South African interactive gameshow format Thumb Wars is heading into France and Spain, through deals sealed by Engine Entertainment and its format consultant Michel Rodrigue.
The format has been picked up by Zebra Producciones of Spain, which is in the final stages of selling it to a local broadcaster, as well as French prodco Rosnay International, which is starting to develop it for the French market.
As well as seeking broadcasters for the format, Zebra and Rosnay will partner with telcos and sponsors to bring the format to life in each of their markets. Former Distraction Formats chiefRodrigue said the format offered "natural product integration opportunities" that producers "must be able to package creatively."
Created and produced by Stimulii and broadcast on SABC in South Africa, the format has contestants using smartphone apps to receive clues for a quest to find hidden treasure. It was picked up for the US market by Ben Silverman's Electus during MipTV.
Ed Waller
24 Jun 2010
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Tuesday 29 June 2010
Rodrigue thumbs his way to France, Spain
Wednesday 9 June 2010
Engine Entertainment Targets Spanish-Language Content
WSN
http://www.worldscreen.com/
Engine Entertainment Targets Spanish-Language Content
By Mansha Daswani
Published: June 8, 2010
LOS ANGELES: Engine Entertainment, founded earlier this year by ex-Power executive Chris Philip, has entered into a 50/50 joint venture with Mexico's Bross Al Cuadrado to produce and distribute Spanish-language programming.
The new venture, Engine Latino, will be run out of Mexico City and supervised by Paulette Bensussen, Engine's senior VP of sales and business development, who brokered the deal. Engine will provide worldwide distribution services for all Engine Latino TV production. Bross, meanwhile, will handle production services and advertising and sponsorship partnerships.
“The Bross Brothers have a proven track record of award-winning success," stated Philip, chief executive of Engine Entertainment. “Their advertiser relationships coupled with their tremendous production skills make them an ideal partner to address the growing worldwide demand for innovative Spanish-language programming.”
“Chris Philip and the Engine Team is a perfect partner for us as they have a global distribution reach and access to exciting, creative projects,” commented Beto Bross, partner at Bross Al Cuadrado. “Together we will source, produce, and distribute TV product across all platforms, while applying a unique business model in the process.”
Engine starts in Latin America
C21
http://www.c21media.net/news/
Engine starts in Latin America
Chris Philip's new transatlantic production/distribution outfit Engine Entertainment has set its sights on Latin America, partnering with a local production company to create programming in the region.
Engine Latino is a new 50/50 joint venture between Philip's US- and UK-based company and Bross el Cuadrado, a Mexican prodco best known for its feature films. Engine will act as distributor, while Bross will offer production services and local contacts.
The JV will be run out of new offices in Mexico City, with Engine's senior VP of sales and business development Paulette Bensussen - who brokered the agreement - supervising operations.
Philip, Engine's CEO, said Bross's advertiser relationships and production knowledge would help to address "the growing worldwide demand for innovative Spanish-language programming."
It is the first international JV for Engine, which was launched at MipTV in April. Philip created the group after leaving his role as global distribution chief at UK drama indie Power last year.
Engine has since tapped Ganesh Entertainment for Bensussen and Michele Rodrigue as format distribution consultant at its Engine Formats division. It is also coproducing and distributing interactive treasure hunt gameshow Thumb Wars with Ben Silverman's multimedia studio, Electus.
Jesse Whittock
8 Jun 2010
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