Crayon maker Crayola said it is coloring its way into the kids and family content market by launching Crayola Studios and that its first project will be helmed by former Nickelodeon Group head Cyma Zarghami.
Crayola Studios will be overseen by Crayola executive VP for marketing Victoria Lozano, with support from Goatfish Agency, which was founded by former Fremantle president Rick Glankler.
Crayola is owned by Hallmark Cards and Hallmark Media will also support the new studio.
:“As world leaders in creative self-expression, the establishment of Crayola Studios is a logical next step for us, it builds on plans announced last year to develop entertainment content that inspires and nurtures the next generation and helps them develop lifelong creative mindsets,” said Lozano. “Our unique perspective offers an exciting opportunity for the industry as it searches for stand out new and trusted content that has creativity at its heart.”
Crayola Studios said it already has a pipeline of shows in development, working with production companies, animation studios and IP owners to create engaging content that will appear on kids broadcast platforms around the world.
The first project announced by Crayola Studios is an animated adaptation of The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, which is being co-produced by Zarghami’s MIMO Studios.
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian is based on a kids podcast from Gen Z Media, written and performed by Jonathan Messinger.
It is a science-fiction adventure story about an eight-year-old boy on a space station.
The podcast was launched in 2016 and has released 12 seasons and 260 episodes. With over 24 million downloads, the series is consistently number one on the iTunes Kids & Family chart. Finn Caspian is also a best-selling book series
“Crayola is synonymous with kids and color and we are so excited to collaborate with them to bring these beloved journeys to life through world-class animation and artistry” said Zarghami,
“We have been cultivating The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian since we first identified it and immediately saw the great potential and opportunity to tell rich stories in video the way Gen-Z Media did in the podcast. The combination of great characters, creativity, adventure, and information is something we can’t wait to bring to audiences worldwide,” Zarghami said.
The series will be written by Brad Birch.
“This series allows kids to explore the power and limitless potential of imagination, self-expression, and creativity,” said Lozano. “Its DNA is at the very core of what we do at Crayola and a perfect example of the type of shows we want to produce going forward. We’re thrilled to join forces with the talented team at MIMO to bring Finn’s action-packed adventures to life.”
