Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Nickelodeon UK To Celebrate Mother's Day With Brand-New Episodes Of "The Thundermans" And "See Dad Run" On Friday 13th March 2015

Nickelodeon UK, the number one commercial kids TV network in the UK, has announced the exciting Nick UK news in their latest new "All New All Nick" trailer/promo that, to celebrate Mother's Day, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will be premiering and showing brand-new episodes of Nickelodeon's hit original live-action comedy series "The Thundermans" and "See Dad Run" on Friday 13th March 2015 from at 5:30pm (replayed from 6:30pm on Nick+1)!


In the brand-new "The Thundermans" episode "Who's Your Mommy?", premiering at 5:30pm on Nick UK & Eire/HD, Max and Phoebe accidentally sell one of Barb's superhero utility belts to a superfan at the family's garage sale, and must get it back before she finds out! Following the all-new episode of "The Thundermans", stay tuned to Nick to catch a brand-new Mother's Day-themed episode of Nick's popular family comedy series "See Dad Run"!

Plus, Nick Jr. UK will be celebrating Mother's Day on Sunday 15th March 2015 with episodes of popular shows all day!


Check out a super sneak-peek from the all-new "The Thundermans" episode "Who's Your Mommy?" in the video clip below!:



Additional source: Digiguide.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon UK, The Thundermans and See Dad Run News and Highlights!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles To Return To Dimension X In Season Four

During Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand's recent 2015 upfront presentation, Nickelodeon announced that a storyline in the upcoming brand-new fourth season of the networks hit CG-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series will see the four mutant Heroes in a Half-Shell turtles — Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo - returning to Dimension X!:
"The 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' are a bigger consumer products success story than we ever imagined, exceeding $1 billion in global retail sales last year. 'Turtles' are positioned for evergreen status and continued growth with the second sequel movie in 2016, expansion into new demos and segments–including the preschool toy line Half Shell Heroes and their TV return to Dimension X for season four in 2016."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" season four is due to premiere on Nickelodeon USA during Fall 2015 and on Nickelodeon's international channels and networks during Early 2016.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles News and Highlights!

Nickelodeon Australia Holds 2015 Upfront Presentation In Melbourne

The licensing news website License! Global Mag is reporting the exciting Nickelodeon News in the following article that Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand recently a localised Nickelodeon Upfront 2015 ceremony in Melbourne on Wednesday 4th March 2015!


At Nickelodeon's upfront presentation, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products unveiled its long-term consumer products strategy and key retail and licensee partnerships.

The studio also announced the continuation of its 20-year relationship with Haven Licensing, which will continue to represent NVCP brands in Australia and New Zealand through 2019. The partnership covers Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, Comedy Central and other Viacom International Media Networks brands.


Ron Johnson, Executive Vice President (EVP) of international consumer products at VIMN, showcased how the company was leveraging its slate of powerhouse brands to interact with consumers on every platform in the upfront presentation.

Nickelodeon has a large interactive presence in the region, with more than 40 million kids and families visiting Nickelodeon recreation locations each year. Among these are the new Nickelodeon Beach at Sydney's Wet'n'Wild and recently introduced "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" appearances at Sea World on the Gold Coast.

Johnson said that the underlying driver of its success is Nickelodeon's iconic property portfolio, which includes "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "SpongeBob SquarePants", "Dora the Explorer" and "Paw Patrol".

Ron Johnson also focused on the company's growing preschool portfolio, which is being led by "Paw Patrol" and the new "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" series. He also highlighted two upcoming shows – "Blaze and the Monster Machines" and "Shimmer and Shine" – that will continue to drive growth in that demographic.

NVCP and Haven Licensing also recognized key retailers and licensees at the annual Nickelodeon Consumer Products Choice Awards ceremony, held in conjunction with the upfront presentation. You can find a full list of winners in the article below:
Nick Details Aussie Business

Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products unveiled its long-term consumer products strategy and key retail and licensee partnerships at its Australian upfront event in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The studio also announced the continuation of its 20-year relationship with Haven Licensing, which will continue to represent NVCP brands in Australia and New Zealand through 2019. The partnership covers Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, Comedy Central and other Viacom International Media Networks brands.

Ron Johnson, executive vice president of international consumer products at VIMN, showcased how the company was leveraging its slate of powerhouse brands to interact with consumers on every platform in the upfront presentation.

"Today we're in 700 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages, via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital and mobile TV properties," he says. "And we're more committed than ever to grow our reach around the world. As we develop our strategy, we have a focus on moving from a licensing organization to a consumer products company, which involves investing in new businesses to truly make our brands evergreen globally and strengthening our offering beyond TV. We have a strong focus on recreation and promotion that are imperative in creating scale, growing our reach and driving awareness every day, in turn benefitting our overall business."

The company already has a large presence in that space in the region, with more than 40 million kids and families visiting Nickelodeon recreation locations each year. Among these are the new Nickelodeon Beach at Sydney's Wet'n'Wild and recently introduced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appearances at Sea World on the Gold Coast.

Johnson said that the underlying driver of its success is Nickelodeon's iconic property portfolio, which includes "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Dora the Explorer" and "Paw Patrol."

"The 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' are a bigger consumer products success story than we ever imagined, exceeding $1 billion in global retail sales last year. 'Turtles' are positioned for evergreen status and continued growth with the second sequel movie in 2016, expansion into new demos and segments–including the preschool toy line Half Shell Heroes and their TV return to Dimension X for season four in 2016."

Johnson also highlighted the evergreen status of the "SpongeBob SquarePants" brand, which continues to spur new content and products including a regional feature film launch April 2 and an accompanying immersive marketing campaign.

Finally, the executive focused on the company's growing preschool portfolio, which is being led by "Paw Patrol" and the new "Dora and Friends" series. He also highlighted two upcoming shows–"Blaze and the Monster Machines" and "Shimmer and Shine"–that will continue to drive growth in that demographic.

NVCP and Haven Licensing also recognized key retailers and licensees at the annual Nickelodeon Consumer Products Choice Awards ceremony, held in conjunction with the upfront presentation. Winners included:

* Lifetime Achievement – Hunter Leisure
* Marketing Excellence­ – Myer
* Innovation Award – Parragon Publishing
* Hard Lines Licensee Award – Zak Australia
* Soft Lines Licensee Award – MacEwen Apparel

"It's an exciting time for our business in Australia," says Ben Richardson, general manager and senior vice president, Viacom Australia and New Zealand. "Now, more than ever, we are leveraging all the touchpoints consumers interact with our brand and properties across TV, SVOD, online and live events. Our focus is to continue delivering unforgettable experiences for audiences everywhere, and we could not do this without aligning ourselves with the right partners."

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand News and Highlights News!

Variety Unveils Nickelodeon Center Fold In Current Issue; Matt Layzell Honored At "10 Animators To Watch" Event

To celebrate Variety's first-ever "10 Animators to Watch" event presented by Variety and Nickelodeon, which Variety and Nickelodeon held at a special event on Tuesday 10th March 2015 at Siren Studios in Hollywood, California, the current issue of Variety features a phenomenal NickToons center spread, featuring a montage of characters from some of Nickelodeon's past, present and future animated series, from classic hits "Rugrats" and "The Ren & Stimpy Show" to current hits "SpongeBob SquarePants", "Sanjay and Craig", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Breadwinners", to upcoming animated shows "Harvey Beaks", premiering 3/29, "Pig Goat Banana Cricket" and "The Loud House"!:



Pictured shows: "The Legend of Korra", "The Fairly OddParents", "Rugrats", "The Ren & Stimpy Show", "Dora the Explorer", "SpongeBob SquarePants", "Sanjay and Craig", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", "Breadwinners", "Hey Arnold!", "Blue's Clues", "Harvey Beaks", "Pig Goat Banana Cricket", "The Loud House" and "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters". Photo: The official Nickelodeon Animation Studio Twitter page, @NickAnimation.

At the "10 Animators to Watch" event, Nickelodeon also unveiled that they are planning to unite the entire Nickelodeon family in a single state-of-the-art facility called "Nickelodeon Studios" which will open in Burbank, California in 2016, just in time for Nickelodeon Animation's 25th anniversary, and that they're currently developing "Moosebox", a animated short created by Mike Scott from South Africa's Triggerfish Animation Studios that was a finalist in Nickelodeon's 2013 Global Animated Shorts Programme, into a series!

Nickelodeon also announced that they have partnered with Get Schooled, a national non-profit co-founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom, to award one skilled and innovative animator with a $25,000 scholarship by creating an original animated short! The partnership marks the first-ever animation scholarship program between the two organizations, which will help elevate and support the brightest up and coming animators by giving an opportunity to submit their story.

As part of their "10 Animators to Watch" event, Variety and Nickelodeon honored three animation bussiness veterans and a new class of rising talents, including Nickelodeon's very own Matt Layzell, a supervising director on "Sanjay and Craig", who was honored at the event with his brother, Paul Layzell!
Variety, Nickelodeon Fete Lasseter, Catmull, Lamb and 10 Animators to Watch



Class of 2015: Variety 10 Animators to Watch presented by Nickelodeon Animation. Photo: @Variety

The animation industry turned out to honor three biz veterans and a new class of rising talents at Variety's inaugural 10 Animators to Watch event Tuesday at Siren Studios in Hollywood, presented by Variety and Nickelodeon.

Disney-Pixar's John Lasseter and Ed Catmull were hailed for Creative Impact in Animation, while Cal State Fullerton's Dana Lamb was named Animation Educator of the Year for his work developing the animation program at the school.

Lasseter was thrilled that the event was putting the spotlight on animation because so many people are part of the process. "Animation is the most collaborative artform there is on the planet. By nature of the way you create these movies, you have to collaborate. And collaboration is where real genius happens. That's what's awesome about animation," he said.

Catmull offered this advice to those looking to get into the animation business: "It's not about learning to use tools. What makes me nervous about some programs is that they teach people how to be tool-based. It's really about recognizing the value of observation, thinking about that and using that to add something new to whatever it is you're working on."

PHOTOS: 10 Animators to Watch Gallery

Variety's 10 Animators to watch — Phil Bourassa, Warner Bros. Animation; Disney's Lorelay Bove & Brittney Lee; Paramount Animation's Dylan Brown; Nick Bruno of Blue Sky; Pixar's Josh Cooley; Thomas Grummt of DreamWorks Animation; Illumination's Miguel Jiron; the Layzell Brothers: Matt, who works at Nickelodeon, and Paul, a freelance illustrator; Disney Channel's Daron Nefcy; and Oscar-nommed stop-motion animator Timothy Reckart, who is developing a CG feature at Sony Pictures Animation — offered their own words of inspiration to aspiring animators.

Said Bove: "Enjoy what you're doing, have fun with it and draw. Draw a lot." Bove's partner at Disney, Lee, pointed out that there are more avenues than ever to gain an entree into animation. "Don't be discouraged if your first plan to get into the industry doesn't work. Try as many things as you can. It will lead you somewhere," she said.

Grummt, a lead animator on "How to Train Your Dragon 2," said: "Do as much as much animation as you can. That's the only way to learn. It'll be faster if you have people who can teach you things and can mentor you. But the only way you can get somewhere is by doing a lot of work."

Bourassa, who works in WB's DC superhero world, urged young animators to make drawing a top priority. "If you're a kid and you're still in school, school is important. And family. But then drawing has to be right up there. Obsession might not be the right word for it, but you have to train for it the way an athlete has to train for a sport."

Pixar's Cooley said to "Do what you love. I've been with Pixar for 11 years now and I still get as excited as Day One because I love telling stories and making up stuff and I can do it every day. I feel very lucky I get to do that."

Brown was at Pixar for 18 years before moving on to co-direct Paramount's first all-CG animated feature. He offered this advice: "Always be true to yourself and work with the best people you can possibly work with and learn what you can from them."

Reckart, whose stop-motion short "Head Over Heels" was Oscar-nommed, echoed Lasseter's words about collaboration: "My start really benefitted from collaborating with other people who were super talented. To me that was the major benefit of going to film school. Without them, I don't think I would have made 'Head Over Heels' and without 'Head Over Heels,' I don't think I'd be where I am now."

Illumination's Jiron pointed out that there are so many new venues for animation. "It's never been easier to create your own thing," he said. "I know so many people who are just going into school now who have already created shorts, which is incredible."

Bruno, who is working on Blue Sky's "Peanuts" movie due out this fall, says don't give up. "Keep drawing, have fun, and keep dreaming. It will happen."

Nefcy, whose series "Star Vs. the Forces of Evil" just got picked up for a second season on the Disney Channel, advised "Keep making stuff. CalArts made us make a film every year and now anyone can do that anywhere. The technology's there. It's never going to be good the first time, then it gets better the second time, and you keep getting better."

Nickelodeon's Matt Layzell, whose brother and fellow honoree Paul couldn't make the trip from the U.K. for the event, said "Work hard and, no matter what job you get, do the best you can and the rest will follow."

Presiding over the presentation of the awards were Variety Vice President and Executive Editor Steven Gaydos and Russell Hicks, president, content development and production at Nickelodeon.

Hicks also announced the establishment of a $25,000 animation scholarship by Nickelodeon in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom.

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!

Jenna Boyd Talks About How Nickelodeon Is Searching The Internet For The Next Generation Of Animation Talent

Variety has unveiled a article which features a exclusive interview with Jenna Boyd, Nickelodeon's Senior Vice President (SVP) of animation development! In the interview, Jenna talks about how Nickelodeon is searching the internet for the next generation of animation talent. Jenna also reveals that Nickelodeon is currently developing "Moosebox", a animated short created by Mike Scott from South Africa's Triggerfish Animation Studios that was a finalist in Nickelodeon's 2013 Global Animated Shorts Programme, into a series!


Variety's article also features a interview with Nickelodeon veteran Fred Seibert, the founder and CEO of Frederator Networks ("The Fairly Oddparents", "ChalkZone", "My Life as a Teenage Robot", "Fanboy & Chum Chum", "Random! Cartoons", "Oh Yeah!Cartoons"):
Internet Serves as Spawning Ground for Emerging Animators

Not long ago, the main road to animation careers ran through art schools, and while many young animators still follow that path, other avenues are emerging.

Just ask Jenna Boyd, Nickelodeon’s senior VP of development. “The Internet has connected animators and artists around the world through Tumblr, Vimeo, YouTube, web comics and other social media channels,” she says.

Nick’s response: “We have a scout who scours the Internet to find talent. You have to do that. It’s the new normal.”

Nickelodeon shows like C.H. Greenblatt’s “Harvey Beaks” and Chris Savino’s “Loud House” reflect the new paradigm. By casting a wide net online, Greenblatt found talents like Monica Ray and Hannah Ayoubi; both are now developing Nick shows.

“There are lots of stories by female creators we haven’t seen before,” says Boyd. “Chris found a woman named Violaine Briat on Tumblr who’s a French citizen living in Japan. We’re working on bringing her to Nick.”

Nickelodeon also discovers talent online through its Global Shorts program, notes Boyd. “We’ve gotten over 1,000 pitches. Many people around the world submit ideas this way. We discovered a guy in South Africa (Mike Scott) who animated a short called ‘Moose Box’ that we’re developing into a series. Technology enables him to make his own animation, though it takes a larger studio infrastructure to scale something up to be a series.”

MooseBox from Nickelodeon International on Vimeo.

'MooseBox', created by Mike Scott and produced at Triggerfish Animation Studios for the Nickelodeon International Animated Shorts Program 2013-14.

Given the explosion of animation online, it’s not surprising that TV veterans like Frederator Studios’ Fred Seibert (“The Fairly OddParents,” “Adventure Time”) are focused on building Internet hubs where new artists can be seen.

“When I started getting engaged with the Internet 10 years ago, we sent out an email saying we were starting a channel on iTunes,” Seibert recalls. “Within a week, we got 1,000 short films. Our business is based on the talent we can meet. It’s a volume game: the more talent you meet, the more likely you’ll bump into someone brilliant.”

Today, Seibert has several online channels that showcase a worldwide network of animators, including the popular YouTube channel Cartoon Hangover.

“This channel has almost a million and a half subscribers,” he says. One breakout star is Natasha Allegri, who created “Bee & PuppyCat,” a show that has attracted funding from both YouTube and thousands of fans via Kickstarter. Seibert describes the broad reach of this young animator quite simply: “ ‘Bee & PuppyCat’ is being watched over Google Hangouts by young people in El Salvador.”

It’s estimated that a billion people watch YouTube every month — only one indication that the Web reps more than just a place where animators can be discovered. It’s also a destination for independently minded artists.

One example: Jacob Streilein, who was a star student at CalArts until last year. Instead of accepting a job from major studios, he chose Jib Jab — best known for its online animations skewering politicians. “It’s more appealing to have the opportunity to jump around and work on a combination of projects, where I can design, animate and direct,” he says. “At bigger studios you typically do just one thing.”

Streilein expects to pursue his own animation, examples of which can be seen on Vimeo. That’s a mind-set that could typify many artists in the Internet age.

Young animators who view the web as a place to shine need look no further than the success of the indie stop-motion animator with the moniker PES. Recognized for his Oscar-nominated short “Fresh Guacamole,” he says artists can make money on YouTube via ad revenue sharing: “A highly desirable piece of content can bring in money in different ways.”

PES’ latest, “Submarine Sandwich,” attracted 3.5 million views in two-and-a-half months. He funded it through a Nikon sponsorship and a Kickstarter campaign that raised $50,000 in four days.

While it’s not an easy path to success, PES thinks the web’s appeal is growing because the exposure can be so wide. “There are kids who’ve chosen to release films on the Vine platform. They could be 16 years old and have more distribution than the New York Times.”

Siebert agrees. “Every shift in technology and distribution unleashes the forces of creative people in ways that we couldn’t imagine before.”

Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!