Saturday, August 08, 2015

Papercutz Announces Innovative Library Marketing Program For Nickelodeon Magazine

Official Papercutz Press Release via Papercutz.com:

PAPERCUTZ ANNOUNCES INNOVATIVE LIBRARY MARKETING PROGRAM FOR NICKELODEON MAGAZINE!

New Initiative Will Provide Free Magazines to Libraries That Support Graphic Novel Programming

Thursday 6th August 2015


Budget-crunched librarians will soon be receiving some respite thanks to a new program from Papercutz. The "#1 kids' graphic novel publisher" announced today that they will be supplying 100 free copies of NICKELODEON MAGAZINE to libraries that support comics programming. It's part of an effort by the publisher to fuel a growing trend in the school and public library space– "ComicCons" and other events focused on the fastest growing category in publishing – graphic novels.

"Librarians have been on the forefront of the graphic novel explosion", explained Papercutz's President, Terry Nantier. "And forward thinking librarians have tapped in to the interest surrounding events like Free Comic Book day and ComicCon International to attract kids and parents to their facilities. We think it's an incredibly positive thing for graphic novels in general and we wanted to find a way to 'give back' to the community. With the launch of NICKELODEON MAGAZINE this summer, we realized we had the perfect vehicle to promote comics readership and help librarians connect with kids who might be just beginning to become graphic novel readers."

Comic book conventions are well known for a variety of attractions including creator appearances, costumes and, of course, exclusive promotional material from publishers. While many librarians have reached out to the comics creative community for appearances at events and patrons have picked up the costuming challenge, promotional items have been handled on an ad hoc basis, depending on the largesse of publishers or individual creators. This new program ensures that no comics-themed event will have to do without giveaways that incentivize reading.

"Nickelodeon has always been known for creating great comics material", noted Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salicrup. "And we're proud to continue that tradition with our new publication. I'm personally excited by the opportunity to get the great work of our writers and artists out in front of the biggest possible audience possible. The magazine is going to be a great way for kids to sample our graphic novels and be introduced to some of the fantastic Nickelodeon characters."

Interested librarians simply need to contact Papercutz VP of Marketing, Sven Larsen six to eight weeks before their event. As soon as Papercutz receives a librarian's request (including details of the planned event) they will dispatch 100 copies of the latest issue of NICKELODEON MAGAZINE absolutely free (the library just has to pay for shipping).

"Papercutz graphic novels are already some of the highest circulating titles in libraries", explained Larsen, VP of Marketing for Papercutz. "But we're always looking to grow our audience and the readership for comics. It's part of why we partnered with Nickelodeon in the first place. The new NICKELODEON MAGAZINE is another great way to get kids started on reading and the perfect introduction to the world of graphic novels. We're excited that it will be a cornerstone of our efforts to help libraries expand their graphic novel programming and we want this program to be a giant 'thank you' to all the librarians who are helping to create the next generation of comics fans!"

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

Rainbow Takes Popular Properties To Southeast Asia With iflix

The European animated studio Rainbow has secured a deal with Southeast Asian internet TV service iflix to stream the popular animated series "Winx Club" and three other properties in the region!


iflix will offer its subscribers across Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand access to "Winx Club", "PopPixie" and "Huntik: Secrets & Seekers", beginning this month. The shows will also be available to subscribers in Indonesia starting Friday 1st January 2016. In addition, iflix customers in Malaysia will be able to watch "Mia and Me".

"We are delighted to have signed this deal with iflix," said Cristiana Buzzelli, the Vice President of contents, digital and publishing at Rainbow. "Video on-demand in Southeast Asia is growing very quickly, and iflix is the perfect partner to bring the magic of Rainbow to millions of children across the region and boost the licensing potential of all these fantastic properties."

Mark Britt, iflix's group CEO, commented, "We are thrilled to partner with Winx to provide their exceptionally popular children's programming as an integral part of our regional content strategy. This agreement once again reaffirms iflix's commitment to provide the best in entertainment to our subscribers across Southeast Asia."

Nickelodeon South East Asia is currently premiering brand-new episodes from "Winx Club" season seven.

Sources: TV Kids, Licensing.biz.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Asia and Winx Club News and Highlights!

Meet Valerie Walsh Valdes And Chris Gifford, The Creators Of "Dora The Explorer", "Dora And Friends: Into the City" And "Go, Diego, Go!"

The Nickelodeon Animation Studio has unveiled a magical "Meet the..." video featuring a interview with Valerie Walsh Valdes and Chris Gifford, the creators of Nickelodeon's hit animated preschool series "Dora the Explorer", "Dora and Friends: Into the City", and "Go, Diego, Go!", on their official YouTube channel, which you can watch in the super online streaming video clip below!:



In their interview, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Chris Gifford talk about how they developed "Dora the Explorer", how "Dora the Explorer" was originally intended to be a live-action series with puppet characters, the research they conducted with children to make sure the characters were loveable and hugable, including how they had to redraw Boots the Monkey, how they involve kids in all the production stages of each episode to make sure its just right, and what their professional relationship is like!
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon, Dora the Explorer, Dora and Friends: Into the City and Go, Diego, Go! News and Highlights!

Viacom Boosts Its Data Strategy Team with Three Significant Executive Hires

Original Viacom Inc. Press Release via Business Wire:

Viacom Boosts Its Data Strategy Team with Three Significant Executive Hires

Key Staff Additions Will Expand the Company's Industry-Leading Advanced Data Solutions

August 05, 2015 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today announced the addition of three executives with expertise in developing, marketing, and monetizing data products, boosting the company's industry-leading advanced analytic and marketing solutions.


Joining Viacom are Bryson Gordon as Senior Vice President of Data Strategy and Viacom Vantage; Gabe Bevilacqua as Vice President of Product Management for Viacom Vantage; and, Kodi Foster as Vice President of Data Strategy. Bevilacqua and Foster report to Gordon, who will manage the team under the leadership of Kern Schireson, Viacom Executive Vice President of Data Strategy and Consumer Intelligence.

Gordon and his team will be responsible for the development of innovative and game-changing data products for Viacom, which has taken an industry-leading role in introducing new marketing programs that precisely target consumers. They will build upon the success of advertising tools such as Viacom Vantage, which enters its second year as a market leader in advanced predictive targeting, analytics and custom data implementations for agencies and advertisers. This new technical and product expertise significantly accelerates Viacom's already robust data capabilities and product portfolio to more fully monetize the continued engagement around the company's programming and brands.

"Data Strategy plays a key role in Viacom's ecosystem because it marries world-class creativity with advanced analytics," said Schireson. "Bringing on Bryson, Gabe, and Kodi is a big step forward and reinforces our dedication to intelligent data solutions that benefit Viacom and our brand partners."

Bryson Gordon

Gordon spent more than a decade at Microsoft leading consumer marketing, product management, and business incubation teams across Windows, Xbox, Office, Microsoft Store, and most recently, Surface. Within the Surface business, he created an Audience Marketing discipline that defined high-value influencer-segments, establishing data-driven pathways to fan cultivation, while developing techniques to directly connect first-party quantitative research into programmatic advertising engines. Under his leadership, the Surface business grew to over $1B in fourth quarter revenue. Prior to Microsoft, Gordon led Consumer Product Management at McAfee Security, helping develop and market the company's direct-to-customer subscription services. He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario in Canada and Cambridge University in the UK.

Gabe Bevilacqua

Bevilacqua has over a decade of experience in data-driven marketing technology. He was most recently COO at the company he co-founded, Rallyverse, a content marketing platform that powers social media and content campaigns for Fortune 500 clients. Prior to that, he spent six years at Microsoft in their digital advertising platform, most recently as Director of the Advertiser Tools Business Group for the Atlas Advertiser Suite. Bevilacqua also held positions as Global Brand Manager for Guinness World Records, and held business development roles at Urbanfetch and Cductive. He is a graduate of Princeton and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Kodi Foster

Foster served as the Head of Brand Initiatives at Outbrain, where he led strategic account solutions and partnerships with Fortune 100 brands. In that role, he developed content marketing solutions and established the paid recommendations business for brands, helping to grow Outbrain into the largest content discovery platform in the world. Before joining the Outbrain team, he was the Vice President of Business Development at Sahara Media Holdings, a publicly traded investment company specializing in digital media. He is a graduate of Cornell University.

About Viacom

Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling television programs, motion pictures, short-form video, apps, games, consumer products, social media and other entertainment content for audiences in more than 165 countries and territories. Viacom's media networks, including Nickelodeon, CMT, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, TV Land, Nick at Nite, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, SPIKE, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Channel 5 (UK), Tr3s, Paramount Channel and VIVA, reach a cumulative 3.2 billion television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.

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.

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

Nickelodeon Partners With MIQ For Retail Expansion

Nickelodeon has chosen MIQ Logistics to manage its global supply chain including replenishment for its flagship store, and fulfilment of European on-line purchases.


The number-one entertainment brand for kids and families is expanding its physical presence in an effort to rival Disney, with the recent launch of The Nickelodeon Store, Nickelodeon's first European retail store, which is operated by Entertainment Retailer Limited, in London's Leicester Square earlier this summer.


MIQ has also won a supply chain management contract with Crew Clothing, which now has 76 stores and six outlets across the UK.

Andy Martin, MIQ's UK managing director, said: "The successful launch of the Nickelodeon store and its continuous replenishment is testament to the skill of my retail teams. The Crew Clothing appointment is particularly notable as MIQ were unknown when we entered the process."

MIQ recently opened a 30,000 sq ft retail distribution operation in Hemel Hempstead, and launched a South China consolidation centre. The US-owned forwarder has 150 offices in 80 countries.

Original source: Logistics Manager.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Retail News and Highlights!

Infinity Product Group To Develop Comfy Critters Based On Hit Nickelodeon Properties

Original Infinity Product Group Press Release via InfinityPG.com:

Infinity Product Group To Develop Comfy Critters For Nickelodeon

Infinity Product Group to develop "Comfy Critters" stuffed toys featuring characters from Nickelodeon’s top animated shows.


ROGERS, AR (August 1, 2015) – Infinity Product Group has just finalized a licensing deal with Nickelodeon to develop Comfy Critters toys for four of the cable network's most popular animated shows: "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "PAW Patrol" and "Blaze and the Monster Machines." The new characters are expected to debut in the fall of 2016.

"Infinity Product Group is excited to partner with Nickelodeon. IPG has a long history of providing retailers with great products and services and we look forward to bringing a new product to the market with Nickelodeon," says Doug Keller, President and CEO of Infinity Product Group.

Comfy Critters are multitasking stuffed animals for the 21st century. Each Comfy Critter is large enough to be used as a pillow, blanket, or anything you want to make it! Comfy Critters patented design makes transitioning from a stuffed animal to a blanket quick and easy. The full range of Comfy Critters includes prehistoric, farm, sea and fantasy animals and launches holiday 2015.

About Infinity Product Group

Founded in 1997 by President and CEO Doug Keller, Infinity Product Group is a privately owned, national company headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas. IPG is a leading manufacturer, merchandiser and marketer of headwear, apparel, accessories and novelty products to many of the world's leading retailers and consumer product companies. For more information, visit www.infinitypg.com or contact Drake Taylor at [...].

###

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