Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Nickelodeon Israel to Premiere 'Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years' Soon

Nickelodeon Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל) will be premiering Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, the brand new spin-off from the network's iconic animated series SpongeBob SquarePants very soon!


Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years is the first-ever SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff. The CG-animated prequel series follows 10-year-old SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals during summer sleepaway camp where they spend their time building underwater campfires, catching wild jellyfish and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck at the craziest camp in the kelp forest, Kamp Koral. Season one will have 26 episodes.

The U.S.-English dub of Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years features Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton) reprising their iconic roles. Carlos Alazraqui (Rocko's Modern Life, The Casagrandes) and Kate Higgins (Blaze and the Monster Machines) join as new characters Nobby and Narlene, narwhal siblings who live in the woods surrounding the camp.

מחנה האלמוגים: שנות הילדות של בובספוג | סדרה חדשה | ניקלודיאון
ערוץ ניקלודיאון


שנת הלימודים מתחילה בגדולללללל עם בובספוג הקטן
מחנה האלמוגים - שנות הילדות של בובספוג | סדרה חדשה | בקרוב בערוץ ניקלודיאון

#ניקלודיאון #בובספוג #מחנה_האלמוגים

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years made its world premiere on Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America and Brazil in March 2021.

Online at nick.co.il, fans can find out more about their favourite Nickelodeon shows, watch short video clips and play games. Fans can also like the official Nickelodeon Israel Facebook page, follow Nickelodeon on TikTok and Instagram, and subscribe to the official Nickelodeon Israel YouTube channel for the latest Nick news, highlights, The Scoop about their favourite stars, and videos.

Marc Ceccarelli (SpongeBob SquarePants/בובספוג מכנסמרובע), Vincent Waller (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Jennie Monica (SpongeBob SquarePants) are co-executive producers of the series. Production of KAMP KORAL: SPONGEBOB’S UNDER YEARS is overseen by Kelley Gardner, Vice President, Current Series Animation, Nickelodeon. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, Calif.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Israel Orders Teen Series 'Thalath' from The Co-Production Company and Ananey Studios!

Originally published: August 18, 2021.

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Spin the Wheel 🐾 PAW Patrol: The Movie! | Nick Jr.

Spin the Wheel 🐾 PAW Patrol: The Movie! | Nick Jr.


PAW Patrol is off to the big city! Let's spin the wheel and see which one of their brand new adventures we land on!

PAW Patrol: The Movie leaps into theaters and bounds onto Paramount+ Friday, August 20th! Watch the trailer here!


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44 Cats | Season 2 - The Cat Color Game [FULL EPISODE]

44 Cats | Season 2 - The Cat Color Game [FULL EPISODE]


With the ice cream cakes he has prepared, Cream organizes a very original game called Cat Calls Colour. The Buffycats are excited until Boss, Blister and Scab turn up.

Visit the official 44 Cats show website at 44cats.tv to find out more about the show and its musical stars, as well as watch exclusive video clips, play pawesome games and download purr-tastic activities!

More Nick: Italy’s Marco Verratti Joins 44 Cats Charity Campaign Ahead of UEFA European Football Championship!
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Tiago X JJ: Who Should Be Eva's Fellow Adventurer? | Club 57 | Nickelodeon Brazil

Tiago X JJ: Quem deve ser o companheiro de aventuras da Eva? | Club 57 | Nickelodeon em Português


JJ não pode viajar no tempo... será que a Eva deve escolher o Tiago para ser o seu companheiro de aventuras em Club 57?


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Proud to be Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month | ViacomCBS Networks International

PROUD TO BE CELEBRATING SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH


Hear from ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) employees regarding their culture, heritage and history, as South Asian Heritage Month comes to an end. Big thank you to Chiranjiv Dhillon, Akhila Khanna, Bal Matharu, Chandni S. and Rani J. for taking part.


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'PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls' Releases on Consoles and PC

'PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls' releases on consoles and PC today!

Join the PAW Patrol to save the city alongside family and friends


London, 13th August 2021 - The PAW Patrol are on a roll in their biggest rescue mission yet! Outright Games, the leading global publisher of family friendly interactive entertainment, in partnership with Nickelodeon, have today launched PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls, available on PlayStation®, Nintendo Switch™, Xbox and Steam priced at $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99.


Based on the franchise’s first full length feature film PAW Patrol: The Movie released from Spin Master Entertainment in association with Nickelodeon movies and Paramount Pictures, join the pups and their new pal Liberty in this brand new big city adventure.

The PAW Patrol’s latest mission sees them going head to head with Mayor Humdinger who is plotting to take over the buzzing metropolis of Adventure City. Only the pups can stop his selfish scheming and they need you to help them! Become your favourite member of the PAW Patrol including Chase, Skye and the newest member Liberty each with their own unique abilities and save the city in high-stakes rescue missions.

Next-level gadgets and vehicles bring the city to life and open up new exciting locations from the feature length movie. Enjoy minigames, like dancing to Pup Pup Boogie, discover a stash of pup treats so big, it’s guaranteed to keep Rubble happy, and unlock new rewards along the way! Play together in both solo and local co-op modes in this 3D platformer, allowing young gamers as well as older family members and friends to join the PAW Patrol for their biggest mission yet!

KEY FEATURES

  • TO ADVENTURE CITY! - Explore all-new locations from PAW Patrol: The Movie
  • BE THE PUPS - Including Chase, Marshall, Skye, and new city pup Liberty
  • MISSION PAW – Save the day in amazing rescues and bonus missions
  • COLLECT THEM ALL – Unlock reward badges for collecting all the pup treats
  • PLAY MINIGAMES – Like Pup Pup Boogie, in solo or local co-op mode

PAW Patrol is one of the largest global pre-school brands, with the #1 Pre-school show, topping charts since it aired in 2013. The global phenomenon reaches over 170 countries through the TV show, toys, video games, clothing lines, and even theme park rides. As children who love the PAW Patrol are growing up, so are their PAW Patrol pals and the adventures ahead of them with their first full-length feature film PAW Patrol: The Movie coming to the big screen August 20th 2021.

Outright Games continues its longest standing and most impactful partnership alongside Nickelodeon with PAW Patrol The Movie Adventure City Calls following the release of top selling games in the franchise including PAW Patrol: On a Roll and PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay.

"We’re thrilled to bring the beloved PAW Patrol pups to the world of video games once again!’’ said Terry Malham, CEO of Outright Games. ‘’This is our third game made in partnership with our friends at Nickelodeon and we feel it’s at the next level, with action packed missions and a brand new city for the whole family to enjoy together. We hope everyone enjoys playing the game as much as we did making it’’

PAW Patrol The MovieTM Adventure City Calls launches August 2021 on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PC Digital priced at $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99












About Outright Games:

Outright Games is a global video games publisher with a focus on quality family entertainment to a worldwide audience. Founded in 2016, Outright Games has established its place in the market delivering engaging interactive games of beloved entertainment licenses globally. Outright Games brings stories and characters to life with titles including favourites such as Jumanji: The Video Game with Sony Pictures, PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay with Nickelodeon, Ben 10: Power Trip with Cartoon Network, and Dragons: Dawn of New Risers with NBC Universal. With an Outright Games title there will be fun for all the family to enjoy. For more information please visit: www.outrightgames.com

Find out more:

Website: Outright Games
Twitter: @Outright_Games
Instagram: Outright_games

About ViacomCBS Consumer Products:

ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) oversees all licensing and merchandising for ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, VCP’s portfolio includes a diverse slate of brands and content from BET, CBS (including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and Showtime. With properties spanning animation, live-action, preschool, youth and adult, VCP is committed to creating the highest quality product for some of the world’s most beloved, iconic franchises. Additionally, VCP oversees the online direct-to-consumer business for CBS and Showtime programming merchandise, as well as standalone branded ecommerce websites for Star Trek, SpongeBob, South Park, and MTV.

Find out more: http://www.nick.co.uk/

About Spin Master Corp.:

Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY) is a leading global children’s entertainment company creating exceptional play experiences through a diverse portfolio of innovative toys, entertainment franchises and digital games. Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands PAW Patrol®, Bakugan®, Kinetic Sand®, Air Hogs®, Hatchimals®, Rubik’s Cube® and GUND®, and is the toy licensee for other popular properties. Spin Master Entertainment creates and produces compelling multiplatform content, stories and endearing characters through its in-house studio and partnerships with outside creators, including the preschool success PAW Patrol and nine other original shows along with multiple short-form series, which are distributed in more than 190 countries. The Company has an established digital presence anchored by the Toca Boca® and Sago Mini® brands, which combined have more than 40 million monthly active users. With close to 2,000 employees in 28 offices globally, Spin Master distributes products in more than 100 countries. For more information visit spinmaster.com or follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @spinmaster.

About Paramount Home Entertainment

Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The PHE division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television Studios, Paramount Players, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHE additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.

About Drakhar Studios

Drakhar Studio is a video game development studio for both mobile devices and Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo consoles. Founded in 2011 in Spain, Drakhar Studio started with small games for Android and Apple until in 2016 it launched its first game for consoles: Ginger Beyond The Crystal. Since then, Drakhar Studio has specialized in the development of video games for publishers and film and animation producers, standing out for its high level of quality, fun mechanics and special care in the artistic aspect.

For more information, please visit : www.drakharstudio.com

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OUTRIGHT GAMES TO HEADLINE STADIA’S DEDICATED KIDS & FAMILY CATEGORY FEATURING ‘PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE™ ADVENTURE CITY CALLS’ GAME AND OTHER MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT FRANCHISES

The brand-new title featuring the world’s most famous pups launches on Stadia August 13th, alongside ‘DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders’,‘Gigantosaurus The Game’, ‘Ice Age: Scrat's Nutty Adventure’ and 2020’s ‘PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay’

London, August 11th 2021 — Outright Games, the leading global publisher of kids’ interactive entertainment, is proud to announce that the latest and greatest games are coming to the cloud for the first time with Stadia. Set to launch on August 13th, 2021, Stadia today revealed a new dedicated kids & family category, within the Stadia store, which will support customers in selecting the greatest age-appropriate games for the whole family. This will mark a huge addition to Stadia’s roster of family-friendly entertainment.

To kick off the selection ‘PAW Patrol The Movie™: Adventure City Calls’ will be released on Stadia the very same day. Based on the upcoming feature film PAW Patrol: The Movie, a Spin Master Entertainment production in association with Nickelodeon Movies, this video game will also be joined by Outright Games’ two previous top-selling adventures set in the PAW Patrol universe.

Also launching on August 13th as part of Stadia’s new kids & family section will be four other smash hit titles from Outright Games, including ‘DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders’, ‘Gigantosaurus The Game’, ‘Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure’, and ‘PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Day’.

Terry Malham, CEO of Outright Games says “As cloud technology continues to make gaming even more accessible for families the world over, Stadia and their new section of the storefront user interface will continue to help parents and guardians give their children quality, age-appropriate video games to enjoy. This is just the start of what we feel will be a powerful partnership with Stadia, as we look to bring out a stream of titles over the coming months and years.”

###

PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls - Launch Trailer | BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe


No CITY is too big, no pup is too small! Join team PAWsome and go on the pups' biggest adventure yet! #PawPatrolTheMovie #AdventureCityCalls is out now! Get yours today on #Nintendo #Switch, #PlayStation, #Xbox or #Steam


Originally published: August 13, 2021.

Additional sources: GamingLyfe.com, Kidscreen.

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'PAW Patrol: The Movie' Trailers | Portuguese Versions | Paramount Pictures Portugal

Below is the Portuguese (Português) version of of the PAW Patrol: The Movie trailer! To watch the English version of the trailer, click here.


Patrulha Pata: O Filme | Trailer Oficial Dobrado | Paramount Pictures Portugal (HD)

Sempre que alguém precisar, a Patrulha Pata vai ajudar! 🐾 Vê o trailer oficial de #PatrulhaPataFilme que chega aos cinemas a 19 de agosto.

A Patrulha Pata está pronta para a ação! Quando o seu maior rival, Humdinger, se torna Presidente da Cidade da Aventura e começa a causar estragos, Ryder e os cachorros mais adorados do planeta têm um grande desafio pela frente. Enquanto um dos cachorros tem de enfrentar o seu passado na Cidade da Aventura, a equipa encontra ajuda numa nova aliada, a uma experiente dachshund chamada Liberty. Juntos e armados com novos e emocionantes equipamentos, a Patrulha Pata luta para salvar os cidadãos da Cidade da Aventura! Nesta primeira grande aventura da Patrulha Pata no grande ecrã juntam-se ao elenco da versão portuguesa Manuel Marques, Sofia Arruda e António Machado.

Patrulha Pata: O Filme | TV Spot Grande Ecrã | Paramount Pictures Portugal (HD)


Sempre que alguém precisar, a Patrulha Pata vai ajudar! 🐾 #PatrulhaPataFilme chega aos cinemas a 19 de agosto.

A Patrulha Pata está pronta para a ação! Quando o seu maior rival, Humdinger, se torna Presidente da Cidade da Aventura e começa a causar estragos, Ryder e os cachorros mais adorados do planeta têm um grande desafio pela frente. Enquanto um dos cachorros tem de enfrentar o seu passado na Cidade da Aventura, a equipa encontra ajuda numa nova aliada, a uma experiente dachshund chamada Liberty. Juntos e armados com novos e emocionantes equipamentos, a Patrulha Pata luta para salvar os cidadãos da Cidade da Aventura! Nesta primeira grande aventura da Patrulha Pata no grande ecrã juntam-se ao elenco da versão portuguesa Manuel Marques, Sofia Arruda e António Machado.

Patrulha Pata: O Filme | TV Spot Drone | Paramount Pictures Portugal (HD)


Sempre que alguém precisar, a Patrulha Pata vai ajudar! 🐾 #PatrulhaPataFilme chega aos cinemas a 19 de agosto.

A Patrulha Pata está pronta para a ação! Quando o seu maior rival, Humdinger, se torna Presidente da Cidade da Aventura e começa a causar estragos, Ryder e os cachorros mais adorados do planeta têm um grande desafio pela frente. Enquanto um dos cachorros tem de enfrentar o seu passado na Cidade da Aventura, a equipa encontra ajuda numa nova aliada, a uma experiente dachshund chamada Liberty. Juntos e armados com novos e emocionantes equipamentos, a Patrulha Pata luta para salvar os cidadãos da Cidade da Aventura! Nesta primeira grande aventura da Patrulha Pata no grande ecrã juntam-se ao elenco da versão portuguesa Manuel Marques, Sofia Arruda e António Machado.

ANTESTREIA PATRULHA PATA O FILME | Portugal | Nickelodeon em Português


A antestreia de Patrulha Pata: O Filme foi um sucesso! A Catarina e os heróis caninos mais famosos do mundo estiveram presentes e mostram-te tudo!


Originally published: June 15, 2021.

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Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for August 18, 2021 | Nickelodeon

Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for August 18, 2021 | Nickelodeon


Stream all new CG-animated Rugrats series, exclusively on Paramount+!



Rugrats, provided to Creators Syndicate by Nickelodeon, based off the popular animated television series has been created for children and family's to laugh and enjoy together.

Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.

Read more Rugrats comic strips!: https://www.creators.com/features/rugrats

More Nick: First Look: Nickelodeon's All-New Animated 'Rugrats' Reunites Members of the Original Voice Cast to Reprise Roles!

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'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Star Dallas Liu Breaks Silence on Zuko Casting

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of Nickelodeon's most-loved series, and its reach is continuing to go new places. Despite a sour adaptation years ago, the animated series is giving live-action a second go at Netflix. Not long ago, the leads of the adaptation were made public at last, and the actor cast for Zuko is saying he's ready to do fans proud.


Not long ago, Dallas Liu broke his silence on Avatar: The Last Airbender when he hit the red carpet for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It was there the actor, who stars in the Marvel Studios flick, spoke to Variety about his Netflix gig. While he couldn't say much, Liu did say he wants to make fans proud, and he sees his role as Zuko as an honor.


"It's a huge honor to be playing Zuko in the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I'm just excited to give it everything I've got. I know the fans have been waiting for something for a long time now, so I definitely won't let them down," Liu told the site.

Of course, the actor is not alone in this thought. Liu will be joined by several other leads in Avatar: The Last Airbender as Gordon Cormier has been cast as Aang. Kiawentiio has been brought in to play Katara while Ian Ousley is set to play Sokka. These four will lead the adaptation as it gets underway at Netflix, and there will be more stars added along the way. And as you can imagine, the pressure is on to do Avatar: The Last Airbender justice.

At this point, there is no word on when the live-action series will enter production, but fans hope it will be sooner rather than later. In the meantime, the franchise is living on through Avatar Studios. The initiative was set up by Nickelodeon to create new Avatar stories whether they be animated or otherwise. A movie is currently being developed by the show's original co-creators, who also head the new studio, so it seems things are on the up and up for this beloved franchise!

What do you think about Liu's role in this live-action adaptation? Are you excited for Avatar: The Last Airbender to hit up Netflix? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra on Paramount+ and Netflix!

Listen to the brand new podcast, Avatar: Braving the Elements!: http://www.nickalive.net/search/label/Avatar%3A%20Braving%20the%20Elements

Subscribe to the NEW official Avatar: The Last Airbender YouTube channel!: https://at.nick.com/AvatarSubscribe


Original source: ComicBook.com.

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Nathan Kress Teases Unprecedented 'iCarly' Season Finale and Weighs In On Freddie & Carly’s Future

iCarly is back and better than ever. Nathan Kress recently talked about the upcoming season finale, Freddie and Carly’s relationship, directing his first iCarly episode, and more.


The year 2021 has been full of great TV, and the return of iCarly is in that category. The hit Nickelodeon series was revived nearly a decade after its final episode for a new series on Paramount+. Original characters Carly, Freddie, and Spencer reunited onscreen, much to the delight of millennials everywhere.

HollywoodLife recently spoke with Nathan Kress about this next chapter of iCarly, the amazing response from fans, and his iCarly directorial debut. He was even able to tease a little about the upcoming season finale, which he calls “unprecedented.” When it comes to Freddie and Carly’s whole will-they-or-won’t-they, Nathan is open to whatever the future holds. Plus, he revealed what he wants to see in season 2. Read the full Q&A below:

How are you feeling about the response from fans since the revival premiered?

Nathan Kress: Honestly, I remain shocked at the response that we’ve gotten. I remember it was really interesting for us because on the day of the premiere, we were currently in production. We were shooting another episode, and we were just about to wrap up the season. I knew that morning, whatever reaction there was to the show, was going to carry into that entire rest of their production week. I was so scared that it was just going to be this endless stream of people saying ‘What is this? I don’t understand it. It’s all different. I don’t like it.’ I woke up with full-on arrhythmia, rolled over, checked Twitter, and I literally felt like I lost 15 pounds in that moment. Just the fact that people saw what we were trying to do and they resonated with it and they approved of it almost universally… that doesn’t happen. The internet makes a sport out of hating things. The fact that more than 9 out of 10 comments about the show were positive and even ones that weren’t as positive were just constructive criticism about things that they wanted to see in the future, it felt amazing. I felt like I was in an alternate universe. It was insane. It just has continued, which is equally insane. It makes everything just so happy and fun, and it made going to work for those remaining weeks so much more inspiring. And then that fed into the last week of production, which was my directing week. It was extra motivating to know that people were resonating, especially with mentions of the past of iCarly and the history of Carly and Sam. That was something that people really wanted a little bit more explanation on, and that was a big question mark for a lot of people. I was honored to be able to have that as sort of my storyline for the episode that I directed. It was very, very motivating all around for sure and made for a much more enjoyable few weeks.

Jerry Trainor, Miranda Cosgrove, and Nathan Kress of ‘iCarly.’ (Paramount+)

Was it happenstance that you directed an episode that really reflected on the iCarly past? Or were you part of the conversation from the beginning?

Nathan Kress: It’s funny. It was largely happenstance. It ended up being that the request from me was, ‘If there’s an episode that I’m not in as much of, I would love to direct that one just the first time around to sort of get my feet wet on a brand-new show.’ There’s only been one other circumstance where I acted in an episode and directed the same one, and it was a cameo on Game Shakers, where I was playing myself. So it was a lot easier because it was just me acting like myself. With this, it was the character stuff that I had to make decisions on, and it’s hard being your own director because you have not as much of a backstop during rehearsal for a director to say, ‘No, I know what you’re trying to do, but it’s not playing. How about you do this instead?’ I didn’t have that, so I wanted the first time around to be as minimized as possible in the episode, at least in terms of dialogue and everything, so that I could sort of focus a little bit more on the directing. From now on, I don’t think that matters as much, but it was nice getting to just put a little bit more of the director hat on. It was great because they were really emotional moments for Miranda [Cosgrove] and being able to focus more on that instead was great because that was really pivotal. She did a phenomenal job. We were able to really work on that together, which was fun. You don’t really get many opportunities to do that in multi-cam sitcoms, so it really was kind of a coincidence and happenstance, but I guess I chalked it up more to serendipity.

What was it like directing an episode of a show that really propelled your character and where you got your start? It must have been surreal to bring it all full circle.

Nathan Kress: Absolutely. It was something that I knew that I wanted to do from the beginning, especially just because that’s what my primary focus has been really kind of since the show ended. In 2014 is when I started directing and that’s really been something that I’ve made a point to develop. So I knew that was something that I wanted to bring into it because I knew that there were things that I could do as an actor, especially an actor who was on the old show, to add to the authenticity and the emotion of it. I was honored to be able to have, again, an episode that really provided sort of the fresh soil to do that. But it was very intimidating because I’m used to directing kids who knew who I was from my iCarly days. They kind of would do everything that I say because they knew that I had sort of the track record, and I had been in their shoes. I kind of knew what I was talking about with them. But for these guys, for Miranda and Jerry [Trainor], I grew up with them. They know just as much if not more than I do, so it was much more collaborative. It was a lot of us finding stuff together. Fortunately, we’ve all grown so much as actors and as people in this last decade. We all had a lot to bring to the table, and that’s what’s been so exciting about this show. There’s a lot of depth and a lot of story that we haven’t even scratched the surface on, and there’s so much that you can do with people who you’re very invested in from a very young age, who are now in a completely different phase of life. I think that’s something that people really gravitated toward as a concept for the show, and now we’re very excited about the future seasons.

We’re heading towards the finale. It’s hard to believe that it’s already almost finale time. What can you tease about the season finale?

Nathan Kress: I can definitely say that we’ll be seeing more of Wes, the character that was introduced in my episode. He plays a very pivotal role leading up to the finale. He will be substantial. Also, the Double Dutch character that was introduced in my episode, she will be very substantial. We’re introducing a lot of new dynamics and relationships that were not present in the old show or in the new show. They’re very much going to have a central role in these next couple of episodes. So things are going to get interesting and at least slightly unprecedented in the finale.

Unprecedented for Freddie?

Nathan Kress: For everyone. In lots of ways. We also get to finish the show in a very, very fun, unique set and environment where we’re out in the forest pretty much the whole show, which is fun to do in multi-cam. It’s a very, very new experience for us and kind of reminded us of the Bigfoot episode that we had way back in the old show.

iCarly has already been renewed for a second season. Is there anything you would want to explore with Freddie that maybe you didn’t get to in the first season?

Nathan Kress: That’s kind of the fun thing about where we’re at in this season. It’s a big question mark. Pen has not been put to paper yet, so it’s a very blank slate at this point. I would love to just see continued character development. There’s some stuff in the next two episodes for Freddie specifically where he really gets on a different path with his career. We’ve seen it in the last couple of episodes now where he’s talked about wanting to get back into entrepreneurship. He tried his partnership with his daughter and that didn’t quite shake out the way that it was supposed to, but he actually gets on a little bit of an arc there that pushes him in a positive direction. It was fun at the beginning of the show finding out where everybody landed after the decade, and it was interesting to play a character who has not had really anything good happen to him. He’s just on the outs in general. So I would love to see a little bit of a redemption story for Freddie. He was sort of the underdog in the first season. Moving forward, I’d love to see him kind of grow in his relationship with Millicent, grow in his career, and develop in a positive way where he kind of has some good stuff happen to him. And then I think the stage has been a little bit set for Carly and Freddie’s relationship to — I don’t know how it’s going to develop — but at the very least their friendship and camaraderie I think has been very solidified in recent episodes as well. I don’t know what direction that’s going to go either, but that’s a question that a lot of people are probably asking.

Fans are very passionate about Freddie and Carly given their history. Do you have an opinion about whether or not they should be in a relationship? Would you rather them stay friends or would you like to see the romance?

Nathan Kress: That I guess is the beauty of it right now. I don’t think the powers that be necessarily have a specific plan or preference for them to land on. Maybe there’s a character that we discover later on for either one of our characters that is a great fit, and suddenly this character is very funny and flows very well with the cast for all we know. We have no idea. That’s the fun and exciting thing about this. I don’t think anyone has any preconceived notions about what’s going to happen. I think it’s just going to be very organic. Since 2007, I think at this point we’re the definition of a slow burn if it does go that way. Because this wick has been burning for a long time to the point where you do start to wonder, has there been sort of capitulation in the relationship where they just say, ‘You know what? If it hasn’t happened by now, it’s probably not going to happen.’ They could go that route, I don’t know. They could say, ‘We’re just such good friends. Let’s not do this.’ Or they could say, ‘We’re such good friends. We belong together. We’ve been in each other’s lives for this long. What are we doing?’ There’s an equal possibility that it could go either way. I think that it’s keeping all of us in a level of suspense for sure. I have no spoilers because I have no idea. I think that’s the fun part that we’re all going to get to sort of discover that together.

You have a podcast called RadioActive Dads. How has it been navigating the podcast world with Brett?

Nathan Kress: It felt very foreign at the beginning doing something not so much on camera but just in front of a microphone. Fortunately, Brett is very experienced. He’s been doing a morning show, The Brett Davern Show, on idobi radio for years leading up to us doing this together. That was kind of how the whole thing started. Fortunately, I’ve leaned on him a lot, especially in the beginning to kind of show me the ropes of how it works. But it’s funny because we realized that just any time we got together at an event or someone’s party that we mutually knew, we’d always end up just talking about the same dad stuff. When we’d go to a diner, we’d be talking about dad stuff or our acting adventures and misadventures and just sort of paddling around and having dude time. There was this moment where we were like, ‘If we just had a microphone in between us, this would be a podcast.’ This is just what people are doing now because people want to have something to listen to that is nostalgic for them, give them a behind-the-scenes peek at something that they loved as kids, but then also on the dad’s side of it, we realize there’s not very much content out there. There are dad podcasts, but there’s not very much for young dads who are at the stage that we’re at in newborn, infant, toddler, preschool age. It’s more younger kids and teenagers and stuff. We realized there’s kind of a vacuum there, so getting to do something where we got to provide a little bit of an outlet for other dads as well as ourselves, it’s a therapy session for me. Just to be able to say, ‘I’m dealing with this really frustrating thing right now. Did this happen to you?’ And he goes, ‘Yes, absolutely, and this is what we did about it.’ It’s mostly just us figuring out our own problems on a radio show, and that has been really fun. We’ve gotten great feedback from parents who are in a similar position to us. It also just gives us an opportunity to reconnect with our fans and ask or answer questions that they have. We try to be very involved and sort of dig into the mailbox every episode and have some fan feedback and stuff. We’ve been doing it for almost two years now, and it’s been fantastic. A little harder during a lockdown and doing it remotely. I miss being in person, but it has been fun and just sort of a way to connect with friends but we just happen to do it in the medium of a radio show.

When are we going to get Brett on iCarly?

Nathan Kress: I’ve been trying. I think there’s a role in there for him somewhere. My dream is, because Freddie’s a dad on the show, I would really love it if Freddie had a support group for dads with frustrating children. And then he [Brett] was also a dad in my support group so that it can kind of mirror reality a little bit. I feel like something like that would be kind of fun.

Stream the new series now, with new episodes released every Thursday, exclusively on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

More Nick: Paramount Plus Renews Hit Series 'iCarly' for a Second Season!

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Meet the Writer with John O'Bryan | Avatar: Braving the Elements

Meet the Writer with John O'Bryan | Avatar: Braving the Elements

Jack De Sena Reveals His First Impression of Avatar! 🤯 | Avatar: Braving The Elements

Jack De Sena Reveals His First Impression of Avatar! 🤯 | Avatar: Braving The Elements


In this episode of Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast, Jack De Sena (voice of Sokka) guest stars and joins Janet Varney (voice of Korra) and Dante Basco (voice of Zuko) as they talk Avatar ships and the darker sides of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra on Paramount+ and Netflix!


Why Avatar: The Last Airbender Is Still Relevant And Rewarding For Older Audiences, According To One Star

Avatar: The Last Airbender ended its run back in 2008, but the show found a whole new audience more recently when all three seasons debuted on Netflix to tell the story of Avatar Aang working to master all four elements and defeat Fire Lord Ozai with the help of his friends. Now available on multiple streaming services, A:TLA is a hit with kids and adults alike even though the animated series was originally produced for Nickelodeon. According to voice actor Jack DeSena, there are some reasons why the show has remained so relevant and rewarding all these years later.

I spoke with Jack DeSena, who voiced fan-favorite Sokka for all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender, ahead of his guest appearance on Dante Basco and Janet Varney's Avatar rewatch podcast, Braving the Elements. Sokka's character development throughout A: TLA started early, when he learned some key lessons from Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors that are as valuable today as they were back in 2005. DeSena weighed in on the importance of Sokka's growth for viewers, saying:

"I love that [creators] Mike [Dante DiMartino] and Bryan [Konietzko] built in that blind spot of Sokka's. And then very quickly addressing that he comes from this warrior culture, believes certain things about his role as the oldest male there, and has certain judgments about his sister, and introduce all of that right away, make that all clear on the pilot. But... pretty immediately as they set off into the world, this is clearly something this kid will have to learn about, and adjust his perspective in a major way. So I think they handled that really well. And it was relevant then and it's just as relevant now. I love that storyline."

The first handful of episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender make it clear that it's not going to be the kind of animated series targeted at a younger audience that resets every week and sticks to lighter kinds of stories. The characters had multiple layers early on, and genocide wasn't exactly a common plot point on Nickelodeon!

By the end of the series, everybody had evolved a great deal from where they began, and Sokka in particular had to overcome a lot of challenges as the only non-bender of Team Avatar who was still an essential member of the group. Jack DeSena shared his thoughts on Sokka as a character who was never static:

"I think that's something that was a really pleasant surprise throughout the process for me. It became clear early on, like, 'Cool, I'm this major sort of comedic release role. And we've got this big major arc of Aang sort of learning everything and going on this epic journey.' It was certainly possible that Sokka would be more static and would be more there to keep cracking jokes, he keeps some plot stuff moving. But they really continued to build beautiful arcs and growth for Sokka, and for all the characters. They didn't silo little character growth just on to Aang, or Aang and Zuko. They built beautiful stories for all of them. And it was just a joy to crack a new script, and see what we were being gifted that week to explore in these characters."

Sokka was definitely the source of a lot of the comedy of Avatar: The Last Airbender, whether thanks to slapstick moments or discovering the effects of the quenchiest cactus juice or any of the other times that he delivered some laughs to what could be a very serious storyline. At the same time, he was much more than just slapstick and received just as much development as the other characters.

Admittedly, Zuko had farther to go from just wanting to regain his honor to fighting with the heroes, but Sokka came a long way over the seasons. When I noted that the character development was a reason why A: TLA has such appeal to older viewers as well as kids, Jack DeSena continued:

"And that they're doing that for every character. You get more information, more backstory, more depth, for you know, Ty Lee than you ever would have expected, right? It's not just like some pop-up little villain of the week... 'Okay, we're gonna spend some time with her and see what her deal is.' That they did that and took that level of care with, you know, dozens of characters, I think is what makes it rewatchable. What gives it depth, what makes it rewarding for an older audience. I think it's just a great accomplishment to be that thorough in the world building and the character building."

How many shows that were produced for a younger demographic and aired on Nickelodeon could have broad appeal, offer so many rewatchable episodes, deliver so much development, and inspire a podcast bringing back the stars well over a decade after the series finale aired? Avatar: The Last Airbender truly was a one-of-a-kind series that continues to build on its legacy as more and more people continue discovering it thanks to streaming.

That said, The Last Airbender isn't the only series set in the shared universe, as sequel series Avatar: The Legend of Korra premiered in 2012. Plus, an extended Avatar universe is on the way with creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko on board. Throw in the Netflix series that just announced the actors who will bring the beloved characters to live action, and the show that launched on Nickelodeon in 2005 has a much broader reach than anybody could have guessed back then.

You can revisit Avatar: The Last Airbender with the full series streaming on both Netflix and Paramount+, along with the full run of Avatar: The Legend of Korra. To revisit The Last Airbender along with the stars, you can check out the Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast hosted by Zuko voice actor Dante Basco and Korra leading lady Janet Varney. The show has already featured guests like Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Suki voice actress Jennie Kwan, and even more as well as Jack DeSena.

[...]

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Listen to the brand new podcast, Avatar: Braving the Elements!: http://www.nickalive.net/search/label/Avatar%3A%20Braving%20the%20Elements

Subscribe to the NEW official Avatar: The Last Airbender YouTube channel!: https://at.nick.com/AvatarSubscribe


Originally published: August 6, 2021.

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PAW Patrol: The Movie | Cast & Crew Interviews | Nickelodeon Movies

PAW Patrol: The Movie bounds into theaters and onto Paramount+ on August 20! To celebrate, below is a handpicked selection of interviews with the cast and crew of the all new PAW Patrol movie!

Familiarity Breeds Audience for Kids-Show Reboots

Networks turn to old favorites to draw in young viewers and their folks


Children’s-targeted programmers such as Nickelodeon and Disney Channel are rebooting popular kids shows from the 1990s and 2000s in an effort to reach a new generation of kids, as well as their parents who grew up watching them on both traditional television and online streaming platforms.

Shows with brand identity and familiarity have an advantage over new programs trying to establish themselves in a crowded multiplatform content universe, network executives and industry observers said. But such advantages don’t guarantee success for reboots, regardless of the original show’s popularity. 

“If you can provide an entertaining show to the current audience and use established characters in an established format that also attracts past viewers, then you’re on the right track,” TV analyst Bill Carroll told Broadcasting & Cable. “Yet in any show, whether it’s a reboot or an original, it has to stand on its own, whether it’s entertaining or whether the audience finds it attractive.”

As young viewers consume content across multiple platforms — kids 2 to 11 averaged 14 hours as week of viewing on connected-TV devices and 10 hours of live or time shifted TV viewing according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for third-quarter 2020 — content distributors are turning to more established intellectual properties (IP) to reach more kids, as well as their parents who grew up with such properties. 

“It absolutely helps break through the clutter and connect to audiences,” Paul DeBenedittis, Nickelodeon’s executive VP of programming and content strategy, said. “We have the ability to bring back properties so that parents who are now 40 years old can experience Nick with their children.”

Aggressive IP Revivers

Nickelodeon in particular has been aggressive in developing reboots and spinoffs for its older titles, having brought back this past May animated series Rugrats with new episodes featuring the original actor voices from the 1990s. On the live-action front, the network in June revived its 2010 series iCarly, featuring the original kid stars Miranda Cosgrove and Nathan Kress reprising their respective roles as adults. 

Both shows debuted on upstart streaming service Paramount+ and not Nickelodeon, where the original shows ran. DeBenedittis said the streaming service allows the network to reach both fans who watch reruns of the original series on Paramount Plus as well as new viewers who may not be familiar with the franchise but are viewing other shows online.

The strategy seems to be working. The iCarly reboot, whose June 17 debut reached 145,000 households within the live-plus-three-day window according to Samba TV, was recently renewed for a second season on Paramount Plus.

“We have an opportunity to reach a broader audience that might not be watching Nick and might not have children, but they’re watching Paramount Plus to see a title that they grew up with,” DeBenedettis said. “These titles generally have a strong affinity with audiences while at the same time they also have the ability to drive new audiences.” 

In addition to the Rugrats reboot and iCarly revival, Nickelodeon is planning to putting a new spin on the classic animated series The Smurfs, and a live-action reboot of 2000s animated series The Fairly OddParents is also in the works, DeBenedittis said. Other franchises such as Star Trek (Prodigy) Transformers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are also being primed for new projects. 

“We’re looking at additional content — both movies and series — that we could potentially deliver for the fan base and grow new audiences through both linear and streaming,” he said. “The different platforms offer us the ability to drive broader reach and engagement with beloved properties that fans love as well as introduce kids to these properties.”


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Children's Publisher Phidal Providing Kindergarten Books and Preschool Learning Books for the New School Year

Children's Publisher Phidal Providing Kindergarten Books and Preschool Learning Books for the New School Year

Phidal is providing preschoolers and kindergarteners with quality children's books for little readers, including a special line of activity books and other key early learning collections.


AVENTURA, Fla., August 17, 2021 - Phidal, a children's book publisher known for uniting books, learning and children since 1979, is preparing for the new school year with a line of kindergarten books and preschool learning books that will inspire young imaginations and help children develop early concepts of critical learning components. 

Known for their high-quality products, Phidal has dedicated a collection of books to help little ones get a jump start on learning letters, objects, reasoning, and animals just in time for the new school year to begin. Their large collection of preschool books are durable, colorful, and fascinating, with an emphasis on encouraging critical skills development, interactive play, and helping to understand letters and numbers for kindergarten-aged kids.

Phidal's high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs introduce young learners to a world of firsts. The Learning Tabs Collection offers a unique learning experience by introducing children to words, shapes, colors, and numbers through vibrant, interactive, and easy-to-read activity books. 

In addition, children can learn how to write all 26 letters of the alphabet in Phidal's Learn to Write ABCs Learning Series. The Learning Series helps children aged 36 months and up to learn fine motor skills while having fun. 

Parents can also find animal books for kindergarteners and learning sticker books that help kids develop cognitive skills while encouraging them to learn more. Phidal's top instructional books also provide the best brands and personalities that children will recognize and enjoy.

Blue's Clues, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine, Disney, Eric Carle, and Curious George are just a few of the well-known brands Phidal offers. 

Interested readers are invited to visit https://www.phidal.com/en/ to browse their wide selection of back to school books. 

About Phidal

Since 1979, Phidal has been creating durable, colorful, and interactive children's books that ignite imaginations and encourage a love of reading from a young age. Collections include classic stories based off of favorite characters from Disney, Marvel, and Nickelodeon, as well as original books with whole new adventures for children to explore.

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Nickelodeon Alum Madisyn Shipman Enters the Music Scene with New Single 'Flying Solo'

Nickelodeon Alum Madisyn Shipman Enters the Music Scene

Shipman plans to do duet with NYC Socialite Josh Tepper


Madysin Shipman, who starred on Nickelodeon's hit comedy series Game Shakers, is now venturing into the music scene!

She released her catchy pop single "Flying Solo" on July 1, 2021 to her 2 million Instagram followers, and can be streamed at https://createmusic.fm/flyingsolo.

The star is now doing her first duet with native New Yorker Josh Tepper. Tepper is mostly known for formally being Kelly Killoren Bensimon's content manager. He majored in vocal performance at the "fame" school Fiorello Laguardia High School, and recently graduated NYU Tisch!

The duet is set to be released in early fall.

Fans can watch Madysin on Game Shakers, now streaming on Paramount+!


Press release via Newswire.com and Digital Journal.

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Big Time Rush Tease New Music During Live Q&A

Big Time Rush are officially back - and they're not just bringing back their classic hits!

During their Instagram Q&A on Saturday, August 14 to celebrate their upcoming tour, the band teased new music by sharing a snippet from a new song!:


In the track, all four boys can be heard harmonising the line: "Not giving you up, not giving you up" on repeat. In other words, it looks like a new single called 'Not Giving You Up' is coming.

The news confirms that the band has been busy recording new songs. Earlier this year, it was revealed that BTR had recorded a raft of new tracks titled "Echoes", "How You Like Me Now", "Stars Align" and "Something Bout Your Love"!

Last week (Aug 12), Carlos posted an Instagram story with the caption "ready to make some new music?" and he tagged Kendall, James and Logan.

In case you missed it, Big Time Rush are reuniting for Big Time Rush Live 2021, which will see the boys play at Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL on December 15 and the Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY on December 18. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster now. For more information, see https://www.bigtimerushofficial.com. Official tour merch is also now available at https://bigtimerush.store.

Big Time Rush is available to stream on Paramount+ and Netflix.


Originally published: August 16, 2021.

Original source: The Things; Additional source: PopBuzz.

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Genius Brands’ Series 'Rainbow Rangers' Rapidly Growing Across Broadcast Platforms Worldwide

Genius Brands’ Series “Rainbow Rangers” Rapidly Growing Across Broadcast Platforms Worldwide

Viewership Increases Dramatically Across Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Direct, HBO Max, Nickelodeon Latin America, China’s CCTV and Kartoon Channel!

Season Three Currently in Production Ahead of 2022 Retail Debut from Never Wrong Toys


BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 02, 2021 -- Genius Brands International, Inc.’s (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ:GNUS) hit animated series, Rainbow Rangers, is growing its viewership dramatically across multiple media worldwide, including its anchor platform Kartoon Channel! in the U.S., as well as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Direct, HBO Max, Nickelodeon Latin America, and China’s largest broadcaster, CCTV, among others.

“It takes time for a brand to establish itself, but we are clearly seeing that this is now occurring with Rainbow Rangers across multiple-platforms, including the recent release of season one on Netflix, where the series cracked the Top 10 of children’s programs for the first time, and is consistently a top performer in Netflix categories such as 'Girls Take the Lead,' 'Everyone’s Watching,' and 'Exciting TV Shows.' At the same time, we are witnessing adoption across a growing base of broadcasters, including the launch of Rainbow Rangers on Paramount Plus network on August 18th,” stated Jon Ollwerther, President of Kartoon Channel! & EVP of Business Development at Genius Brands.

The broadcast success corresponds with the development of a new 2022 retail program with master toy partner, Never Wrong Toys. The retail program is based on a broad range of preschool products, initially focused in the toy category. The launch is planned to coincide with the world premiere of season three of Rainbow Rangers, exclusively on Kartoon Channel!

“The recent success of Rainbow Rangers reminds me of the early trajectory of Strawberry Shortcake, which started with Hasbro Toys, but moved to Bandai Toys, and Playmates, where it eventually drove a highly successful, multi-billion dollar global licensing program,” noted Genius Brands’ Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. “We are taking a page from the Strawberry Shortcake playbook, with Emmy Award-winning producer Mike Maliani of that property leading the production of Rainbow Rangers in season three, introducing a twist in the new season—the addition of a scent in the storyline! Not unlike Strawberry Shortcake where all the dolls and products were scented strawberry, the dolls and products coming forth from Rainbow Rangers will be scented as well. We believe this will be a huge driver in the girls’ product category.”  

With two seasons available and season three currently in production, Genius Brands has a growing slate of media partners around the world on board for Rainbow Rangers, including Netflix (U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East), Amazon Prime Video Direct (U.S., U.K.), Nickelodeon (U.S.), Kartoon Channel! (U.S.), HBO Max (Latin America), Nickelodeon & NOGGIN (Latin America), CCTV (China), Televisa (Mexico), Treehouse (Canada), Cartoonito (Italy), Nine Network (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), HOP (Israel), TV2 (Hungary), NOGA (Israel), Mini Mini (Poland), Canal Panda (Portugal), Discovery Kids (Middle East), Mediacorp (Singapore), Awesome TV (Malaysia), and Pikaboo (Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina), among others.

Kerry Phelan, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Global Franchise Management at Genius Brands stated: “Rainbow Rangers is a special series that is clearly resonating with young audiences around the world as we continue to build our viewership with new partners, such as Netflix, coming on board. To crack the Top 10 for the first time so quickly on Netflix, coupled with the traction we’re gaining on Amazon and our own platform, Kartoon Channel!, is a testament to the strong appeal of the themes and positive messaging of the show. Our strategy continues to center around growth in viewership, which, in turn, is designed to feed our long-term merchandising strategy. We are enthusiastic about our partnership with Never Wrong Toys and are excited about developing an exciting range of preschool toys that tap into the most appealing elements of the show for 2022.”

Rainbow Rangers is a rescue-based series that follows the adventures of seven girls who are Earth’s first responders—protecting people, animals, resources, and the natural beauty of our world. Hilary Cherniss and Sara Jane Sluke, who were key writers in the first two seasons, are the Head Writers of season three. Multiple Emmy Award-winning director Michael Maliani directs the series, and Genius Brands' Chairman & CEO and multiple Emmy Award-winning producer, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer.

About Genius Brands International
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s award-winning ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes the upcoming Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, for Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal for Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers for Nick Jr.; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, for Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s new Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs. For additional information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Genius Brands Announces 318% Increase in Revenue for the Second Quarter and 280% Increase in Revenue for the First Six Months of 2021 Over the Same Periods Last Year

$138.8 million of Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities With Zero debt

Rob Gronkowski Joins Shaq’s Garage as Co-Executive Producer and Voice of ‘Gronkmobile’

CEO Provides Letter to Shareholders, with Business Update Detailing Growth Across Core Business Lines

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 16, 2021 -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (“Genius Brands” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GNUS), a global brand management company that creates and licenses entertainment content for children, filed its Form 10-Q for the period ending June 30, 2021, and provided a business update in the form of a letter to shareholders from the Company’s Chairman & CEO, which is available on the blog section of the company website.

Key highlights:

  • 318% increase in revenue for Q2 2021 and 280% increase in revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2021 over the same periods last year
  • 932% increase in unique users on Kartoon Channel
  • $138.8 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities with zero debt
  • Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten grows to over 50 million views to date in 15 weeks since debut
  • Rapid growth in viewership of Rainbow Rangers across leading broadcast platforms worldwide, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Nickelodeon/Nick LatAm, and coming to Paramount+ (Wednesday Aug 18)
  • Production has begun on Shaq’s Garage, which is set to air in Q2 2022 with Rob Gronkowski as co-executive producer and the voice of the “Gronkmobile”
  • Advertisers on Kartoon Channel now include leading Fortune 500 consumer product companies, including Lego, Kellogg’s, Walmart, Nintendo, Addidas and others

Revenues for the second quarter of 2021 were approximately $2.3 million compared to approximately $561,000 for the same period last year, reflecting a year over year increase of 318%. Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were approximately $3.4 million compared to approximately $895,000 for the same period last year, reflecting a year over year increase of 280%.

About Genius Brands International
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal on Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple iOS, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, YouTube, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs. For additional information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Originally published: August 4, 2021.

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