Litton Entertainment will distribute weekly entertainment/informational (E/I) half-hour Jack Hanna'sInto the Wild for the 2010-11 season.
Hanna, well known for appearing on CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman with all sorts of beasts and creatures, launched Into the Wild in 2008. That season, it won the Daytime Emmy for Best Children's Series and Hanna was nominated for Best Host of a Children's Series. Still, the show hasn't been able to pick up ratings steam, and its previous distributor, Trifecta, declined to renew its contract.
Litton has distributed Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures, another weekly E/I half-hour, since that show launched in 1997.
"We are thrilled to be distributing Into the Wild and to have all of the Jack Hanna television properties under our banner," said Dave Morgan, president and CEO of Litton Entertainment in a statement. "Litton pioneered FCC-friendly programs with Jack, and today that is still a cornerstone of our business."
Into the Wild focuses on animal protection and conversation. Each episode follows Hanna on a mission: whether it's delivering much-needed supplies to game rangers in Rwanda, or entertaining his grandkids at the Columbus Zoo, where Hanna served as director from 1978 to 1993 and now serves as director emeritus.
Into the Wild shoots at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and it has a sponsorship alliance with the facility.
