The latest news updates about Nickelodeon's upcoming animated series Glitch Techs.
Update (1/8/2019): Production crew are reporting on social media that Nickelodeon today (Tuesday, January 8, 2019) unfortunately halted production of Glitch Techs. The crew were in the midst of production of season two. However, as the show has yet to premiere, Nickelodeon wants to air the show before spending more money on it - even if that means losing the whole crew. Evan Palmer, who broke the news on Twitter, stressed that the show has not been cancelled at this point, just that production has been halted. It has also been revealed that the first season is nearly complete, and it is still set to air during 2019. Following the news breaking, production crew working on Glitch Techs paid tribute to the show on social media. A selection of posts can be read below.
Update (1/10): Eric Robles, the co-creator of Glitch Techs, has reiterated in a post on Instagram that Glitch Techs has NOT been cancelled:
"I want to thank you all for reaching out in support of Dan, myself and the Glitch Techs team. To clear any bad air, please know Glitch Techs is not cancelled. As I write this, we are in production, getting amazing animation back from Europe and Asia. Let me also speak from the heart when I say that Nickelodeon Animation has been nothing but supportive in ensuring Dan and myself the freedom to create an original and unique IP in a time where these types of projects are few and far between. As most of you know, until a show actually airs most studios will only grant a writing pick up for your series and only IF they feel good about the show’s chances. So in our case, we were deeply grateful when Nickelodeon saw fit to pick up an extra half-season production order. This kept our amazing team of artists and designers together longer than we ever could have expected.. As you can guess, producing animated shows, (particularly with ambitious and dynamic action sequences,) can get very expensive. As we hit the new year still being an untested show and with money needed for brand new content, we were told the business decision was for the network to launch our series with 20 gorgeous episodes for you and kids at home to respond to. Although our crew’s abrupt dismissal this past week was a terrible shock, we remain so grateful for the time they were able to devote to our second season episodes. We can only hope that when the show finally airs and reaches its audience, production on the remainder of our half season (and hopefully more,) can resume. As a kid growing up, I always dreamt of working and sharing ideas with people as talented as our crew and now I find myself having had the privilege to work with them every single day for the last two and a half years. I cannot express how much fun it has been to create this show and know it is going to have an impact when we share it with the world. I can’t stress how important it is for our industry to support each other and those who support original ideas. Please keep following me for future updates on Nickelodeon’s Glitch Techs and thank you all for reading this.
~Robles"
Additionally, board artist Phil J. also posted this comment on YouTube about the current production status of the show:
Are you ready kids? Nickelodeon's Tony-winning Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants is going on tour!
The multi-award winning SpongeBob SquarePants Musical has announced its second National Tour stop - HOLLYWOOD! This confirms previously announced plans for a tour of the U.S. during the 2019/2020 season, and comes hot on the heels of the show announcing its first tour stop, Las Vegas.
The The SpongeBob Musical will be stopping at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California between Tuesday, March 24, 2020 – Sunday, April 12, 2020 as part of the Nederlander Theatre's Hollywood Pantages' BROADWAY IN HOLLYWOOD 2019-20 Season!
SpongeBob SquarePants explodes with energy and features an original pop and rock-infused score by a legendary roster of Grammy® Award-winning songwriters. Led and conceived by visionary director Tina Landau (2018 Tony Award nominee) and a Tony Award®-winning design team, the production brings the spirit of SpongeBob to life with humanity, heart, and pure theatricality.
The stakes are higher than ever as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage.
Get ready to dive to all-new depths of theatrical innovation at SpongeBob SquarePants, where the power of optimism really can save the world!
SpongeBob SquarePants features a book by Kyle Jarrow, music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Tom Kitt, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, musical direction by Julie McBride, colorful costumes and Tony-winning by David Zinn, projection design by Peter Nigrini, lighting design by Kevin Adams, sound design by Walter Trarbach, foley design by Mike Dobson, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe and casting by Telsey + Company/Patrick Goodwin, CSA.
The Broadway cast for SpongeBob SquarePants included Tony Award Nominee Ethan Slater as SpongeBob SquarePants, Tony Award Nominee Gavin Lee as Squidward Q. Tentacles, Lilli Cooper and Christina Sajous as Sandy Cheeks, Brian Ray Norris as Eugene Krabs, Danny Skinner as Patrick Star and Wesley Taylor as Sheldon Plankton.
The ensemble included Brandon Espinoza, Alex Gibson, Gaelen Gilliland, Juliane Godfrey, Jordan Grubb, Kyle Matthew Hamilton, Curtis Holbrook, Jesse JP Johnson, L'ogan J'ones, Jai'len Christine Li Josey, Kelvin Moon Loh, Lauralyn Mcclelland, Vasthy Mompoint, Oneika Phillips, Catherine Ricafort, JC Schuster, Allysa Shorte, Abby C. Smith, Robert Taylor Jr., Allan K. Washington, Brynn Williams, Matt Wood and Tom Kenny as the French Narrator.
It's currently unknown whether any of the original Broadway cast will be reprising their characters for the U.S. tour of the show.
SpongeBob SquarePants is a one-of-a-kind musical event with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and a song by David Bowie and by SpongeBob SquarePants voice actor Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton. Additional music by Tom Kitt.
The critically acclaimed SpongeBob SquarePants musical was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle and earned 12 Tony Award nominations - the most nominated musical of the 2017-2018 theatre season - including nods for Best Musical, director Tina Landau, book writer Kyle Jarrow, title player Ethan Slater (in his Broadway debut), and the all-star roster of songwriters (including Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, and John Legend) who contributed to the score. The production earned 12 Tony Award nominations including best musical, equaling Mean Girls for the most of any show this season, and while The Band's Visit swept the honors, SpongeBob did score a deserved win for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for David Zinn's scenic design. The show’s director, Tina Landau, earned a Tony Award nomination for her inventive and unconventional approach to the material that humanized the characters than creating literal representations of the familiar Nickelodeon cartoon.
Following a Chicago tryout during summer 2016, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical opened at Broadway's Palace Theatre during Fall 2017, where it ran for 327 regular performances and 29 previews, defying critical expectations by earning some of the warmest reviews of the season. The show closed in September 2018 to make way for refurbishments at the Palace Theatre.
While many expected a theme park-style brand extension, the show surprised theatergoers with its wild Dadaist comic sensibility, ingenious design and winning performances, notably from gifted 26-year-old newcomer Ethan Slater, making a terrific Broadway debut in the title role.
Early in 2019, school and youth group licensing rights will be available, with professional licensing to follow. A North American tour will begin fall 2019.
Continuing the BROADWAY IN HOLLYWOOD season at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood will truly intersect with Broadway when MEAN GIRLS, the record-breaking new musical comedy based on the hit Paramount Pictures film and featuring a book by nine-time Emmy® Award winner Tina Fey, makes its L.A. debut. Come get away from it all and put your mind on island time as Jimmy Buffett’s ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE brings you a change in latitude and a change in attitude. The critically-acclaimed creative team who brought the epic production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I and South Pacific to L.A. return with the Lincoln Center Theater production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY, helmed by Bartlett Sher. THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, the critically acclaimed, award-winning new musical adapted from the beloved Nickelodeon series, and hailed by The New York Times as “brilliant” and “effervescent candy-for-the-spirit” by New York Magazine makes its L.A. Premiere. And lastly, THE BAND’S VISIT, the 10-time Tony Award-winning BEST MUSICAL, will celebrate the deeply human ways music, longing and laughter can connect us all.
[...]
Season Production #5
Direct from Broadway (…and Bikini Bottom)
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL
Dolby Theatre
March 24 – April 12, 2020
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, the 2018 Best Musical winner of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, will make its L.A. Premiere at the Dolby Theatre; March 24 – April 12, 2020.
A legendary roster of Grammy® Award winners. A visionary director and a Tony Award®-winning design team. One of the world’s most beloved characters. Turn them loose on stage and what do you get? The bold, original musical The New York Times declares, “BRILLIANT!”
“Wonders pour from the stage in a ravishing stream of color and invention” (Time Out New York) as Broadway’s best creative minds reimagine and bring to life the beloved Nickelodeon series with humor, heart and pure theatricality in a neon-sparkly “party for the eyes and ears” (Daily Beast). Be there when SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face catastrophe—until a most unexpected hero rises to take center stage. This “creative explosion” (Broadway.com) is “nothing short of genius” says Theatermania, so bring the entire family to celebrate friendship and cooperation, and learn the power of unity and inclusion.
Get ready to enjoy the “Broadway Extravaganza” (The New Yorker) that New York Magazine calls “effervescent candy-for-the-spirit.” Explore the depths of theatrical innovation in NICKELODEON’S THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL, 2018 Best Musical winner of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, where the power of optimism really can save the world.
SpongeBob SquarePants launched on July 17, 1999, and has reigned as the number-one kids’ animated series on TV for the last 17 years, generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base. SpongeBob SquarePants is the most widely distributed property in Viacom International Media Networks history, seen in more than 208 countries and territories, translated in 55+ languages, and averaging more than 100 million total viewers every quarter. SpongeBob SquarePants is created by Stephen Hillenburg and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif. The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurable optimist and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends.
SpongeBob SquarePants first debuted on Nickelodeon USA on May 1, 1999 and is still going strong.
Since its launch in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop culture phenomenon. The series has been the most-watched animated program with kids 2-11 for more than 15 consecutive years, and over the past several years, it has averaged more than 100,000,000 total viewers every quarter across all Nickelodeon networks. SpongeBob SquarePants is the most widely distributed property in Viacom International Media Networks history, seen in more than 208 countries and territories and translated in 55+ languages. The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurably optimistic and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Among those friends are SpongeBob's best friend, a pink starfish named Patrick Star, his neighbor and co-worker octopus Squidward Tentacles, and Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas.
SpongeBob SquarePants is created by Stephen Hillenburg, who previously worked as a writer, director and creative director on Nickelodeon's animated series Rocko's Modern Life. Hillenburg graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a master's degree in experimental animation and his undergraduate degree, from Humboldt State University, was in natural science with an emphasis in marine biology. Hillenburg executive produced the series until his untimely passing in November 2018. His first feature film, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, which debuted Nov. 19, 2004 and his second theatrical, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, hit theaters Feb. 6, 2015, landing at #1 opening weekend.
SpongeBob has also been making news for a different reason as well and it involves paying tribute to the late Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. A petition which calls for a SpongeBob Super Bowl tribute featuring "Sweet Victory", a song featured in the series and a favorite among fans, for the show creator has gained immense traction.
From the looks of it, fans’ effort to get a Super Bowl tribute seems to be a success. A recent promo video released by Maroon 5 on their official Twitter account has teased that the band has something planned to pay their tribute to Hillenburg.
Originally published: Tuesday, February 5, 2019.Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and SpongeBob SquarePants - The New Musical News and Highlights!
Copperas Cove, Texas - Nickelodeon has cast Copperas Cove student Dorianna Gilbert and her brother D.J. in a new Nickelodeon series! Dorianna will portray Jamie, whilst her real-life brother will also portray her on-screen brother, Parker! The news follows Nickelodeon hosting Nickelodeon Comedy Talent Search auditions for the roles in January 2019.
Photo: Copperas Cove Leader Press
Gilbert is not new to a filming set. She has been featured in national commercials including Oreo, Nike, Reebok, and Beat headphones, and acted in Nat Geo's The Long Road Home filmed on Fort Hood and the short film, A Time to Tell.
In fact, if life is not already busy enough for the junior beauty queen who is also an honor roll student, class representative for student council, plays basketball, in the running club and on a competitive reading team at school, and with many students are studying for the STAAR test next month, Junior Miss Five Hills Dorianna Gilbert has another big deadline ahead—the first draft of the children’s book she is writing!
Gilbert was asked by Mascot Publishing Company to author a children’s book about her community service project, the Lil’ Dawg and Lil’ Lady Dawg Homecoming Dance, to benefit students with dyslexia. Gilbert chose dyslexia as her platform of service during her year long reign after witnessing her neighbor who has dyslexia being made fun of by other children. Gilbert has entitled her book, Dancing Because I Am Different.
Photo: Copperas Cove Leader Press
“Writing a book is hard, but I am happy someone thought enough of me to give me this opportunity. When someone believes in you, the least you can do is not complain and make it happen,” Gilbert said. “The biggest challenges are picking the pictures I want to include from my event and making sure I don’t leave out any important things. I’m happy about doing this book because I plan to donate most of my proceeds to my school district to help children with dyslexia.”
Gilbert’s book must be 20-30 pages in length and the first draft is due by the beginning of March. The book offer came after Gilbert was featured in Scholastic News Magazine as a child philanthropist.
Highlights Magazine expressed interest in the story, interviewed Gilbert and that article will publish in March.
“I was excited to see myself in the magazine because now everyone can join me in not making fun of kids with dyslexia.” Gilbert said. “I hope this will let kids with learning disabilities know that they matter.”
Being cast in Nickelodeon's new show will require both Dorianna and D.J. to miss school on the days the series is filming.
“I’m happy about being on Nickelodeon because this will be my opportunity to shine,” Gilbert told the Copperas Cove Leader Press. “Missing school is hard though because I love it, but my teachers understand and make sure I stay on task. We also have a teacher on set to help us with our assignments that our teachers email us to work on.”
Gilbert has also modeled in New York Fashion Week and Los Angeles Fashion Week and been featured in Essence Magazine and The Face of Youth Magazine. She has also been hired for numerous advertising photo shoots for online campaigns.
Update (2/5): Although Nickelodeon won't be hosting its usual Nickelodeon Upfront event this year, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish today revealed during Viacom's 1Q19 conference call that Nickelodeon will be unveiling its upcoming programming slate next week at Toy Fair 2019 in New York City, which takes place at the Jacob K. Javits Center between February 16-19, 2019!
Original post:
Nickelodeon, whose annual upfront presentation was among the first signs of both the spring and the upfront season, will not be having its usual star studded event for buyers this year.
Instead, the top kids brand will be having a series of more customized meetings with executives from media agencies and marketers looking to reach children and their parents.
Nick will also be joining parent company Viacom’s other networks in the Viacom President Dinners where top execs from MTV, Comedy Central and other channels meet with clients. Those dinners replaced individual events that some Viacom networks had held previously.
Holding glitzy upfront events is expensive and they are often poo-pooed by top media agency execs, leading some networks to question whether the remained an effective way to explain programming strategies, create marketing opportunities and generate upfront sales.
“We are taking a tailored approach this year in favor of more intimate, personalized experiences with a series of customized presentations that better reflect our conversations with clients and partners,” said Sean Moran, head of ad solutions for Viacom. “Nickelodeon will also continue to be a part of the Viacom Presidents Dinners as we have done over the past couple of years.”
Kicking off last year’s upfronts, Nickelodeon held its held its Nickelodeon Upfront 2018 presentation in March at the Palace Theater where SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical had its one year. The Broadway show closed in September, ahead of its tour of the U.S. later this year.
At that presentation long-time Nickelodeon Group President Cyma Zarghami touted her plan to combat falling ratings by creating more content for more platforms and introduced talent including John Cena and Nick Cannon.
JoJo Siwa, Nick Cannon and the Lip Sync Battle Shorties - Singing and dancing at last year's Nick upfront.
The kids upfront ad market has also changed. Not so long ago, the broadcast networks’ Saturday morning slate of kids shows was a big deal. But Nick, along with AT&T’s Cartoon Network and The Walt Disney Co.’s non-commercial Disney Channel now dominate viewing.
Kids have been spending more time streaming, games and other digital forms of entertainment, so the cable networks have been stressing co-viewing and the ability to reach both parents and their children.
That has helped lead to a more consolidated buying process. Instead of buying commercials aimed at kids early in upfront season and buying adults as summer approaches, most big companies are making all of their upfront commitments at one time. The networks have responded by making kids programming just another part of their corporate portfolios.
The Loud House Valentine’s Day Guide 💖 + BRAND NEW Clip | #TryThis
What’s that lovely smell? Oh nothing, it’s just the scent of LOVE in the air at the Loud House! 💖 For this family, Valentine’s Day is about DOING what you LOVE to do. So watch along and help figure out where each Loud will celebrate Valentine’s Day. Live. Loud. Love.
Which Loud sibling would YOU want to hang out with on Valentine's Day?! 💖
Catch the brand-new The Loud House special "Cooked!", premiering Monday, February 18, 2019 at 7:00 P.M. ET/PT on Nickelodeon USA!
