April 21, 2010 13:46 ET
Technicolor : Technicolor Dives Into Original Content Biz
PARIS and HOLLYWOOD, CA--(Marketwire - April 21, 2010) -
To Be Managed By Jean Maccurdy & Fonda Snyder
Berkeley Breathed's "Pete & Pickles" Is First Project
Addressing the demand for children's animated content, and the rapid growth
and success of its Bangalore, India-based animation studio, Technicolor
(Euronext Paris 18453; NYSE: TCH) today announced the formation of a new
team to develop and produce animated broadcast content. Tim Sarnoff,
president of Technicolor's Digital Productions division, also announced the
hiring of animation industry veterans Jean MacCurdy and Fonda Snyder who
will team with Technicolor's vice president of Digital Productions, Steven
Wendland, to lead the development and production efforts. The company's
first acquisition is the literary property, "Pete & Pickles," the story of
an unlikely friendship between deeply mismatched individuals, by Pulitzer
Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. This marks
Technicolor's first foray into producing its own original content.
"We are honored," stated Sarnoff, "that Technicolor's initial entry into
content development is "Pete & Pickles," and we are thrilled and humbled by
Berkeley Breathed's trust in partnering with Technicolor to produce a
series that will be true to his creation."
"I told the folks at Technicolor," recounts Breathed, "that the only way I
could get lured to the world of small screen pixels is if a company were to
declare their intent to make the coolest, most unique animated show for
children's television -- one that shakes up the art-form like my son shakes
the grocery bag full of eggs just because its fun. The sneaky schemers
agreed."
"We are equally thrilled to welcome Jean and Fonda to Technicolor," said
Sarnoff. "They are both recognized stars in the world of children's
animated content and they share our vision for developing world-class
programming and fully utilizing our talented team at Paprikaas."
Ms. MacCurdy was the former president of Warner Bros. Animation, and Ms.
Snyder was the co-founder and former president of Storyopolis Productions
and former vice president of original movies with Disney Channel. Steven
Wendland joined Technicolor in 2008 as the vice president of animation
after working in animation at Mainframe Entertainment for 10 years.
"The opportunity to once again play in the animation world with both
familiar and new talents, and to engage with a company whose name is
synonymous with quality, was simply too good to pass up," stated Ms.
MacCurdy. "Tim has assembled an amazing team and I am honored to be part of
it."
"To be able to bring in some of my favorite authors and illustrators, and
to invest in new talent to create compelling CG animated TV series with
Technicolor, is a thrilling opportunity," offered Ms. Snyder. "I am so
excited to have been hired to work with Tim, Jean and the entire
Technicolor team whose rich history is inspiring."
"It's thrilling to watch Technicolor make its own history in the world of
creative content development," stated Wendland, "and I feel very fortunate
to be a part of it."
About Technicolor
With more than 95 years of experience in entertainment innovation,
Technicolor serves an international base of entertainment, software, and
gaming customers. The company is a leading provider of production,
postproduction, and distribution services to content creators and
distributors. Technicolor is one of the world's largest film processors;
the largest independent manufacturer and distributor of DVDs (including
Blu-ray Disc); and a leading global supplier of set-top boxes and gateways.
The company also operates an Intellectual Property and Licensing business
unit. For more information: www.technicolor.com
Press contacts: 33 (0)1 41 86 53 93
technicolorpressoffice@technicolor.com
Investor relations: 33 (0)1 41 86 55 95
Investor.relations@technicolor.com
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