned for a third season, the property has rolled out to more than 170 markets and has generated significant ancillary revenues with a host of merchandise at retail.

The continued licensing and merchandising campaign on Little Princess is one of Dumont’s priorities for this year. "The rollout started in the U.K. with the entire first part of the toy range in the second semester of 2008. It has also started in Australia. What we want to do now is roll out in Germany, France and other countries, because the ratings are just amazing. With the third-season commitment, we’ve secured the longevity of the brand and the exposure it will receive for a good number of years."

Over his years in kids’ programming, Dumont has come to understand the importance of developing an off-screen presence for a show. Trained as an entertainment lawyer, Dumont’s first industry job was at Europe Images, which has a catalogue that spans docs, drama and children’s programming. "I clearly identified the kids’ business as the one I preferred," he says. "The two main reasons were the people and how international it was. To produce an animated series, you have to make it international. In most cases, it’s not like you can secure 100 percent of your financing from your home territory."

Knowing that the kids’ business was the one he wanted to be in, Dumont went on to stints as managing director of Saban International Paris and head of acquisitions and co-productions at Canal J, before moving to TV-Loonland.

In addition to Little Princess, TV-Loonland has taken a stake in several other brands since Dumont’s arrival, including Pat&Stan, Penelope, The Owl, Raymond, Leon and others. The newest is My Life Me, which reflects the company’s desire to "age up" its properties, Dumont says, after building a strong niche in preschool. The series, a comedy about four offbeat tweens, is also the first that TV-Loonland has contributed to both from a developmental and a production standpoint under Dumont’s watch; the company had a hand in crafting of the show, and supervising some of the animation at its own in-house facilities. Targeted at the 7-to-11 set, the series taps into a demand from kids’ broadcasters for quality comedy content, Dumont says, and TELETOON in Canada, France 2 and Canal J have all already come on board. "There’s a lot of anticipation for it, based on the recent success of tween series like Total Drama Island and 6teen."

And there are other properties in the works, Dumont says, with a strong development slate at TV-Loonland and two new pilots for buyers to view this week at MIPTV.

Click to view clips of Pat & Stan and Raymond.