BURBANK, CA – Karen K. Miller has been promoted to Executive Director, Worldwide Programming Strategy, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Disney Channels Worldwide. Miller, who works across the owned Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior channels around the world, reports to Paul DeBenedittis, Senior Vice President, Programming, Scheduling, Multi-Platform, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Disney Channels Worldwide.

Miller joined Disney Channel in 2011 as Director, Acquisitions and Co-Productions.

In making this announcement, DeBenedittis said: “Karen is a true programmer and global partner, with a great eye for content and a drive for strategy.”

In her new role, Miller is responsible for directing the development of overall scheduling strategies to ensure regional and local programming plans are consistent with global priorities. She also oversees the global acquisitions process, sourcing live action and animated series and movies on a worldwide basis for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior. In addition Miller steers co-production opportunities, from creative development and production, for Disney Channels Worldwide, and is Disney Channels’ lead representative at annual TV and entertainment markets.

Prior to Disney Channel, Miller worked in development, production and distribution for Atlantyca Entertainment and was Animation Associate Producer on the 20th Century Fox feature film, The Simpsons Movie. She spent the previous 18 years at Warner Bros., last serving as Vice President of Property Acquisitions for Consumer Products.

Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Miller graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in Cinema and Television Arts. She is based in Burbank, California, at the headquarters of Disney Channels Worldwide.

New York /Berlin – Nickelodeon and film and entertainment theme park Movie Park Germany announced the renewal of their strategic partnership around Nickland, the popular NICK-themed 50,000 square-foot interactive adventure area at Movie Park Germany in Bottrop-Kirchhellen. Under the new, six-year licensing agreement (effective April 2012), Movie Park Germany will retain theme park rights to incorporate Nickelodeon’s beloved characters into attractions and features at its theme park.

Since it opened in April 2007, Nickland (the first NICK-themed adventure site to launch in Europe) has offered kids and families several immersive attractions based on Nickelodeon’s wildly popular children’s TV programs, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora The Explorer and Jimmy Neutron. The renewed partnership between Nickelodeon and Movie Park Germany will include the development of re-themed attractions, co-branded merchandise and expanded marketing campaigns in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

“We’re thrilled to continue our strategic partnership with Movie Park Germany,” said Patrick Alders, Managing Director, Nickelodeon Germany. “Nickland has been such a thriving and exciting destination for kids and families to interact with Nickelodeon’s brand and characters, and we’re really looking forward to expanding the Nickelodeon experience there over the next six years.”

“We are more than happy with the extension of the partnership with Nickelodeon. During the last year, Nickland has played an important role in our success story and it is an everyday pleasure to see kids hugging SpongeBob or Patrick. We are looking forward to welcoming new Nickelodeon family members during the next years,” said Wouter Dekkers, General Manager of Movie Park Germany.

“We’re always excited to offer kids and families around the world unique and innovative Nickelodeon entertainment experiences through world class partners such as Movie Park Germany. Nickland will continue to offer the ultimate interactive Nick experience and remain one of Movie Park’s most popular attractions,” added Gerald Raines, Vice President, Nickelodeon Recreation Business Development.

Toronto, ON   April 4, 2012 – Set to be Canada’s premier mainstream animation festival, the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) is launching their inaugural event July 6-8, 2012 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.   Today they unveiled the official TAAFI 2012 poster created by Toronto’s own internationally celebrated designer, Mike Geiger.

Mike Geiger has worked in commercial animation for over a decade with specialties ranging from animator to director. He has also produced various independent works, such as the short Transistor Sect with artist Ed Templeton; two films in conjunction with the National Film Board; the short Viewing Abstract; five episodes of the web series County Ghost; and Cuddle Sticks, which has been screened at more than 20 animation and comedy festivals worldwide including a tour with the Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation.

“I’m really honored to be a part of TAAFI’s inaugural year and look forward to a weekend of great people and inspiring films!” said Geiger.

TAAFI Marketing Director Rich Duhaney is thrilled with the poster design.  “Mike Geiger is a hilarious and talented illustrator, effectively bridging the gap between the ‘indie’ and studio worlds of our industry,” said Duhaney. “The poster Mike created signals the high impact we wanted to arrive with our the inaugural festival.”

In coordination with the unveiling of the poster comes the launch of the brand new website, taafi.com.  Designer Iris Wu and web developer Nick Boos have created a site that gives TAAFI the professionalism and personality that has substance.

“No one will believe this is the site of a first-year not-for-profit festival,” said Duhaney.  “Animation arts enthusiasts will want to subscribe to the newsletter and blog to get the latest on what our partners in the city are up to as well.”

CMT has picked up two new series, including the network’s first-ever animated project, it was announced today by Jayson Dinsmore, EVP, Programming and Development, during the network’s annual upfront presentation.  Executive producers Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy will voice characters on the animated series Bounty Hunters, scheduled to debut on CMT in 2013.  In addition, the 10-episode reality series Trinity 911 will showcase the real-life hilarity among a small town Texas police force, premiering on CMT later this year.

“We’re in the midst of a bold, new era here at CMT with more record-setting series than ever before,” said Dinsmore. “We just closed our strongest quarter in two years, signed our first animation deal with the Blue Collar Comedy team and announced our newest slate of broad-appeal originals with some of the top producers and talent in the business.  It’s a great time to be at CMT.”

Joining Dinsmore onstage in front of small, invitation-only crowd at New York’s Museum of Arts & Design were special guests Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, executive producers of CMT’s upcoming series Cheer, along with series star and coach, Patty Ann Romero.  Top Viacom brass, including Philippe Daumon and Tom Dooley, were among the crowd; along with Van Toffler, President, Viacom Music and Logo Group and CMT President Brian Philips.  The event closed with Republic Nashville superstars The Band Perry performing a three-song set that included their Quadruple-platinum #1 smash single, “If I Die Young.”

So far this year, CMT has launched its two highest-rated series in network history, Bayou Billionaires and My Big Redneck Vacation.  The network’s continued success crosses all screens, with original series streaming at an all-time high on CMT.com and triple-digit growth across social media.  CMT will launch five shows in April, including a second season of Texas Women (Saturday, April 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT), paired with the series premiere of Southern Nights(Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT).  The Singing Bee returns Friday, April 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, along with Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country (premieres Friday, April 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT) and Melissa & Tye (premieres Friday, April 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT). The network’s biggest show of the year, the annual CMT Music Awards, will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, June 6.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS:
Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and Lisa Lampanelli together serve as the voices for CMT’s first animated series, Bounty Hunters, a hilarious tale about three friends and their two-bit bounty hunting business.  Bounty Hunters is a production of Muse Entertainment and Parallel Entertainment.

CMT also takes a look at the on and off-duty antics of the most colorful police department in Texas in the new 10-episode workplace docu-comedy, Trinity 911.  The officers in tiny Trinity, Texas (population 2,656) may not have the world’s highest crime rate to contend with, but keeping their small town safe from danger is a full-time job for this fun-loving crew.  Trinity 911 is produced by Endemol USA.

Produced by Milojo Productions, Cheer goes inside the high stakes, high pressure world of competitive cheerleading with tough-as-nails coach, Patty Ann Romero.  Highly-conditioned athletes capable of jaw-dropping stunts and perfectly choreographed dance moves must balance a grueling schedule of conditioning and competitions, along with the pressures of everyday life.

LOS ANGELES, Apr 04, 2012 — El Monte, an animated short film depicting the true-life harrowing story of 72 Thai laborers who were held captive and forced to work 18-hour days for many years in a Southern California sweatshop, has been selected for screening at the 28th annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian American and Asian international cinema. The 28th annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival runs May 10-20 at the Directors Guild of America, CGV Cinemas and additional venues throughout Los Angeles.

Produced by Harvard Westlake honors student, Elaine Tang, 17, El Monte will be screened on Saturday, May 12 at 12:30 p.m. at the CGV Cinemas located at 621 South Western Avenue in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.

Tang, who is fluent in English, Chinese and French and also excels in the arts, was working as a volunteer at APALC (Asian Pacific American Legal Center), when she first became aware of the plight of the Thai immigrants.

“When I learned of these Thai immigrants — making the difficult decision to leave their families in pursuit of a better life; their imprisonment in what can only be described as a labor camp; and the generosity of community advocates and lawyers who fought for them — I was filled with emotion,” said Tang. “I knew in that instant that I needed to make more people aware of this story as well as of the challenges faced by so many Asian American immigrants in pursuit of the American dream and the incredible role that the APALC plays in this process.”

Wanting to capture the tragic and compelling experiences of people like the El Monte sweatshop workers and demonstrate APALC’s role in the community to young people and those new to the legal center, Tang decided to create an animated short feature film.

“I knew that the costs would be astronomical in Los Angeles, so I approached the leading animation company in Beijing, Xing Xing Digital, to take on the project pro bono,” said Tang.

After several meetings with Xing Xing Digital CEO Lifeng Wang, during which Tang expressed the urgency to help protect Asian Americans so that further injustices could be prevented, Wang agreed to help Tang with her project. In June 2011, she reported for her summer internship with Xing Xing in Beijing while also studying advanced Chinese at Peking University.

Spending her mornings in class and her afternoons interning at the Xing Xing animation studio, Tang was not only learning the animation process, she was also translating technical cinematic terms while also explaining the significance of the El Monte story to her production team who only spoke Chinese. Tang and her team created the storyboards, contacted the actual garment workers from the El Monte case to do the voice-overs, and produced the short animation recounting the El Monte story.

Says Tang, “Through this film, I hope to give a voice to those previously unheard and to inspire all to uphold justice.”

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – The Visual College of Art and Design of Vancouver will showcase the work of its most recent graduates at the upcoming Portfolio Show on April 12, 2012. Grads from the Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, 3D Modeling Animation, Marketing and Merchandising for Fashion, and Web Design programs will take over the former Boneta space at 1 West Cordova Street in Gastown for VCAD’s largest portfolio show to date.

With works ranging from fashion collections to animated shorts, VCAD’s portfolio show is an excellent opportunity for employers to check out fresh new talent ready to make a mark on Vancouver’s art and design industry. The evening is also the perfect chance for prospective students to learn how VCAD can help prepare them for art and design careers. Attendees will be able to ask instructors about VCAD’s industry-leading programs, meet members of Vancouver’s art and design community, and talk to grads about how they can also launch a career in the creative arts!

Emphasizing focused and specialized training on the latest tools, techniques, and technology used by professionals in the field, all VCAD diploma programs are designed to ensure graduates are prepared to meet the demands of their chosen industries.

Doors open at 4:00pm for employers and industry insiders. Family, friends and the general public are welcome from 6:00pm onward. Guests will enjoy free refreshments and finger food, as well as musical entertainment by a DJ throughout the evening. For more information, call 1.800.370.6136, or visit http://www.vcad.ca. You can also follow VCAD on Facebook and Twitter.

Melbourne – New animation company Studioki today announced its debut into the Melbourne production scene. Studioki is the vision of three animation professionals Steve Bristow, Rod Clifton and Christian Hart.

Steve Bristow, recently back in his hometown of Melbourne after many years in Asia, is an award-winning animation producer and director, and has worked on animated TV Series and commercials for clients across Asia. Bristow was a director on the JCC/MDEC co-production Saladin.

Rod Clifton, well-known veteran in Melbourne animation circles is ex-Animagrafx and other major Melbourne animation studios, and is the animator behind many of those cute Target commercials that have entertained Australian audiences for years.

Christian Hart, formerly with Animagrafx, Iloura, and other Melbourne studios, with ten years at the keyboard has notched up hundreds of TV ads for well-known brands including Mazda, Village Cinemas and Melbourne Aquarium. Hart was also an animator on the Animalia TV series.

Studioki believes its strength is character animation. “We have all been immersed in character animation throughout our careers”, said Bristow. “Character and story are our passion, and we all have our specialties – Rod can bring anything to life, Christian is a technical guru, and I’m a producer and director, so together we are the whole character animation package”.

While Studioki’s immediate goal is to secure TV ads and Screen design projects, the long-term goal is to develop original transmedia animation properties. Studioki is currently working on a series of short webisodes it plans to launch online, while banging the Studioki drum to get a foothold in the marketplace.

Seattle, WA, April 2012 – Shadow Planet Productions is pleased to announce Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will finally be unleashed on the PC gaming community. The critically acclaimed game was recently awarded the BAFTA for “Best Debut Game”, the Annie Award (animation’s highest honor) for “Best Animated Video Game”, and has received numerous prizes and nominations from industry media outlets.

Shadow Planet Productions’ partners and creators of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Michel Gagné and Joe Olson are particularly excited about this release as it will not only feature the single player Campaign and multiplayer Lantern Run, but will also include the Shadow Hunters Co-op mode which was released as a separate Game Add-On for the Xbox LIVE Arcade version. Players can play locally or online with their friends to defeat the infectious shadow entity once and for all!

“Seeing Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet run on PC is a sight to behold”, said Gagné, “but what I’m really excited about is to finally have Shadow Hunters as part of the main package. I feel like that Co-op mode didn’t get the chance it deserved as a separate Game Add-On, but this time around, I’m confident it will”. “Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is right at home on today’s powerful gaming PCs”, said Olson, “with increased resolution, improved controls, and two multiplayer modes we truly believe the PC version of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet packs in a lot of value.”

In conjunction with the PC release, the Xbox LIVE Arcade version will be discounted to 800 MSP. The Shadow Hunters Game Add-On will continue to be available for 400 MSP, letting Xbox 360 owners complete their Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet experience.

Additionally, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will be available for pre-sale on Steam for 25% off one week prior to release, beginning April 10^th, 2012 and ending April 16^th, 2012.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet for PC will be available for purchase on Steam on April 17th, 2012 for $14.99 USD and on Games For Windows LIVE Marketplace for 1200 MSP.

Toronto, Canada – Nelvana Limited announced today that is has acquired Chorion’s Silver Lining Production Limited’s interest in the preschool property Max & Ruby. Nelvana now has the complete worldwide TV production and merchandise licensing rights to the brand.

Max & Ruby continues to be one of the most popular book series and animated TV programs for preschoolers. Over three million Max & Ruby books from internationally acclaimed author and illustrator Rosemary Wells have been sold to date. It’s a top-rated TV series in the U.S. on Nickelodeon and in Canada on Treehouse, and new episodes are in production. Max & Ruby DVDs from Nickelodeon Home Entertainment have sold over 2.9 million units in the U.S. alone, and KOBA Entertainment recently completed a successful North American tour of the Max & Ruby live show.

Max & Ruby follow s the adventures of bunny siblings, the irrepressible and mischievous Max and his older sister, Ruby. In each story Max wants one thing, Ruby wants another thing, and even though they love each other, they have very different ideas on just about everything. The property celebrates the universal nature of sibling relationships.

“Max & Ruby has always held a special place in the hearts and minds of its fans, as well as for all of us here at Nelvana,” said Colin Bohm, Managing Director, Nelvana Enterprises. “We have been involved with the property for many years and are delighted to have been entrusted with overseeing the totality of the brand going forward and all of the possibilities that presents.”

“Max & Ruby is a very successful television series on Nickelodeon in the U.S., based on a wonderful set of books written by Rosemary Wells,” said Mary Durkan, Managing Director, Chorion. “It makes perfect sense to sell our rights in Max & Ruby to Nelvana who already have a significant rights position in this property.”

DALLAS, TX – The USA Film Festival will present its Great Director Tribute to Peter Lord in conjunction with a special preview screening of his new film The Pirates! Band of Misfits on Thursday, April 12, 2012, at AMC NorthPark theatres. The evening will include a film-clip compilation tribute featuring clips from some of his works with Aardman Animations and an on-stage Q&A session with Peter Lord.

“The Festival is honored to be able to host Peter Lord in Dallas with this special screening and tribute” said Ann Alexander, Managing Director for the USA Film Festival. “The works of Aardman Animations are among the most magical and beloved contemporary film classics for audiences of all ages.”

TOKONOMA is hosting a residency program for young artists and art students during documenta 13 in Kassel, Germany. TOKONOMA is looking for artists working in all fields of applied art including performance, new media and music. The chosen artists are encouraged to work context of Kassel and the documenta during your stay.

The Artist in Residence Program provides free studio space, accommodation and 100€ forart supplies. Additionally, TOKONOMA offers personal support for your time in Kassel. There are several residency slots available from TOKONOMA from June to mid-September 2012, each lasting between two and three weeks. Each residency will finish with an opening and a consecutive exhibition showing selected works created in the program.

Please apply with a completed application,  your portfolio, a short letter of motivation (5-10 sentences) and a CV via email or regular mail. Email applications are only valid if they contain PDF files in each case. Application is open until April 30th 2012. (email: date of receipt / regular mail: date of postmark). Our Jury, consisting of young artists and curators, will evaluate all entries until mid May. You may submit entries too:

TOKONOMA
Artist In Residence
c/o Tilman Hatje
Johannesstr. 6
34121 Kassel
Germany

tilman@supertokonoma.de