A new Canadian-U.S. kids entertainment company bulbKIDZ has launched, with industry veterans Nancy Aries Koff and Kiersten Halstead at the helm, announcing their first original preschool animation project, Gopher It! (52 x 11’). Working with Award-winning Canadian creators Andrew Sabiston (Super Wings, The Remarkable Mr. King, Ranger Rob, The Moblees) and Ron Rubin (Beetlejuice, X-Men, Avengers, Care Bears), this Canadian production is now in development, planned for Fall 2022 (Season 1) and Spring 2023 (Season 2).
bulbKIDZ focuses on premium children’s and family content through the identification of key intellectual properties that inspire, entertain and connect with young viewers and their families for co-viewing opportunities. The company acquires, develops, produces and distributes captivating projects for global consumption.
“Our main objective is to develop strategic partnerships in creating and distributing meaningful and relevant entertainment on all platforms worldwide, making for great storytelling,” says Koff, Co-Founder and EVP Content Strategy & Global Sales. “We provide programming solutions for multi-viewing targets, connecting culture to kids.”
Aimed at kids three to six, Gopher It! is an adventurous edutainment series about a young gregarious gopher who travels all over the animal kingdom to help, and learn from, an unforgettable bunch of furry, scaly and feathered friends. From pole to pole and every habitat in between, travel with our hero Chester on his extraordinary escapades as he visits the wildest destinations on earth. Adventure, learning, laughter, music and heart are at the core of every episode. So get ready, get set … and let’s, Gopher It!
“Gopher It! falls perfectly in line with our company mission to develop diverse content with international appeal, through entertaining relatable characters, music, and engaging content for preschoolers to tweens,” says Halstead, Co-Founder and EVP Creative Development & Global Operations. “We’re thrilled to be working with the talented Andrew Sabiston and Ron Rubin on Gopher It! as they have years of experience in bringing characters’ voices to life.”
“With his boundless curiosity and playful, caring heart, Chester dials into the way kids think. We can’t wait to see our little gopher travel the world with bulbKIDZ,” says Sabiston.
Rubin adds, “We’re truly excited to GO, GO, Gopher It! and are thrilled to know that Chester is in such great hands with Nancy and Kiersten!”
Collectively, Koff and Halstead have a rich history in the children’s entertainment space, with over four decades of experience in development, production, licensing and distribution. The duo have worked on multiple highly successful animated titles including Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (Disney XD), Crayon Shin-chan (TV Asahi), Skylanders Academy (Activision & Netflix) along with multiple original series such as Kong – King of the Apes (Netflix), Tarzan and Jane (Netflix), Super Monsters (Netflix), S.M.A.S.H! (HBO Max & Super RTL), among many others.
bulbKIDZ offers production management, in full partnership, from start to finish. Having proven experiences in early IP creative development, pre-production, production, and post-production management with premium global studio and vendor resources to compliment broadcasters’ content needs worldwide, Koff and Halstead have acquired a deep understanding of the creative process and global sales, offering a holistic, personal approach to every project.
In addition to Gopher It!, bulbKIDZ continues to strategically seek out unique children’s titles for all platforms.
