Category Archives: News

No comments

9 Story Media Group Acquires Award Winning Animation Studio Brown Bag Films

  By

9-story logobrown-bag-logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9 Story Media Group Acquires Award Winning Animation Studio

Brown Bag Films

Toronto, Canada – August 18th, 2015 – 9 Story Media Group is pleased to announce that it has acquired award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films. With headquarters in Dublin, a studio in Manchester and an office in Los Angeles, Brown Bag Films employ 170 creative and production staff and is known for producing hit animated children’s series including Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing Bunny and Henry Hugglemonster. This is the first acquisition for 9 Story following an equity investment from media entrepreneur Neil Court and ZMC, Zelnick Media Capital last year. Terms of the transaction, which closed on August 17, 2015, were not disclosed.

Brown Bag Films will retain its brand, with Cathal Gaffney, Founder and CEO of Brown Bag Films, Darragh O’Connell, Founder & Creative Director, and the senior management team, continuing to lead the company.  Brown Bag Films plans to hire an additional 50 staff in the near future as the company looks to reach new markets with its content.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films is renowned for its rich heritage in 3D animation and content, which includes producing four of the top ten pre-school TV shows in the U.S. and entertaining 100 million kids across the globe.  9 Story Media Group is best known as an industry-leading 2D animator, with one of the largest studios in North America, and a highly successful global distribution division.

Vince Commisso, President & CEO of 9 Story Media Group, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Brown Bag Films. Cathal, Darragh and their team in Ireland have a well established track record and an outstanding reputation for producing high quality animation.  This transformative transaction extends our footprint into Europe, broadens our content offering to distribution partners and audiences worldwide, combines best in class CGI and 2D, and optimally positions the company for tremendous growth. We look forward to having Cathal, Darragh and the Brown Bag team, join the 9 Story family.”

Cathal Gaffney, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brown Bag Films, said: “Both 9 Story and Brown Bag Films share a love of animation and storytelling that really resonates with kids.  I am truly excited with this opportunity that we have worked so hard on and look forward to producing the best animated content for children across the globe long into the future. This is great news for everyone in Brown Bag Films and our clients.  It’s even better news for everyone who watches our shows, as together with 9 Story we’ll be able to bring more great animation to screens across the world.”

Darragh O’Connell, co-founder and Creative Director, added: “We are exceptionally proud of what we have built as an Irish company and for the next part of our journey, it makes total sense for us to join forces with 9 Story.  The combined entity will give us a larger bandwidth and bigger global reach for getting our shows into production and watched by as many children as possible. This deal allows us to concentrate on what we have always done very well – making great shows for kids. We LOVE animation and now we will be able to make even more of it!”

 

About Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films are one of Europe’s most exciting, original and successful creative-led animation studios. After 21 years in business, their Dublin-based headquarters continue to produce cutting-edge animation for the international market, bagging numerous awards along the way. These include Oscar® nominations for Give Up Yer Aul Sins (2002), Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (2010), three Emmy® awards for Peter Rabbit (2014), A Peabody award for Doc McStuffins (2015) and

a host of BAFTA, Emmy® and Annie nominations for their hit shows Octonauts, Bing Bunny, Doc McStuffins  and Henry Hugglemonster.

Brown Bag Films’ much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Henry Hugglemonster, Bing Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Olivia, Noddy in Toyland, and Octonauts.  With a second studio in Manchester and an office in LA, Brown Bag Films are committed to producing the highest-quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films have worked with some of the world’s biggest entertainment names, including Disney, Nickelodeon, BBC, Amazon Studios, Acamar Films and Silvergate Media. www.brownbagfilms.com

 

9 Story Media Group is a leading content creator, marketer and distributor of kids & family focused intellectual property. Recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Wild Kratts, Numb Chucks, Arthur and Peg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 1800 half hours of animated and live action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms.  With one of North America’s largest animation studios, 9 Story employs over 250 creative and production staff and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. 9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC, Zelnick Media Capital and media entrepreneur Neil Court. www.9story.com

No comments

Preorder the Disney short film collect on sale August 18th

  By

Preorder the Disney short film collect on sale August 18th.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes an extraordinary new collection of award-winning and beloved short films including the never-before-released Frozen Fever, starring Frozen’s Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Sven and Kristoff, and the Oscar-nominated Lorenzo. The Short Films Collection also includes the 2012 groundbreaking Mickey Mouse cartoon, Get A Horse! as well as hailed Oscar® winners Paperman and Feast. Enjoy them together for the first time in this must-own collection, featuring all-new extras including introductions and interviews with the Disney Animation filmmakers themselves.

 

 

2 Comments

Flash CC 2015 Extensions Installer

  By , ,

Flash CC 2015 extensions

Adobe created a simple utility to make it easier to install extensions for Flash CC 2015.  Following are the details –

Please find below the Dropbox links for both WIN and MAC utilities.

WinUtility-PC (WIN)

MacUtility (MAC)

Some notes:

  1. On, windows, unzip the folder and run the ManageExtensions.exe file.
  2. The first launch of the exe might take some time.
  3. On MAC, unzip the folder and double click app to launch it.
No comments

The Little Red Haired Girl Makes Her Debut

  By
THE LITTLE RED-HAIRED GIRL FIRST MENTIONED: November 19, 1961 Not much is known about the The Little Red-Haired Girl except that she is Charlie Brown's unrequited love in the Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown never found the courage to talk to her and she was never actually seen. The closest she came to appearing in Peanuts was in May, 1998, where she is seen in silhouette dancing with Snoopy. DID YOU KNOW: In the animated specials, which Charles M. Schulz considered non-canonical, the Little Red-Haired Girl is named Heather.

THE LITTLE RED-HAIRED GIRL
FIRST MENTIONED: November 19, 1961
Not much is known about the The Little Red-Haired Girl except that she is Charlie Brown’s unrequited love in the Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown never found the courage to talk to her and she was never actually seen. The closest she came to appearing in Peanuts was in May, 1998, where she is seen in silhouette dancing with Snoopy.
DID YOU KNOW: In the animated specials, which Charles M. Schulz considered non-canonical, the Little Red-Haired Girl is named Heather.

Today, The Little Red Haired Girl from THE PEANUTS MOVIE made her debut with the help of  Francesca Capaldi, voice of The Little Red Haired Girl in the movie. Head over to Francesca’s Instagram page to check out the adorable first look!
See the Little Red Haired Girl on Francesca Capaldi’s Instagram HERE: https://instagram.com/p/4620d6SWJ9/?taken-by=imthefrancescac

This is the first time the Little Red Haired Girl from the movie has been seen!
To learn more about the Little Red Haired Girl and the real-life woman who inspired her, check out this story from The Washington Post:: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/07/09/exclusive-1st-look-thanks-to-peanuts-movie-heres-your-new-little-red-haired-girl/
THE PEANUTS MOVIE hits theaters everywhere on November 6, 2015!
————————-
THE PEANUTS MOVIE
3D Animation
Release: November 6, 2015
Director: Steve Martino
Based upon the comic strip by Charles M. Schulz
Producers: Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz, Cornelius Uliano, Paul Feig, Michael J. Travers
SYNOPSIS
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved “Peanuts” gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation.  Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.  From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day.
THE PEANUTS MOVIE Official Socials
Official Hashtag: #PeanutsMovie
No comments

Nickelodeon Show Creator Launches New App For Kids

  By

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WGlkpbEji4

Originally printed in the Conejo Valley Happening

As if creating several successful animated shows for the Nickelodeon network weren’t enough, Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and T.U.F.F. Puppy) has just launched a mobile app geared for kids and teens.

An animated world filled with cartoons, video games and live action shows, The NOOG Network is a project Hartman has been developing for the past six months. “I wanted to do something where I could branch out on my own,” said the Calabasas resident and last year’s Reyes Adobe Days featured artist. “Having my own space is the perfect opportunity to showcase things that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Hartman, though he loves working in traditional children’s television, has always felt the need to branch out into the app space. He compares the technology to “the wild west” where there aren’t that many rules yet and you can experiment a lot more easily. ” If I think of something on Monday I can have it up by Friday,” he said.

According to Hartman, Noogs are fuzzy little interactive creatures of all shapes and sizes that escort players through their unique city landscape. “As kids watch things, they can earn points and buy more characters, which I think keeps things more interesting,”

LAND OF NOOG COLOREDThe programming, tailored for kids ages 6-14, was developed and created by Hartman and his family which keeps production costs down. One live action show, Zack 2.0–made up of 10, two-minute episodes and described as a teen drama with a sci-fi twist–was shot on-location at Agoura High School and features Hartman’s daughters, Carly and Sophia, in the cast. His wife, Julieann, was the line producer.

Currently, there are six 30-second cartoons, two live action shows, a kids’ newscast and three video games. “By this time next year I hope to have about 20 shows, 50 cartoons and 10 video games,” he said.

Currently, the app is free and can be found on mobile devices. In addition, Hartman will be hosting an upcoming event to showcase the app at The Garage teen center located at the Agoura Hills Recreation & Event Center. Stay tuned for details.

Incidently, we interviewed Butch back in 2011

– See more at: http://conejovalley.happeningmag.com/nickelodeon-show-creator-launches-new-app-for-kids/#sthash.0lMyg3go.dpuf

No comments

The Iron Giant is coming back to theaters!

  By

iron-giant

 

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Warner Bros. and Fathom Events are putting a remastered “Signature Edition” version of The Iron Giant in theaters for a very limited engagement. The special-event screening will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 30, with an encore showing on Oct. 4 at 12 p.m. in participating theaters around the country. The new remastered cut will include two all-new scenes.

“We can’t wait to bring this family favorite back its home on the big screen,” said Fathom Events CEO John Rubey, in a statement. “The Iron Giant is meant to be seen and heard in movie theaters and this is a great chance for fans new and old to enjoy this classic, remastered with new scenes.”