WorldScreenings: Superights’ Super-Sized Offer

Operating from Paris, Milan and Los Angeles, Superights distributes kids’ content that covers all genres and reaches children from across the world—from linear TV to streaming platforms and theatrical releases. With partnerships on all continents and representing more than 20 producers, the company counts more than 25 properties in its catalog.

“The Superights catalog offers a wide range of programs,” says Nathalie Pinguet, deputy managing director of sales and acquisitions. “It meets all clients’ needs around the world, offering different types of animations, all types of durations and is aimed at all target groups. In addition to having a large variety of series, we also have a very nice collection of TV specials and movies.”

For the preschool crowd, Superights’ slate includes Anna & Friends, which follows an imaginative little girl, an impatient frog, an over-confident dog, a thoughtful cat and a naïve earthworm on their exciting backyard escapes. The adventure comedy Percy’s Tiger Tales centers on four friends who make up their own imaginary worlds, traveling from one to another. In addition to the completed series, there are Christmas, Halloween, Carnival and Summer specials in development and set to be ready between November 2021 and February 2022. There’s also the edutainment series Clay Time and the edutainment hybrid series Koumi’s Animated Picture Book, the latter of which sees a playful 6-year-old girl taking young viewers on journeys to meet the animals of the world found within her picture book.

Superights titles that appeal to slightly older children include That’s Joey, a comedy about a boy who finds the most imaginative and unexpected ways to get out of strange situations and help those around him. A shortcom for kids, Handico features Will as he explains common disabilities to young viewers—from their causes to the effects they have on a person’s daily life.

When it comes to adding new content to its offering, Superights is open to all types of original and well-made programming for kids. “We consider any program we receive and the complete Superights team analyzes it, having in mind the specific needs of the clients for each territory,” says Pinguet. “Regarding our future acquisitions, we would be open to receiving boy-targeted content, action-adventure content, content for kids 8- to 10-years-old.” The company is also looking to help producers close their budgets “by offering significant minimum guarantees and to help them sign presales at the very beginning of the process,” explains Pinguet.

Amid the coronavirus, Superights has been among the more fortunate companies as it weathers the unprecedented conditions. “We have the chance to work with well-organized producers so that we had no disruption in the production process, and we didn’t have any delay in our delivery schedules,” says Pinguet. In terms of how the company has used its position in the content business to reach kids in these difficult times, Pinguet explains, “In this anxious context, kids’ content is there to entertain them, which remains Superights’ primary concern.” Superights has also raised awareness for young viewers with clips starring the titular characters from Pat the Dog and Helen’s Little School.

Looking ahead, there are three things top-of-mind at Superights, according to Pinguet: “Remaining attentive and available to our customers more than ever, adapting our ways of working and trying to be different from the other distributors in a remote market without physical meetings, and continuing to expand the Superights’ catalog.”

See Superights Fall/Winter 2020 Showcase here.