Update - Below is Nickelodeon's original Press Release announcing the exciting news!:
Nickelodeon Launches New Animated Shorts Program
Nick’s “Intergalactic Shorts Program” Designed to Identify Next Generation of Animation Talent Around the World
June 10, 2019 02:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time
BURBANK, Calif.--Nickelodeon is setting out to develop the next generation of animation talent through the launch of its new Intergalactic Shorts Program. With new leadership at Nick Animation, and a newly installed team driving its search for new talent, the Intergalactic Shorts Program is designed to identify original, comedy-driven content and nurture the voices and passionate storytellers behind them in a creative-led environment.
Ramsey Naito, Nickelodeon’s Executive Vice President, Animation Production and Development, will oversee the program. Newly hired Conrad Vernon (
Sausage Party) has joined Nickelodeon as the program’s executive producer, with Derek Evanick (
Harvey Beaks) and Diana Lafyatis (
Adventure Time) serving as part of the program’s creative braintrust. International pitches and ideas will be welcomed by Nina Hahn, Senior Vice President International Production and Development, Nickelodeon.
Said Naito: “Our shorts program is intergalactic because we want to create a universe of new stars ready to make the next big animated hits of the future,” said Naito. “Our doors are open to the best ideas out there and around the world, and we can’t wait to get started building this new home for visionary talent.”
In line with Nickelodeon’s co-viewing strategy to offer content appealing to all members of the family, the target demo for content submitted to the Intergalactic Shorts Program is Kids 6-11, with a secondary focus on content appealing to Adults 18-49, as well. Ideas will be accepted from a broad pool of creative talent from all quarters, including artists, designers, writers, directors and comedians. Creators will be provided with the necessary artistic and production support teams to help them complete their fully animated short. These shorts will have opportunities to air on different platforms and be developed for potential long-form animated series. Details surrounding submissions will be available this summer.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 40
th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit
http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
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Original post:
Nickelodeon Launches Animation ‘Intergalactic Shorts Program’
The Intergalactic Shorts Program aims to nurture new talent, with a focus on comedy content for six to 11s that could turn into long-form programming.
ANNECY — Nickelodeon is launching the
Intergalactic Shorts Program, aimed at developing the next generation of animation talent from around the globe. The new animated shorts program will have a focus on comedy-driven content. The network announced the news today during the first day of the 2019 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
The venture is to be spearheaded by Ramsey Naito, Nickelodeon’s Executive Vice President (EVP) of Animation Production and Development, along with newly-hired producer Conrad Vernon (
Shrek 2,
The Addams Family,
Sausage Party) who will act as the program’s executive producer, accompanied by Derek Evanick (
Harvey Beaks) and Diana Lafyatis (
Adventure Time) who serve as part of the program’s creative braintrust.
The group will be responsible for selecting domestic projects, with global pitches handled by Nina Hahn, Senior Vice President (SVP) of International Production and Development at Nickelodeon.
“Our shorts program is intergalactic because we want to create a universe of new stars ready to make the next big animated hits of the future,” said Naito in a written statement. “Our doors are open to the best ideas out there and around the world, and we can’t wait to get started building this new home for visionary talent.”
Nickelodeon says this global call for shorts differs from previous ones because the network is looking for concepts that have appeal beyond the traditional Nickelodeon audience.
In a conversation with
Variety in the build-up to this year’s festival, Naito went into detail about the scope of the program, explaining that not only will the call for shorts be global in reach, but that the network is looking for content intended for broader audiences than what Nickelodeon has previously aimed for.
According to the press release, “The target demo for content submitted to the
Intergalactic Shorts Program is Kids 6-11, with a secondary focus on content appealing to Adults 18-49 [in keeping with Nick’s co-viewing strategy], as well.”
Accepted shorts will come from artists, designers, writers, directors, comedians and more, essentially anyone with an idea strong enough to warrant backing by the network, from around the world. Once accepted, the creators will be provided with the artistic and production support teams necessary to execute their vision and deliver a fully-finished animated short.
While no definitive distribution plan has yet been clarified, according to the press release: “These shorts will have opportunities to air on different platforms and be developed for potential long-form animated series.”
Further details will be released by Nick later this summer.
More Nick: Nickelodeon Embarks on New Direction with its Biggest, Most Wide-Ranging Content Slate Ever!
Originally published: Monday, June 10, 2019 at 19:14 BST.
Press release via Business Wire; H/T: Kidscreen; Additional sources: Animation Magazine, Cartoon Brew.
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