Property Profile: GeoFreakZ

DISTRIBUTOR: CCI Entertainment

CREATOR: Chris Gudgeon

TV SHOW: The series consists of 44×1-minute animated minisodes (22 per season).

This unique transmedia property integrates Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming (MMOG), televised animated shorts, extended online content and live events.

DESCRIPTION: Each minisode features the gang of freakz on their wild adventures as they learn the craft of geocaching, search the universe for treasure and avoid their enemies, the DNF, who attempt to thwart their every mission.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Arnie Zipursky, the co-chairman and CEO of CCI Entertainment, and Charles Falzon, the co-chairman of CCI Entertainment.

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTER: TELETOON Canada for a spring 2011 premiere.

TV SALES: The property will be introduced to the international market early next year.

MAJOR TOY LICENSEES: Discussions are currently under way with major toy and gaming companies.

OTHER PRODUCTS: Products envisioned include digital games, handheld GPS units, geocaching kits, GeoFreakZ Academy live events and collectibles. Also, a 3D animated feature film is in development.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: GeoFreakZ landed at CCI following its long-term relationship with producer Chris Gudgeon. He had envisioned producing a property that is “really connected to kids in a game that they play, that is comfortable for television and that is also something we can do beyond television, beyond electronic games,” says Charles Falzon, co-chairman of CCI.

The show is based on the outdoor sporting activity of geocaching, a treasure-hunting game where users use GPS devices. “It’s a world unto itself,” says Falzon.

The resulting property that CCI is distributing “is a truly multimedia experience,” Falzon notes. “It is a true multiplayer online game and is also interesting entertainment for television, for streaming, and so on and so forth.”

Falzon stresses the transmedia nature of the property, noting that it ended up as a TELETOON commission after CCI had first begun discussions with the Canadian broadcaster’s gaming and web division. The approach initially was, “let’s talk about a cool online experience that also can be a cool TV experience,” Falzon says. “From day one we were developing this as a game with TELETOON.”

CCI is developing a broad L&M campaign, kicking off with a partnership with Geocaching.com in North America. In the works are a live Geocaching Adventures tour, among a slate of other brand extensions, to complement the 1-minute TV episodes. “They have clues within them that help you with the game,” Falzon says of the TV show. “We’ll also have added footage on the website.”

One of the great strengths of the brand, Falzon adds, is that it presents “an opportunity for parents to do things with their kids. Every property that I’ve been involved in that has been a success has been about intergenerational activities.”