Wednesday, April 23, 2014

MomoCon 2014 Welcomes Nickelodeon Voice Artists Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille And Dante Basco

MomoCon, a US-based fan convention, has announced the very exciting Nickelodeon News in the following press release, from PRNewswire, that, to celebrate American animation, Nickelodeon Voice Talent Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille and Dante Basco will be special guests at the MomoCon Animation and Game Convention, which will be held in Atlanta on Memorial Day Weekend 2014 (Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th May 2014)!


Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell and Tress MacNeille's provide the voices for many characters in popular Nickelodeon shows, movies and video games, including voices for Nickelodeon characters in "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron", "Barnyard", "Back at the Barnyard", "Big Time Rush", "CatDog", "Catscratch", "ChalkZone", "Danny Phantom", "The Fairly OddParents", "The Penguins of Madagascar", "Planet Sheen", "Random! Cartoons", "Tak and the Power of Juju", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", "T.U.F.F. Puppy", "The Wild Thornberrys", "Rugrats", "My Life as a Teenage Robot", "Random! Cartoons: Ratzafratz!", "As Told by Ginger", "All Grown Up!", "Hey Arnold!", "Avatar: The Last Airbender", "El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera", and "SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom". Collectively, they are known for their work on Warner Bros.'s hit cartoon series "The Animaniacs", as siblings "Wakko Warner", "Yakko Warner", and "Dot Warner".

MomoCon 2014 will also welcome Nickelodeon Voice Artist Dante Basco, who is popular for providing the voice of the character "Prince Zuko" in Nickelodeon's phenomenal original animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "General Iroh" in "The Legend of Korra".

Original MomoCon Press Release:

MomoCon Welcomes Animation Voice Legends

Animaniacs Voice Actors Reunite for First Time, Joined by Pinky and the Brain and Others from Popular Cartoon Shows

ATLANTA, April, 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MomoCon Animation and Game Convention – held in Atlanta on Memorial Day Weekend 2014 (May 23rd – 25th) – has announced that they will be celebrating American animation with guests representing the Simpsons, Futurama, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tiny Toons, the Animaniacs, and Pinky and The Brain.

Download Image - MomoCon Animation and Gaming Convention. (PRNewsFoto/MomoCon)

Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille all have extensive voice acting careers, but collectively they are best known for their work on The Animaniacs, as siblings "Wakko Warner", "Yakko Warner", and "Dot Warner." MomoCon is proud to present the first public reunion of these voice actors since Animaniacs went off the air in 1998. Joining them will be voice actor legend Maurice LaMarche, who starred in Pinky and the Brain with Paulsen. All four of these actors have extensive voice over careers.

MomoCon also welcomes Dante Basco, popular for the character "Prince Zuko" in Nickelodeon's phenomenal hit, Avatar: The Last Airbender and "General Iroh" in The Legend of Korra.

Topping the list of American animation guests at MomoCon is writer and producer Mike Reiss. He serves as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons for over 20 years and co-created the animated series The Critic.

In addition to American animation guests, MomoCon welcomes voice actors and creators from Anime and Gaming in 2014. In addition to guests, MomoCon attendees can enjoy over 700 hours of programming include panels and workshops on costuming, culture, animation, and gaming.

MomoCon Anime and Gaming Convention in 2013 exceeded all expectations and set a new attendance record of 12,200 people growing by 42% over 2012. The organizers of the events are prepared for a repeat in growth for 2014.

For those interested in attending MomoCon 2014, the hotel registration is already available online for $129 a night and advanced memberships are also for sale for only $40 for all 3 days at MomoCon.com

CONTACT: Dan Carroll, 404-692-1958, mediarelations@momocon.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140304/CL76160

SOURCE MomoCon

RELATED LINKS
http://www.momocon.com
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The 2013 "TeenNick HALO Awards" And "Instant Mom" Win At The 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), has today, Wednesday 23rd April 2014, announced in the following press release, from PRNewswire, the very exciting Nickelodeon News that Nickelodeon won two prestigious awards at the 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards! Now celebrating the 20th anniversary, the Vision Awards recognizes multi-ethnic and cross-cultural television programming that depicts the lives, spirit and contributions of people of color and best reflects the diversity of the global viewing audience.

The 2013 "TeenNick HALO Awards", which celebrated real teens who are "Helping and Leading Others" (HALO) and making a difference in their communities, won a 2014 NAMIC Vision Award in the 'Awards & Honors' category!

Additionally, Nick At Nite's hit original family comedy series "Instant Mom", which stars Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Michael Boatman, won a 2014 NAMIC Vision Award in the 'Comedy' category!

You can find a full list of 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards winners in NAMIC's press release below.

Congratulations to Nickelodeon and everyone who won a prestigious 2014 NAMIC Vision Award!

Original NAMIC Press Release:

Winners Of The 20th Anniversary NAMIC Vision Awards Announced

2014 Vision Awards Winners Gallery Now Available Online

NEW YORK, April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) today announced the winners of the 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards. Founded in 1994 by NAMIC - Southern California, this year awards presentation marks the trade association's 20th anniversary of recognizing achievements in multiethnic and cross-cultural television programming that best reflects the diversity of the global viewing audience. Presented via an online event format, winning programs will be showcased via the 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards Winners Gallery. http://namicvisionawards.com



Download Image - NAMIC logo. (PRNewsFoto/NAMIC)

Original programs having aired from November 1, 2012 to November 10, 2013 were recognized in 17 award categories. Eligibility to compete for NAMIC Vision Awards is extended to national broadcast and cable networks, local affiliates, local origination programs from cable operators and VOD content produced for digital platforms. Entries were judged by a distinguished panel of entertainment industry executives. Judging is focused on overall imagery (creative merit, originality, and presentation quality), sensitivity (the consideration given to cultural nuances), writing (the depiction of issues relevant to people of color) and the quality of acting in the performance categories.

Notably, ABC's primetime series "Scandal" was this year's Drama category winner. Best Performance - Drama was awarded to actor Jeffrey Wright for his role in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire." Nick@Nite's original series "Instant Mom" is this year's Comedy category winner. Top honors for Best Performance - Comedy were awarded to China Anne McClain for her role in Disney Channel's "A.N.T. Farm." Additionally, "A.N.T. Farm" garnered a second win in the Children's category. The complete winners list for the 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards is as follows:

ANIMATION
Doc McStuffins - Disney Junior

AWARDS & HONORS
2013 HALO Awards - Nickelodeon

BEST PERFORMANCE – COMEDY
China Anne McClain: A.N.T. Farm - Disney Channel

BEST PERFORMANCE - DRAMA
Jeffrey Wright: Boardwalk Empire - HBO

CHILDREN'S
A.N.T. Farm - Disney Channel

COMEDY
Instant Mom - Nick@Nite

DIGITAL MEDIA - SHORT FORM
East Los High - Hulu

DOCUMENTARY
Girl Rising - CNN

DRAMA
Scandal - ABC

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Triquis - ESPN Deportes

LIFESTYLE
Leading Women: Helene Gayle, CEO CARE USA - CNN

NEWS / INFORMATIONAL
America Tonight: The Other America - Al Jazeera America

ORIGINAL MOVIE OR SPECIAL
CNN Special Projects: Power of She - HLN

REALITY
Six Little McGhees - OWN

REALITY - SOCIAL ISSUES
Urban Dove Team - ESPN

SPORTS
Richie Parker: Drive - ESPN

VARIETY / TALK SHOW (tie)
Oprah's Next Chapter - OWN/Harpo Studios
Real Time with Bill Maher - HBO

For more information on the 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards visit http://namicvisionawards.com or contact Sandra Girado, senior director of Meetings and Events, at NAMIC National, 212-594-5985.

ABOUT NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC comprises 2,200 professionals belonging to a network of 16 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. For more information, please visit www.namic.com and stay connected to NAMIC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT :

Charmaine Chapman
BTB Communications
310-882-5498 (office) / 310-902-8617 (cell)
[...]
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060705/NYW092LOGO

SOURCE NAMIC

RELATED LINKS
http://www.namic.com
http://namicvisionawards.com
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Viacom and SMIT Enter Collaboration to Bring Award-Winning Edutainment Kids Service "My Nick Jr." to China

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world's leading providers of original entertainment content, has today, Wednesday 23rd April 2014, announced in the following press release, from Business Wire, that it has entered a collaboration with SMIT, a global leader in conditional access module (CAM) manufacturing based in China! The award-winning "My Nick Jr.", a first of its kind user-personalized edutainment programming service that allows parents to curate and customize their children's multiplatform linear viewing experience around 11 educational themes, will be launched in China by both partners – marking the first time in the world that "My Nick Jr." will be delivered as a dedicated over-the-top (OTT) service! This collaboration also signifies the inaugural introduction of "My Nick Jr." in Asia following successful debuts of the service in France and the UK, and an announced launch in the U.S.


Announced at the Asia Pacific Operators Summit (APOS) in Bali this week, "My Nick Jr." in China will be available to subscribers of iVmall, an OTT Internet video service platform operated by Shenzhen Video Mall Network Technology Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of SMIT. iVmall will run China's first completely paid subscriber model for an Internet video service and is expected to roll out "My Nick Jr." as part of iVmall's commercial launch by middle of 2014 via iOS and Android apps and a dedicated website.



Xueliang Huang, Chairman and CEO of SMIT Corporation, and Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom International Media Networks, with Nick Jr. Megastar Dora the Explorer (Photo: Business Wire)

"My Nick Jr." in China will feature hundreds of Nick Jr. episodes, including titles such as "Dora the Explorer", "Go, Diego, Go!", "Team Umizoomi" and "Ni Hao, Kai Lan". The advertisement-free personalized programming service allows parents to create a customized "My Nick Jr." profile and schedule for their child, according to their child's age and gender, and 11 educational themes identified within the programs in Nick Jr.'s extensive library of preschool content (e.g. Problem Solving, Math, Language and more). "My Nick Jr." also constantly adapts to the preferences of each child, who may at any time use the app to rate each episode. The partnership with SMIT also marks the first time that "My Nick Jr." will be offered in two languages in one market, providing parents the option to set their children's viewing experience to English or Mandarin. Additionally, parents may choose desired viewing durations, can be sent email 'report cards' summarizing what their children have watched and which topics have been covered within the viewed episodes, and use the shows for discussions with their children.

According to the latest report by CNNIC, 247 out of nearly 500 million Chinese mobile users now watch videos online in China.

"My Nick Jr." was first launched in France through CanalSat, a unit of Vivendi SA, in 2012. It has launched in the UK through Virgin Media for its TiVo customers and will soon launch in the U.S. through Verizon. VIMN Asia plans to roll out My Nick Jr. to other Asia Pay-TV/OTT operators later.

Nickelodeon's "My Nick Jr." won "Best Application for Entertainment" at the Trophée des Apps in October 2013 and "Best Enhanced TV Service" at International Interactive TV Awards during MIPCOM 2012.

Original Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia Press Release:

Viacom and SMIT Enter Collaboration to Bring Award-Winning1 Edutainment Kids Service, My Nick Jr. to China

Launch Introduces First-Of-Its-Kind User-Personalized Edutainment Programming Service to Asia

April 23, 2014 11:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

BALI, Indonesia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world’s leading providers of original entertainment content, today announced it has entered a collaboration with SMIT, a global leader in conditional access module (CAM) manufacturing based in China. The award-winning1 My Nick Jr., a first of its kind user-personalized edutainment programming service that allows parents to curate and customize their children’s multiplatform linear viewing experience around 11 educational themes, will be launched in China by both partners – marking the first time in the world that My Nick Jr. will be delivered as a dedicated over-the-top (OTT) service. This collaboration also signifies the inaugural introduction of My Nick Jr. in Asia following successful debuts of the service in France and the UK, and an announced launch in the U.S.

Announced at the Asia Pacific Operators Summit (APOS) in Bali this week, My Nick Jr. in China will be available to subscribers of iVmall, an OTT Internet video service platform operated by Shenzhen Video Mall Network Technology Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of SMIT. iVmall will run China’s first completely paid subscriber model for an Internet video service and is expected to roll out My Nick Jr. as part of iVmall’s commercial launch by middle of 2014 via iOS and Android apps and a dedicated website.

My Nick Jr. in China will feature hundreds of Nick Jr. episodes, including titles such as Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, Team Umizoomi and Ni Hao Kai Lan. The advertisement-free personalized programming service allows parents to create a customized My Nick Jr. profile and schedule for their child, according to their child’s age and gender, and 11 educational themes identified within the programs in Nick Jr.’s extensive library of preschool content (e.g. Problem Solving, Math, Language and more). My Nick Jr. also constantly adapts to the preferences of each child, who may at any time use the app to rate each episode. The partnership with SMIT also marks the first time that My Nick Jr. will be offered in two languages in one market, providing parents the option to set their children’s viewing experience to English or Mandarin. Additionally, parents may choose desired viewing durations, can be sent email ‘report cards’ summarizing what their children have watched and which topics have been covered within the viewed episodes, and use the shows for discussions with their children.

"Nick Jr. is about giving children and parents what they want – 'A Smart Place to Play'. With My Nick Jr., we are offering parents a unique user-personalized digital viewing edutainment experience for their children to learn in a safe, supervised environment while maximizing their enjoyment watching their beloved Nick Jr. shows and characters like Dora the Explorer," said Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIMN. "We're thrilled to be SMIT's exclusive international kids' entertainment app partner for pre-school children through this collaboration on iVmall. SMIT not only shares our belief in this product for children, but also delivers the technology know-how to bring My Nick Jr. to life in China."

"We are convinced of the potential of the My Nick Jr. service as we are living in the world of personalization. Chinese families who join our Internet video service will love the My Nick Jr. service for their children and we are delighted to not only be the first Internet video platform to launch it in China, but in Asia too. This certainly reinforces our commitment to be a serious player in the burgeoning Internet Video service market in China," said Chairman and CEO of SMIT Corporation, Xueliang Huang.

According to the latest report by CNNIC, 247 out of nearly 500 million Chinese mobile users now watch videos online in China.

My Nick Jr. was first launched in France through CanalSat, a unit of Vivendi SA, in 2012. It has launched in the UK through Virgin Media for its TiVo customers and will soon launch in the U.S. through Verizon. VIMN Asia plans to roll out My Nick Jr. to other Asia Pay-TV/OTT operators later.

1 My Nick Jr. won “Best Application for Entertainment” at the Trophée des Apps in October 2013 and “Best Enhanced TV Service” at International Interactive TV Awards during MIPCOM 2012.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year globally and 16th year in Asia, is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family. The company has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does with a portfolio that extends across television, music, publishing, digital media, mobile and consumer products. Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. are seen in more than 60 million households throughout North and Southeast Asia region with 24-hour programming services including Nickelodeon Southeast Asia, Nickelodeon Korea, as well as Nickelodeon branded program blocks and syndications. For information about Nickelodeon in Asia, visit www.nick-asia.com.

About Viacom International Media Networks

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world's most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA, COLORS, Game One and Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 600 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom's blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

About iVmall

iVmall (originated from the concept of Internet Video Mall) is a service platform operated by "ShenZhen Video Mall Network Technology Co., Ltd.", a subsidiary of SMIT. Aimed to be as the first full pay service platform in China, iVmall provides users with unique quality programs in pre-school education, sports, lifestyle and live events (please note that the products planning might be adjusted). Subscribers can enjoy quality programs without the interruptions of commercials (advertisement), [...]

The goal is to build up our service platform to be the no. 1 brand that provides subscribers (aimed for upper middle class) an efficient access to be connecting to the world-class quality life, i.e. to Travel with iVmall to see the world.

About SMIT Corporation

SMIT Corporation ("SMIT") provides devices that enable secure digital content delivery for the pay-TV industry, allowing authorized subscribers access to protected content. SMIT is a global leader in the design and development of conditional access modules ("CAM"s), which enable the delivery of premium content to digital TVs without the need for a set-top-box ("STB"). SMIT's CAMs are custom designed to meet the strict security requirements of each conditional access ("CA") provider and the varied user-interface and compliance requirements of each pay TV operator. As Over-the-Top TV ("OTT"), internet video streaming, enriches the way content is delivered and consumed, SMIT also provides OTT solution and offers cloud platform to allow access to paid content by multiple screens in the household.

Contacts
Media:

Viacom International Media Networks
Adeline Ong, (65) 6420 7240
Mobile: (65) 9366 7323
Senior Director, Corporate & Brand Communications, Asia
[...]
Twitter: @VIMNAsia_PR
or
VIMN
Kate Laverge, +1 212-654-4335
Vice President, Communications
[...]
or
VIMN
Bernadette Simpao, +1-212-654-4311
Senior Director, Communications
[...]
or
iVmall
Lolina Chou, 00886939236904
Director of International Content
[...]

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