February 28, 2008
Here is a cool site about pitching and developing with Cartoon Network.
Now get out there and sell em a show.
January 12, 2008
Well it is official, Cheshire Smile Animation is on the grow in 2008. After working away slugging, it out in producer / director Tim Tyler’s home office (which remains the official world HQ) for part of 2006 and and all of 2007, Cheshire Smile Animation Inc. has set up a new studio for the production of “Side Show Christmas”.
“Side Show Christmas” is a one hour special that will be broadcast in Canada on Teletoon Christmas 2008. The show is written by Saskatchewan writer Jeff Martel and will be produced in Saskatchewan by Cheshire Smile Animation Inc. and animated in British Columbia by Studio B Productions. Blair Peters and Chris Bartleman are Executive Producing.
Animation design is currently underway and is being split between Studio B and Cheshire Smile. I will direct the production of the boards and animatic here in Saskatchewan. The show will then move out to Studio B for animation production in Flash, and then will return to Saskatchewan for Audio and Video post production.
This production was the result of a pitch that was delivered to Teletoon initially at the Banff World Television Festival in 2006 and has been developed in partnership with Teletoon, SaskFilm, SCN and the CTV program development fund to create an original story with vibrant characters.
December 3, 2007
Things have really been hopping for me in the last little while, so I have not had too much time to write any posts.
We are in the final phases of putting together the financing and production deal for “The Side Show Christmas”. It is very exciting right now, if everything goes according to plan it will be produced in 2008 and for Broadcast on Teletoon in English and French, Christmas 2008. More details to follow soon.
Thanks to everyone who has worked on this to date, your great efforts have helped to visualize and make the story real for our production partners.
This is a concept design for Santa’s Workshop.
This is a concept design for the Performers Lounge, or Green Room back stage at the Side Show.
November 14, 2007
Cheshire Smile Animation Announces Development Deal with CBC Kids on the 13 x 3 minute live action animated series Toby’s Canada for CBC Television and SCN.
14 November 2007 - (Saskatoon, SK) Producer Cheshire Smile Animation announce the beginning of development on Toby’s Canada, a television series for 2 – 6 year old children starring Toby, a digi-savy seven year old who makes and stars in his own short docu-videocasts about his experiences discovering the magic and diversity of Canada.
Toby’s Canada is produced by Tim Tyler of Cheshire Smile Animation Inc. and Mike and Mark Birkland. It features the writing talents of Darwin C. Vickers (Ned’s Newt, Jimmy Neutron, Pelswick), and will be developed for production in the summer of 2008.
“We are excited to be working with CBC Kids and SCN in the development of Toby’s Canada” says producer Tim Tyler of Cheshire Smile Animation Inc., “We have been working for a long time on the development of this property, and it is great to see an appetite at the from CBC Kids for original Saskatchewan television content with a National Focus.”
Toby is an inspired, animated (literally and figuratively) child in a live-action world who is passionate about discovering the many facets to life in Canada. As a roving vid-caster, Toby travels the nation finding entertaining educational and cool stories about Canadian geography, locations and life for his friends watching on television and the internet at home. Children love Toby. They look up to him because he is versatile and talented with computers, cameras and technology and he uses those skills, along with his natural curiosity and good humor, to explore the Canadian places and stories that children want to learn more about.
Established in 2000, Cheshire Smile Animation Inc. combines broadcaster focused development and production of animated entertainment properties with service animation and interactive production.
Toby’s Canada is developed in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the Saskatchewan Communications Network, with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund.
November 14, 2007
A concept design for an icicle forest on the journey to the North Pole.
November 6, 2007
Here is a concept design for the Santa Show. Only the real Santa can successfully navigate any chimney pipe. Santa slides down this convoluted chimney pipe to the audience’s great amazement.
October 2, 2007
Amongst all the other insanity, I have been busy trying to get the designs wrapped up for Side Show Christmas so that we can move the project forward for production this winter. Chris Steininger, has brought his distinct design vision to the universe of this show.
October 1, 2007
I have been working for the last two weeks on the development of a proposal for 4 animated commercials for SaskTel.
Here is some of the concept art (from the always amazing Jordan R) that we included in the package.
September 17, 2007
I am off to the Ottawa Television Animation conference tomorrow. I am quite excited about it this year, last year was my first time so it took a bit to figure out what was going on and then it was over. This year I am ready.
So far my meetings include Teletoon, CBC Kids, YTV, Cartoon Network, and Jetix Europe as well as other animation producers & executive producers. I had a lot of luck with the FastTrack, and have been able to get meetings with everyone who I would like to speak to.
My meetings are primarily focused around moving Side Show Christmas and Toby’s Canada forward, however I have been developing a new TV show for this conference that I am really excited to pitch to broadcasters for the first time.
Boxed Out is an adult, animated Situation Comedy, that Jeff Martel (A Fairy Tale Christmas, Side Show Christmas) and I have been developing / designing for the Detour Pilot Project or the Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Our focus has been on story, the creation of an original, unexpected, situation, universe and characters + a couple of juicy ideas for episodes.
Ideally we will get enough interest in this project to move forward in development, however it has been fun developing this idea as it is.
Boxed Out
Climbing back to the top of the heap has never been harder… or funnier
13 x 22 Animated Adult Situation Comedy
It’s like: Fat Actress meets Entourage set in an animated world where Cereal Box stars reign as the ultimate glitterati.
Logline: For ten years Donnie Delight was the biggest and brightest star in the world of Cereal Box Celebrities, until his career mysteriously landed in the toilet; now he’ll do anything to get back on top in the land of the rich, famous… and sleazy.
The community of Highland Falls lays claim to one thing: Breakfast Cereal… where it is the fuel of life. It’s a cereal town… manufacturing, marketing and the stars that hawk their cereals’ parade as the undisputed kings and queens.
Donnie Delight (a.k.a Donald Francis Kowalsky) was the toast of the town and the cream of the crop of all Cereal Box stars. Starting out as a rosy-cheekd kid, Donnie enjoyed the height of fame for ten years: his face plastered on his cereal box… Crunchy Sugar O Delights… bill boards, personal appearances, elaborate commercials that featured his multi-talented performances. He shone as the undisputed star, until one day… it ended: contract terminated; calls to the head of Nero Brand Cereals, Mr. Arnold Nero went unreturned; even his agent, tough as nails, Angela Demotrakas doesn’t have the time of day for her former favorite client. Broke, instant has-been, Donnie loses his mansion and all the trappings of fame (well… except his cell phone and its list of important people).
On his quest for a soft place to land, Donnie turns to him mom and dad: Marjorie and Frank Kowalsky but he discovers that they don’t have room in their empty nest and they’ve blown all the money he earned while he was a child star. Obsessed by her on-line shopping habit, Marjorie surfaces just long enough to tell her son to settle down and start a family. Meanwhile, Frank has become a Cereal Box Celebrity manager, with a stable of young impressionable clients ready and willing to do anything to break into the business.
Donnie ends on the doorstep of General Munch, a self-made Rastafarian pirate and long running cereal box celebrity. Munch lets Donnie string up a hammock in his house boat/party palace where Donnie begins his quest: restore his career while negotiating the twists, turns and outrageous characters like Snack, Crack and Crunch (long time, surly, unreasonable stars of their own cereal), Larry the Leapord (Donnie’s fitness guru and self-appointed life coach) and Cassandra Nero (the famous for being the famous daughter of rich and famous Arnold Nero and Donnie’s girlfriend for one night… before he fell from grace!).
Donnie remains fixed on getting back into the business and he’ll do anything to succeed: there is no one he won’t hustle for work, no public appearance too small, no dinner theater too shabby, no publicity stunt too outrageous, no angle too thin to be worked in Donnie Delight’s desperate climb back to the top of the Cereal Box world.
September 6, 2007
Here is a location design for Side Show Christmas. Keep up the good work Jordan!!
To get to the North Pole, Sandwell and his troop from The Most Unbelievable Show on Earth must bypass a couple of challenges. The Angry Elf Cavern is one of them.
