Tag Archives: PBS Kids

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Craig Bartlett

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Craig Bartlett, creator and exec producer, Dinosaur Train, PBS Kids.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Matt Groening used to say that you need to do 10 years of awful jobs before you get to the good ones. I washed dishes, washed cars in the Northwest in winter, waited tables, worked in a pea cannery – that one was the worst. It was hot, steamy, deafeningly loud. And we were canning peas! Who eats canned peas?

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I worked for Bob Rogers on several special-venue films, for worlds fairs – I made two short 360-degree films, one for Basque Spain and one for a Korean worlds fair that shot in seven locations around the world. We also did permanent installations like Mystery Lodge at Knott’s Berry Farm, and the Shuttle Launch Experience at the Kennedy Space Center for NASA. Those jobs were always fun because they got me out of town and out of our little entertainment bubble. Also I got to get intensely into subjects I was interested in, like the space program and Northwest Indian art.

How did you become interested in animation?
I grew up wanting to be an artist, so I went to art school in Portland for a traditional art education. But it seemed to me that the whole fine art world was too serious. Then I saw the “Tournee of Animation” that played in our art museum’s theater, and the short films I saw there seemed to combine fine art with storytelling, and they were just weirder and funnier than the stuff I was studying. So….. Continue reading

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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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David Trexler

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What is your name and your current occupation?
David Trexler. I’m the Supervising Producer at Soup2Nuts Animation.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve had a good amount of jobs – installing custom kitchens, waiter (for 3 days), summer rec counselor and above ground pool installer, to name a few – but the crazier one would have to be drilling bowling balls for a sporting good store in Philadelphia. Maybe “odd” is more appropriate than “crazier”, but that’s the one that sticks out. The job where you think – what the hell am I doing? I was attending art school at the time and the hours were flexible. I got paid per ball. I also got to etch in peoples initials.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud of many of the projects I have worked on, all for different reasons. Daria at MTV Animation was a blast to work on. That’s where I learned the business. The show was more of an underground hit with a cult following  (as opposed to their huge hit Beavis and Butthead, the series it was spun off of). Fans have been requesting to have a DVD set released since it went of the air and it finally was late last year. We had an amazingly talented team on that show and I still keep in touch with many of them.

How did you become interested in animation?
My dad was an art teacher so as a kid I was always drawing. I would work from his lesson plans to learn shading, color wheels, etc… On top of that Continue reading