The Production Company Behind ‘Sharknado™’ Sets Its Sights on Licensing Its Library of Classic and Upcoming Movies
NEW YORK – Knockout Licensing Co-Presidents Carole Postal and Tamra Knepfer today announced that their agency has been appointed by The Asylum (www.theasylum.cc) to launch and manage licensing for the production company’s ever-growing library of movie properties including the Mega Shark trilogy (Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus™, Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus™, Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark™), Mega Piranha™, 2-Headed Shark Attack™, 3-Headed Shark Attack™, Transmorphers™, and 100 Million BC™.” Known for their humorous, over-the-top, low-budget productions, The Asylum has created a whirlwind of popularity for the “So Bad It’s Good” sea monster genre thanks to the recent success of Sharknado, The Asylum’s co-production with Syfy Channel.
The Asylum’s Mega Shark movies first introduced the B-movie “mockbusters” and the financial success and cult-like following these movies engender. The first two Mega Shark movies, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) and Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus (2010) debuted on Syfy and have since aired to much fanfare in many international markets around the world, as well as on DVD. The third movie in the trilogy, Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark, begins filming this month for a 2014 release. Similarly, the sequel to the hit 2012 film Two-Headed Shark, aptly titled Three-Headed Shark, is currently in production with a 2014 release date.
“There’s a timeless humor to the ‘mockbusters’ that The Asylum so deftly produces,” say Knepfer. “Spanning theatrical, television, DVD, and online, the distribution of their movies becomes so pervasive, it has become a pop culture phenomenon that is both classic and current. We plan to have a lot of fun licensing the Mega Shark trilogy of films across a wide array of products — offering multiple titles for collectibles, tees and sweats, novelty and other products that can expand with the assortment of titles and imagery from each.”
“We have such a strong following of fans of our movies,” explained Paul Bales, COO, The Asylum. “Fans have been clamoring for merchandise with daily requests. Specifically, the fan response to our mega-hit the Mega Shark franchise has been rabid. We are excited to be working with Knockout Licensing to get Mega Shark and our other properties into the licensing arena with great products for our ever-growing cult following.”
The Asylum is one the world’s leading brand-oriented motion picture and television studios. With its focus on high-concept, market-driven entertainment, The Asylum has created an exciting brand recognized worldwide. The studio finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation’s top retailers and its network of international partners. Since its founding in 1997, The Asylum has released more than 500 films and built a library of over 150 original productions, including top-rated movie premieres for Syfy and Lifetime networks. The Asylum is releasing 10 theatrical films in 2013 and is developing TV properties for 2014, including a comedy-horror series for MTV.
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About Knockout Licensing
Knockout Licensing (www.knockoutlicensing.com) is a full-service licensing agency for big-name brands. Knockout was formed as a joint venture in 2012 with Carole Postal, President of CopCorp Licensing, and Tamra Knepfer, President of TK Brand Group, combining forces as Co-Presidents. Together Postal and Knepfer bring decades of combined experience to their agency.
CONTACT:
KNOCKOUT LICENSING
Carole Postal
cop@knockoutlicensing.com
(212) 947-5958
Tamra Knepfer
tk@knockoutlicensing.com
(212) 947-5958