Halifax, NS – 21 October 2010 – DHX Media, a leading international producer and distributor of mainly children’s television programming and interactive content, is pleased to announce that WTTW, Chicago’s premier public television station, in partnership with DHX Media’s W!LDBRAIN Entertainment and The Michael Cohen Group, LLC, has won a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support a new five-year Ready to Learn initiative.
Ready to Learn supports the development of educational programming and media for preschool and early elementary school children and their families. WTTW will team with DHX Media subsidiary W!LDBRAIN Entertainment, the award-winning production company and animation studio, to develop UMIGO (you make it go), a trans media property created by Michael Polis, President of W!LDBRAIN Entertainment and Executive Producer of Yo Gabba Gabba!. UMIGO will also be developed in collaboration with the Michael Cohen Group, LLC, a research and evaluation firm recognized for its work with children, media and education, and responsible for formative and summative testing of the UMIGO property. UMIGO will launch as a web-based property and is intended to later transition into a television series and line of consumer products.
“UMIGO is a fun and engaging virtual world where young minds can let their imaginations run wild,” said Polis. “When we were kids, we thought of all sorts of incredible things to invent. UMIGO will test the boundaries of even the most creative imaginations while providing a solid foundation in mathematics,” he continued. “Our multi-platform strategy will make UMIGO accessible to children and families of all socioeconomic levels. We look forward to collaborating with WTTW and the Michael Cohen Group on a property that contributes to giving all kids an equal opportunity for success in school,” he added.
This is WTTW’s second Ready to Learn grant. Past Ready to Learn initiative grants from the U.S. Department of Education have funded some of the country’s most beloved children’s educational programming, such as WordWorld, Between the Lions, Sesame Street and SUPER WHY!. The most watched public television station in America, WTTW has 1.5 million weekly viewers and serves a four-state region.
For more information, please contact:
DHX Media Ltd.
David A. Regan – EVP, Corporate Development & IR +1 902-423-0260
W!LDBRAIN Entertainment
Kelly Kimball – Corporate Communications and Worldwide Publicity +1 818-290-7080
About DHX Media Ltd.
DHX Media Ltd. is a leading international producer and distributor of television programming and interactive content with an emphasis on children, family and youth markets. DHX Media Ltd. shares are listed on the TSX, the Toronto Stock Exchange. DHX Media produces or co-produces 8 original television series and theatrical releases currently commissioned for production and maintains a growing library of over 2,300 half-hours of mostly children and youth-oriented television productions. www.dhxmedia.com
About W!LDBRAIN Entertainment
W!LDBRAIN Entertainment is an award-winning entertainment company and one of the world’s foremost producers of animation. The studio develops television, motion pictures, short-form programming, commercial content and consumer products. Their exceptional slate of programming includes the critically acclaimed television series Yo Gabba Gabba! (Nick Jr.) and live touring show, Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! There’s A Party in My City; The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO); Higglytown Heroes (Disney); Bubble Guppies (Nick Jr.); The Hard Times of RJ Berger (MTV) and Team Smithereen, the short-form stunt puppet show from Dan Clark. W!LDBRAIN has received Clios, Addys, BDA Awards and Annies for their commercial work, reinvigorating classic brands for leading companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Honda, Kraft and Nike. W!LDBRAIN Entertainment is based in Los Angeles, CA and is owned by DHX Media Ltd., a TSX listed public company.
About WTTW
The most watched public television station in America, WTTW has 1.5 million weekly viewers and serves a four-state region. For more than half a century, viewers have turned to WTTW for distinctive programming that informs, inspires, educates, and entertains. Recognized for its award-winning local and national productions, WTTW is committed to presenting the very best in cultural, nature, science, public affairs, and children’s programming. WTTW is also watched by more children aged 2-11 than any other Chicago station.
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward looking statements with respect to the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risks related to market factors, customer contract interpretation, application of accounting policies and principles, and production related risks, and other factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s short form prospectus dated April 9, 2010 and in the Company’s Amended Annual Information Form incorporated by reference therein. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.