Coolabi secures US home entertainment deal
Leading children’s and family entertainment producer and rights management company Coolabi has secured a U.S. home entertainment and digital distribution deal with Entertainment One (eOne) for its hit animated property Poppy Cat.
eOne, a leading international company with a growing portfolio of family programming in the U.S., plans to launch Poppy Cat on DVD this coming Fall.
Poppy Cat debuted on Sprout in November and has already been extremely well received by pre-schoolers in the U.S. The brand also has a licensing presence in North America through local agent The Joester Loria Group, which is currently in discussions with potential partners for toy and other key categories.
Michael E. Rosenberg, President Film & Distribution at Entertainment One U.S., says: “As eOne continues to expand our family programming in the U.S., we are delighted to partner with Coolabi on such a wonderful and enriching, new children’s property as Poppy Cat.”
Michael Dee, Director of Content at Coolabi, says: “We are thrilled by the response to Poppy Cat in the U.S. since its launch on Sprout this past November, and we are equally delighted to be partnering with a company of eOne’s stature in this important territory to extend the adventure for youngPoppy Cat fans.”
Poppy Cat brings to life the wonderful world of the pre-school children’s character created by Lara Jones in the book series that has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. The series is co-produced by Coolabi’s television production arm Coolabi Productions and the Emmy shortlisted and BAFTA award-winning King Rollo Films.
Commissioned by Nick Jr UK, Poppy Cat has been sold to more than 20 broadcasters around the world including Disney Junior in Spain and Latin America, Nick Jr Australia, RTE Ireland, across Scandinavia and the Middle East, and to TVO, SCN and Knowledge Network in Canada.
For further information contact Blueprint PR:
Janet Balmforth Tel: +44 (0) 20 8868 0511 or Email:janet@blueprintpr.co.uk
About Coolabi
Coolabi is a leading provider of high quality children’s and family entertainment, internationally, across all media.
Coolabi’s expertise lies in development and brand management, particularly through the channels of TV production and licensing and merchandising.
The company operates across a number of genres and the current portfolio includes Poppy Cat, Purple Ronnie and Scarlett & Crimson.
Via its subsidiary, Coolabi Publishing, the company also owns a number of classic literary estates, including Eric Ambler. In addition Coolabi also represents certain brands, including Bagpuss, Clangers, and Ivor the Engine on behalf of Smallfilms and Peter Firmin.
For more information and a background on the company visit www.coolabi.com.
About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 20,000 film and television titles, 2,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
