“We all love stories!” And UK and US preschool television audiences love Driver Dan’s Story Train! The delightful train-driving lion, who enjoys reading stories while having fun with his friends, is now being championed in two key markets by two leading names in the licensing industry. Rocket Licensing in the UK and Licensing Street in the US have been appointed to take the popular pre-school entertainment brand into a wide range of categories across the two territories.
With its loveable characters, exciting and involving plot, delightful animation and, of course, stories, the potential for Driver Dan’s Story Train is clear — in fact it has already established a number of strong partnerships. Golden Bear is the master toy licensee for the brand with a strong range of product available. The Macmillan Campbell Books imprint has produced a range of books for the English language market and Universal is the DVD partner in the UK market where 2 DVDs have been successfully launched at retail.
In the UK the programme first appeared on CBeebies in 2010 and continues to enjoy very strong ratings. Series 2 is airing in the Bedtime Hour and is consistently a Top 5 performer for the channel (BARB ratings). Rocket is planning to work with all of Driver Dan’s existing licensing and retail partners to maximize the brand’s potential throughout 2012 and 2013. It will also be boosting brand awareness with strong promotional programs. Special events, live appearances, enhanced online presence and magazine articles will inform and amuse both children and grown-ups by focusing on the show’s combination of fun and learning.
In the US, Driver Dan’s Story Train airs on Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids aged 2-5 and their parents and caregivers which is available in over 55M homes. The show premiered in the US in November 2010 with the voice of Pat Monahan, lead singer for the multi-platinum band Train, as lead character Driver Dan. Licensing Street is planning a major push for the brand at June’s Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas, where the company will be introducing Driver Dan and his friends to potential new US licensees.
Driver Dan’s Story Train is a 3Line Media production in association with twofour54 Abu Dhabi, and the brainchild of children’s author and illustrator, Rebecca Elgar. Rebecca wanted to create a TV series for children that focused on the importance of reading. The character she developed, Driver Dan, is a lovable train-driving lion who enjoys reading stories while having fun with his friends. Storytelling is very much at the heart of Driver Dan’s Story Train. Children are encouraged to pick up a book, explore the pictures, listen to it, share it, and read it over and over again.
Rob Wijeratna, Joint Managing Director, Rocket Licensing, says: “Driver Dan’s Story Train has successfully brought together state-of-the-art design and animation techniques with the age-old love of stories to produce a series that brilliantly combines memorable characters, fun and learning. With its second UK series still enjoying high ratings on CBeebies, we are delighted to be involved with a title that has a strong following and an even stronger long-term potential.”
JJ Ahearn, Managing Director, Licensing Street, says: “Driver Dan’s Story Train offers a unique combination of storytelling, learning and delightful characters that is already attracting a large and growing US audience. With its strong appeal not only to children, but also to parents and caregivers, we are confident that this charming and engaging property will have similar success in a number of major licensing categories.”
Wayne Borg, COO and Deputy CEO of twofour54, adds: “Having established Driver Dan’s Story Train as a children’s favorite both on television and at retail, we were looking for best-in-class partners in two of the most important markets in the world, partners able to manage all aspects of licensing and promotion both for children and — very importantly — parents and caregivers who enjoy watching Dan with their kids. Rocket and Licensing Street can both boast long-term success with an impressively diverse roster of clients.
ABOUT ROCKET LICENSING
Rocket Licensing, launched in 2007, is a London-based independent licensing and brand development company. It manages a select and balanced portfolio of clients and brands, including Atari, A M Heath, BocPix, Bruce Lee Enterprises, DreamWorks Animation, Dr Seuss Enterprises, Emma Thomson, Geographers’ A-Z Map Co, Harper Collins US, Hornby Hobbies, Ideas At Work, Lionsgate UK, MGM and The Jim Henson Company. www.rocketlicensing.com
ABOUT LICENSING STREET
Licensing Street, LLC, is a licensing and consulting firm headquartered in New York City. Its extensive experience includes work on some of the most successful and beloved entertainment properties of all-time. The firm specializes in strategically developing licensed properties across all retail channels. For further information, contact: info@LicensingStreet.com.
About twofour54
An Abu Dhabi Government initiative, twofour54 is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s leading media and entertainment hub. twofour54’s unique campus environment offers media and entertainment businesses the tools they need to succeed. These include 100% company ownership in a stable tax-free environment, facilitated business networking, easy licensing and business set-up services, broadcast and production facilities, and access to professional media talent and industry experts. twofour54 is also home to the world’s first Cartoon Network Animation Academy as well as a dedicated gaming school.
twofour54 delivers its advanced cohesive infrastructure through three key pillars: twofour54 tadreeb (the media training academy), twofour54 ibtikar (venture capital investment fund for Arab media and entertainment businesses) and twofour54 intaj (a state-of-the-art production complex including digital and post production facilities, broadcast and distribution facilities and the region’s only 3D stereoscopic lab). These services are supported by twofour54 tawasol, facilitating easy business set-up and providing ongoing support services.
twofour54 has already attracted over 160 companies, which are now based at the Abu Dhabi campus. These include several of the region’s and world’s largest and most influential content creation companies, including Ubisoft, Sky News Arabia, Fox Intl Channels, CNN, BBC, Financial Times, Viacom, C Sky Pictures, Thomson Reuters, Cartoon Network, PyraMedia, Bloomberg, Blink Studios, Charisma, VERITAS Films, Tahadi and Jawaker. Each of these partners has recognised the vast opportunity that the Arab world represents for growth, and has committed significant investment and resources to business initiatives that are led out of twofour54.
The name twofour54 is taken from Abu Dhabi’s geographical coordinates, which are latitude 24 north, longitude 54 east. This name was chosen to symbolise Abu Dhabi’s strategic position within MENA, and its central role in driving the development of the region’s growing media and entertainment industries.
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