Video Interview: Fresh TV’s Tom McGillis

NEW YORK: Tom McGillis, the president and co-founder of Fresh TV, talks in this video interview about the company’s foray into live action, as well as its continued success with animation.

After making a name for itself as a producer of high-quality animation with hits such as the Total Drama franchise, 6Teen and Stoked, Fresh TV is now poised to conquer the live-action arena. Coming out of the gate strong, the Canadian outfit solidified a relationship with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) on its two new live-action properties, My Babysitter’s a Vampire and Really Me.

At MIPTV, FME secured a deal that brings the adventure-comedy My Babysitter’s a Vampire to Disney Channels and Disney XD services around the world, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Netherlands and Nordic territories. The Family Channel original Really Me, about a teen who lands her own reality show, debuts this weekend in Canada. In the way of animation, Fresh TV has started production on an all-new fourth season of Total Drama.

Be it for animation or live action, McGillis stresses the value of having a diverse team of clever writers on board for kids’ shows who are "laugh-out-loud funny." He discusses with TV Kids Weekly his strategy for tapping into that talent pool.