Category Archives: Promote Yourself!

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Promote Yourself: E.X.O. — An African Superhero Graphic Novel

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E.X.O. — An African Superhero Graphic Novel
Writer and creative director Roye Okupe (who we interviewed today) launches his debut graphic novel E.X.O. – The Legend of Wale Williams, narrating the origins of a superhero from Nigeria (Africa)

YouNeek Studios, the Maryland based transmedia company, is proud to bring the graphic novel, E.X.O. – The Legend of Wale Williams to their fans. E.X.O. will be a trilogy of books, with the first split into two parts. Part one will be a 110-page book, due to be released summer 2015.

The book currently has a campaign running on the popular crowdsourcing platform, Kickstarter. You can support it today and be a part of history by clicking here.

Synopsis
Lagoon City, Nigeria 2025. Tricked into returning home to Nigeria after a five year absence, an impetuous young man named Wale (pronounced Wah-leh) Williams embarks on a journey to investigate his father’s mysterious disappearance. His only clue is a cryptic Nanosuit left behind for him by his father, a suit which grants superhuman abilities. As he comes to understand the suit’s powers, Wale realizes he must restore hope to the city by preventing catastrophic attacks from the sociopathic extremist, Oniku.

E.X.O. was created and conceived by Roye Okupe, a writer with a background in film and animation. In 2010 Roye served as an assistant director and editor of the feature film D’Comeback. He has also directed several animated shorts.

“From the first day I laid my eyes on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons in the 80’s, I’ve been hooked on superheroes. Since then, I’ve watched, played and read every single superhero related title I could lay my hands on: movies, superhero comics, manga, anime, graphic novels, superhero animated movies & series, video games, etc. Then in 2008, after noticing there wasn’t a lot of diversity within the genre, I decided to tell a story about a hero from Nigeria (Africa),” notes Okupe.

He also surrounded himself with a team based in Nigeria to edit and create the novel’s artwork: Ayodele Elegba, editor; Sunkanmi Akinboye, artist; Raphael Kazeem, colors; and Godwin Akpan, cover art.

Beyond the graphic novel trilogy, YouNeek Studios has plans to release E.X.O. as an animated feature sometime in the future. In a time were the public is demanding a more diverse slate of superhero comics and movies, YouNeek Studios aims to fill that gap with a library of eclectic characters.

“My mission with E.X.O. – The Legend of Wale Williams is to put Africa on the map when it comes to telling superhero stories, whether through animation or through superhero comics and graphic novels. We have so many people with a wealth of creative and appealing stories on the continent, but they never really get the proper commercial exposure. I myself experienced this when I approached investors and distributors. I was told it was a great idea, but there was no fan base for this sort of product. But I refuse to believe that. I believe that if it’s done properly (with great script, good production values etc.), Africans and people all over the world will be receptive. We don’t necessarily love characters like Superman, Batman or Spiderman because of their place of origin. We love them because they have great stories we can identify with. That’s why I took my time in developing the story and characters. My hope is that E.X.O. fulfills my life long goal of adding something unique to the superhero genre.”

About the creator:
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Roye Okupe is a veteran creative specialist who holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in computer science from The George Washington University. His passion for animation led him to found YouNeek Studios in 2012, an avenue that would allow him pursue his dream of creating a diverse library of superheroes. Under that umbrella, Roye wrote and produced several animated productions including, but not limited to 2D/3D animated short films, TV commercials, show openers, music videos and much more.

The Kickstarter campaign runs until May 7th.

To learn more about the campaign, please head to:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44069577/exo-the-legend-of-wale-williams-part-one/

Official Website: http://youneekstudios.com

Requests for interviews can be sent to info@youneekstudios.com

Download chapter one of the E.XO. graphic novel for free at: http://youneekstudios.com/preview/exo-preview.pdf
View a video trailer for E.X.O here:

 

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Wildseed Comedy unveils debut adult animation comedy series Peter’s Place

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Peter's Place

Wildseed Comedy unveils debut adult animation comedy series Peter’s Place
#PetersPlaceSeries
Wildseed Comedy has unveiled Peter’s Place, its debut adult animation comedy series. The show is set in a pub in Manchester, the sort that would give Family Guys’ The Drunken Clam a run for its money, and is managed by Peter, a quick-witted, foul-mouthed northerner with trust issues and anxieties over the threatening expansion of the middle classes. You know the type.

The series is part of Wildseed Studio’s commitment to launch a new series every month and provide viewers with premium, original shows featuring the best new UK comedy talent.

Peter’s Place explores the dysfunctional relationships Peter has with his clientele and the bond that binds these misfits including foul-mouthed pensioner Mary who’s lonely and un-loved ever since her husband left her. Then there’s Brian, an aspiring creative trapped in a soulless job – and not forgetting Oliver who’s a bit of a dreamer that needs a guiding hand to cope with the tough realities of modern life.

Produced by Wildseed Comedy, Peter’s Place is a four-part series which viewers can watch on Wildseed Comedy’s YouTube channel from Tuesday 14 April here http://petersplaceseries.com/

#PetersPlaceSeries

Media enquiries
Harry Cymbler
@HarryHotCherry
harry@hotcherry.co.uk
+44 20 7607 2413

About Wildseed Comedy

http://www.youtube.com/wildseedcomedy 

Founded in 2014 by Miles Bullough & Jesse Cleverly, Wildseed Comedy aims to become the home of new online comedy in the UK. Our mission is to help bring fresh comedy projects to life through nurturing, developing and financing talent. We are dedicated to providing viewers with premium, original, scripted shows featuring the best new UK comedy talent, with a new series launching every month.

 

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AninetworkFest -An online Festival Of Short Animated Films

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AninetworkFest! An ONLINE Festival Of Short Animated Films 

AninetworkFest is an international competition and online platform that serves to support the animated short films and their creators.

It should also be a place where community of creative people that producing these films meet. On the other hand, then the place for people who enjoy watching of these films and that are fans of this kind of art.

The festival will take place from 20th April to 10th May 2015 on the web www.aninetworkfest.com

The top 20 short animated films will compete in this competition. You can watch and evaluate them during the festival. After the end of the festival the films will be placed freely to watch in our database.

 

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Press release: Gustaf the Puffin

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Gabriele Ranfagni has launched a Crowd Funding effort for his film Gustaf the Puffin. Check out the press release below. Incidentally we interviewed him a while back.

Today, on January 12th, 2015 we are glad to announce that our fundraising page on Karolina Fund has been opened.

Here you can find the link to our page and read all about our project :

https://www.karolinafund.com/project/view/583

We are aiming high and need 42.000 Euros so our project can go from an idea to reality. To reach our goal we need your help. All press coverage, interviews, pictures and such would get us closer to our fundraising goal.

Gustaf the puffin is an animated character which I, Anna Birgis and Gabriele Ranfagni own the copyright to.

We have an excellent team behind us, all very qualified animators. You can see our team on our page on Karolina Fund.

We are aiming to have the pilot show ready in the fall of 2015. We do not have a specific date yet but we will keep you posted.

When that show is ready and premiered, the people that donated the high amounts to our project will be invited to see it, if they have free time to fly over to Iceland. Along with them, part of our team, my self and Gabriele and people from the press, this premier will be a great one.

After the pilot episode is ready and has been premiered it is time for my self and Gabriele to find an investor for our project. Our idea is to make 24 episodes, 11 minutes each.

Gustaf the puffin is Icelandic and all episodes made will happen in icelandic landscape.

As you can see on our fundraising page on Karolina Fund, the introduction for Gustaf the puffin happens on an icelandic beach on black sand right by a place called Dyrholaey.

The idea for the project happened at Dyrholaey last summer in July when my self, Gabriele and others went there to look at the puffins.

If you have more questions or want an interview please contact me – Anna Birgis, by email annabirgis@gmail.com or by phone +354-8658586.

Thank you and I surely hope I will hear from you very soon.

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Promote Yourself: WILD KRATTS TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM!

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WK_315_BrosStudyChameleonWILD KRATTS TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM!
The popular animated adventure series hits #1 for kids 4-8 and 6-11 across all networks
Licensing and broadcast undergo expanded roll outs

Toronto, Canada – November 24, 2014  – Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group are pleased to announce a flurry of activity for their hit animated adventure series, Wild Kratts. The series continues to grow in popularity and now holds the #1 spot for kids 4-8 and kids 6-11, across all networks.* The strong performance of the brand extends to toys and books, categories which have both seen highly promising results to date.

 

Master toy licensee Wicked Cool Toys launched a broad toy offering at Toys “R” Us (U.S.), TRU.com and shop.pbskids.org earlier this fall; this included creature power suits, talking plush, and vehicle sets. Due to the line’s strong initial performance, new items have been developed, including a Tortuga playset, deluxe power suit with sound as well as hero and villain packs.  The new skus were on display at the Dallas Fall Mass Market Preview this past October, and are expected to be available at retail in Fall 2015. Random House Kids also released the first Wild Kratts book in the U.S. and Canada, as part of the publisher’s Step Into Reading Program. Sales of the first book exceeded expectations and as a result it has already received a second printing.

 

The expansion comes shortly after PBS KIDS greenlit a fourth season and 9 Story announced new sales of the series to France Télévisions (France), E Junior (UAE) and Canal Panda (Portugal). Wild Kratts has previously been licensed to Discovery Kids (Latin America and Asia), Super RTL (Germany), Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (Middle East), Noga (Israel), TV3 (Spain), SIC (Portugal), Dublin Films (Ireland), VRT (Belgium), Chello Media (Eastern Europe), MediaCorp PTD Ltd. (Singapore), TV3 Catalunya (Spain), Minika (Turkey) and Primetime (Colombia).

 

Wild Kratts premiered on PBS KIDS in the U.S. in 2011 and on TVO, Knowledge Network and Télé-Quebec in Canada.  A co-production between The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Entertainment, Wild Kratts is distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Kratt Brothers Company and internationally by 9 Story Media Group. The series was created and developed by real life brothers and zoologists, Martin and Chris Kratt who star in the show as animated versions of themselves. The fourth season will include 26 episodes, which will begin rolling out in the U.S. on PBS KIDS in late 2015. Wild Kratts airs weekdays on PBS stations nationwide in the U.S. (check local listings).

 

The Kratt brothers leap into animated action in Wild Kratts, an adventure comedy from the creators of the hit shows Kratt’s Creatures and Zoboomafoo. In each episode, Chris and Martin Kratt travel to a different corner of the world to meet amazing new animals. Join the Wild Kratts for a laugh-out-loud comedy adventure, as Martin and Chris activate their Creature Power Suits to rescue their animal friends!

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 and its affiliate companies represent over 1700 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 220 creative and production staff and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. 9 Story is owned by Senior Management, ZM Capital and media entrepreneur Neil Court. www.9story.com

Kratt Brothers Company, founded in 1993, has created and produced over 200 episodes of television, including award-winning series: Kratts’Creatures, Zoboomafoo and Kratt Brothers: Be The Creature and Wild Kratts.  Through its full service animation studio, Kratt Brothers Company is currently in production on its third season of the Emmy-nominated hit, Wild Kratts. The Kratt Brothers’ national tours draw tens of thousands of creature-crazy kids and their families and the not-for-profit Kratt Brothers Creature Hero Society, together with kids, has successfully protected critical wildlife habitats through the creation of nature reserves.  www.krattbrothers.com

Wicked Cool Toys

WickedCool, LLC is a Pennsylvania-based toymaker with offices in Pennsylvania, California and Hong Kong. Founded in the Summer of 2012, Wicked Cool has a diverse portfolio of playthings for all ages. The Wicked Cool Toys management team is led by co-Presidents in the US Michael Rinzler and Jeremy Padawer, and in Hong Kong, Thomas Poon. The Company develops and brings to market proprietary lines and licensed product, including, Wild Kratts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®, Garfield, The Wiggles, Crashlings, My Girl’s Dollhouse, Vrüm, WWE®, Disney Princess®, Minnie Mouse®, Marvel®, Batman®, Superman®, Iron Man®, Sponge Bob®, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer®, and Monster Jam®. Visit www.wickedcooltoys.com and follow the Company on both Facebook and Twitter.  www.facebook.com/wickedcooltoys    @wickedcooltoys

For further information: 

Jennifer Ansley, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, 9 Story Media Group

+1 416 530-9900 ext 230, jennifera@9story.com

 

*Ratings Source: Nielsen NPower. 9/29/2014 – 10/26/2014. Live+7 AA Program ratings for PBS and select competitive cable network on-going series with at least 4 telecasts/month and a 15 minute duration.

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Promote Yourself: Composite Films launches crowdfunding campaign for To Build a Fire

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French production company, Composite Films launches crowdfunding campaign for its polar western, To Build a Fire

On Monday, October 27th Composite Films has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo with the objective to collect 25,000€ in contributions to finance the 2D animated short film adaptation of Jack London’s famous short story To Build a Fire directed by award winning and London based, FX Goby.  You can see the first few images on Facebook by clicking here. The film will be finished by the beginning of 2016 for the 100th anniversary of Jack London’s death. Within only 15 days of our campaign, we have managed to surpass the 10,000€ mark with over 100 contributors! The campaign finishes December 22nd, so there are only less than 40 days left to get a part of the action!

Who?

To Build a Fire brings together the unique vision of FX Goby, director of award winning En tus Brazos, and the expertise of Samuel François-Steininger, producer and founder of Composite Films. Located in Lyon, the birthplace of cinematography, our production company is a part of the cultural vitality of Europe, and with achieving the goal of 25,000€ will be a fantastic way to showcase the French savoir-faire at an international level.

What?

Adapted from Jack London’s short story, To Build a Fire, a 10-minute 2D film, tells the terrible and tragic tale of a trapper and his dog crossing the polar tundra of the Yukon, a territory located in the arctic circle of North America near Alaska. The novella, essentially descriptive and void of dialogue, represents a veritable challenge for adaptation. The minimal style and refined animation of FX Goby will be evident through his work on sound and staging. He will replace London’s narrative words of the burning cold with focusing on the intense sensations, such as the vicious progression of freezing blood as it backflows, seeking refuge in the heart of the man that is fighting hypothermia.

Why?

Monday, October 27th, we launched a campaign for crowdfunding on Indiegogo with the objective of receiving 25,000€ to fund the film. With this money, Composite Films will be able to cover the costs of preproduction (including shooting in the Alps, animation production of 10 minutes- the first version, animation testing, etc.), to create a universe of sound for the film with a sound designer, pay the team of artists involved in our project, promote our film and find new contributors. In exchange for their donation, the crowdfunders will have access to tons of unique compensations, from a dogsled race in the breathtaking mountain ranges of le Jura and les Vosges, to T-shirts, Christmas edition handmade finger puppets of the characters, a limited edition Leatherman® multi-tool, a collector’s edition book of illustrations, and effigy figurines of the characters in To Build a Fire!

When?

The crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo will last two months. The money received will allow us to go into production immediately.

 

2016 will not only mark the 100th year after Jack London’s death, but also his 140th birthday. Thus the goal is to finish production by the end of 2015 to be able to widely distribute our film to festivals throughout the next year to celebrate this double anniversary.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read about our project! We are readily available to answer any questions you may have, conduct interviews or provide you with any details to enrich your articles or reports. Any and all passing the word along about our campaign will help! You can also check out, like, follow and share our official To Build a Fire Facebook and Twitter pages. If you would like to download our Press Kit, comprised of key visuals of To Build a Fire’s design and artwork, as well as portraits of the producer and director, click here.

 

To Build a Fire film team

Samuel François-Steininger | Producer 

sfs@compositefilms.fr

FX Goby | Director

fxgoby@gmail.com

Marie Corberand | Executive Producer

mc@compositefilms.fr

Alexander Lawrence | Community Manager 

cmcompositefilms@gmail.com

Marine Wong Kwok Chuen | Media Coordinator

marine.wkc@gmail.com

And all of the artists involved in the preparation of the film.