Entertainment-focused brand management company Foundation Media Partners, who is behind Build-A-Bear’s entertainment expansion, has set an unprecedented first look deal with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing to develop and produce film and television projects mined from Simon & Schuster’s expansive library spanning 100 years of publishing. Foundation will focus on developing and adapting a multi-title slate from Simon & Schuster’s Little Simon Chapter Books & Graphic Novels as animated and/or live-action properties for film and television.
The deal with Simon & Schuster builds on Foundation Media Partners’ track record of converting literary IP to film. Foundation adapted and produced the animated feature hit The Bad Guys, based on Aaron Blabey’s best-selling children’s book franchise, for DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures, and most recently adapted and produced Blabey’s Thelma the Unicorn book franchise as a feature film for Netflix. Foundation’s Patrick Hughes is currently Executive producing The Bad Guys 2 with DreamWorks Animation and Universal.
Additional projects have included the first Build-A-Bear animated Christmas film, based on best-selling holiday plush collection Glisten and the Merry Mission, which the company released in theaters via a direct deal with Cinemark, as well as a new premium animated series Kabu, which is currently in production with animation partner Laughing Dragon.
Foundation Media Partners founder and CEO Patrick Hughes brokered the company’s landmark deal with Simon & Schuster. “The creative team at Simon & Schuster are as passionate about storytelling and franchise building as we are at Foundation, and together we’re looking to create a new standard for how stories are told and experienced by young audiences,” said Hughes. “Having access and first look rights to one of the most prominent and voluminous libraries on the planet is a rare opportunity with endless possibilities.”
Amy Wilson, Foundation Media’s VP of Development and Production, added, “Each book we’ll adapt and develop with Simon & Schuster will be distinct in its own way but share emotion, comicality and sense of discovery that we love to reflect in children’s properties we bring to the screen. This is an enormous creative exercise we’re all looking forward to very much.”
“We’re thrilled to be able to partner with Foundation Media to bring great characters and series to life in a new dimension for our avid readers,” said Valerie Garfield, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Licensed, Novelty and Branded Publishing in the Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. ‘We believe great content can co-exist across many platforms and each one will enrich the storytelling experience.”
The deal with Simon & Schuster continues a busy year for Foundation Media Partners, which recently closed a deal to represent Varsity Spirit (a division of Varsity Brands) across multiple entertainment categories, allowing Foundation to broaden the reach of the powerful Varsity Spirit brand through film, TV, music, live events, publishing, podcasts, documentaries, and hybrid content.
