Making Strides
World Screen: TV Kids - April, 2007

TORONTO: At MIPCOM, the Canadian animation outfit 9 Story Entertainment launched its own distribution arm with two properties that were developed in-house, Best Ed and Futz! Broadcasters came on board quickly, says Natalie Osborne, the company's executive VP of business development. "We're really happy to come back to MIPTV with those two shows in production."

The 52x11-minute Best Ed is a 2-D series about a helpful dog named Ed and his squirrel pal buddy, for Teletoon in Canada and Cartoon Network U.K. The 26x3-minute Futz!, for Teletoon in Canada, is a 2-D nonverbal show about the adventures of an odd-looking character who gets himself into an array of absurd situations.

Osborne is hoping for a similar positive reception to three new shows available for presale. Almost Naked Animals, for kids aged 6 to 11, is based on a website of the same name about a group of characters that run the Hot Hot Sands Resort. Bash Boys is an action comedy for boys 8 to 12, and SuperEwe is a comedy about a teenage sheep who doubles as a superhero, protecting her flock at the Better Luck Farms.

The new properties reflect 9 Story's broad strategy for its distribution division. "In terms of production, we really are going to limit [ourselves] to four or five shows per year. The opportunity for growth is in [third-party] distribution. We turn over every rock to find the gem, whether it's a website property or looking at creators and talent from within Canada and abroad."

>Back