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Cliff Parrott

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http://vimeo.com/5028526

What is your name and your current occupation?
Cliff Parrott and I am the founder of Magpie 6 Media located in Dublin, Ireland.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I could write an entire blog on the insane jobs I had before animation. It’s hard to believe that I was an attorney practising criminal defence, bankruptcy and other aspects of law. Technically I am still an attorney, I’m just not practising any more. I didn’t enjoy being one, it was high stress. Unlike seeing a film or finished piece of artwork in an animation project, there was nothing tangible to look back on after you’ve finished with a client’s case, just paperwork. Being an attorney did give me experience with preparing for the unexpected and negotiations.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There are a lot of great projects but the ones that I had the most enjoyment from were the projects where the crew was a blast to work with. I was fortunate enough (or misfortunate, depending on one’s point of view), to be one of the animators on Hollywood’s first Flash feature “Lil’ Pimp.” It was produced at Revolution Studios with the idea of capitalising on the success of the relatively new animated feature hit at that time “South Park.” In fact, a lot of the South Park crew migrated to Lil’ Pimp productions. There were so many talented and very funny people. It’s unfortunate that the script was rehashed so many times. The final outcome of the movie was a watered down version that didn’t pack the punch of South Park’s movie. It came out to less than unenthusiastic reviews and went straight to DVD. I am still in touch with a lot of the people I met there.

How did you become interested in animation?
It started at a very young age, maybe 4 or 5 years old. My first love was anything from Tex Avery or Bob Clampett. The energy and timing on their films wasn’t Continue reading

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News: The History of English- Animated

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Here’s a great piece about the history of the English language. It reminds me a bit of the old Monty Python animate bits. Enjoy!

From The Open University:

Where did the phrase ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ come from? And when did scientists finally get round to naming sexual body parts? Voiced by Clive Anderson, this entertaining romp through ‘The History of English’ squeezes 1600 years of history into 10 one-minute bites, uncovering the sources of English words and phrases from Shakespeare and the King James Bible to America and the Internet. Bursting with fascinating facts, the series looks at how English grew from a small tongue into a major global language before reflecting on the future of English in the 21st century.

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Promote Yourself: Oznoz Introduces Sesame Street Content in Six Languages

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Oznoz Introduces Sesame Street Content in Six Languages

OznozLaunchElmoChinesePersianNew York, November 12, 2013 – Oznoz, the new online channel for bilingual kids, is introducing Sesame Street content in six languages. Available on several platforms, kids can now watch Sesame Street and Elmo’s World in Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish, Persian and Arabic. Titles include all-­‐time favorites like Elmo’s Potty Time and 1,2,3 Count With Me. These titles are available exclusively on Oznoz, which currently services the US and Canada.

“Sesame Workshop’s priority is to reach children and their families with engaging educational content where ever they are,” said Scott Chambers, Sesame Workshop Senior Vice President, Worldwide Media Distribution. “We are so pleased that they will now have the opportunity to laugh and learn with Elmo, Cookie, Bert, Ernie and the rest of their furry friends in a language they may be using at home or are beginning to learn.”

Oznoz platforms include the PC and iOS as well as streaming video and DVDs. Aly Jetha, Oznoz CEO said, “Sesame Street has been educating and entertaining kids around the world for over 40 years. We’re absolutely thrilled to have them as our anchor partner to introduce American and Canadian children to different languages”. On oznoz.com customers can stream Sesame Street and other shows in different languages or buy DVDs, books and games. The US and Canada has experienced a surge in bilingualism over the last decade with new Chinese, French and Spanish Immersion schools opening up every day. Immigrant families, more than ever before, acknowledge the importance of their heritage and want to pass on their language and culture. In addition, American parents realize the advantages of bilingualism in the workplace. This new trend is slowly becoming the norm, making Oznoz a useful resource to bilingual and globally minded families.

Shabnam Rezaei, Oznoz President, said, “I grew up in Austria and learned German by watching TV. Speaking multiple languages has given me such an immense advantage in my career. With Oznoz we hope to expose American children to world languages in a fun and innovative way.”

Oznoz also has an iPad app that lets customers download video for offline viewing. The channel currently has more than 200 shows, with more titles being launched every month.

About Ozno

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Oznoz.com provides “stuff for bilingual kids” including cartoons and books in eleven languages such as Arabic, Japanese, Persian, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. Popular titles include Elmo’s World, Babar, Super Why, Franny’s Feet  and  Marvelous Milly. Oznoz features a multitude of bilingual books  with  famous  titles  like  “Dear Zoo” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” Products cover ages 0 -­‐14 and include animation, live-­‐action and much more. The Oznoz iPad app allows kids to watch videos on the go. Oznoz was founded by Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei, a husband and wife team who also started Big Bad Boo, an animation studio that has been producing culturally rich, educational TV series such as Mixed Nutz  and  1001 Nights.

 

About Sesame Workshop

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Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the landmark television program that reaches millions of children every day in more than 150 countries. The Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Delivered through a variety of platforms, Sesame Workshop develops research-­‐based content – including television programs, books, games, mobile apps and community engagement initiatives – that supports early childhood learning, helps prepare children for school, and addresses developmental needs. The Workshop’s programs are tailored to the needs of specific regions and focus on topics that help young children and families develop critical skills for lifelong learning. For more information, visit us at www.sesameworkshop.org.

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Promote Yourself: MYWALL INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION CONTEST

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MYWALL INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION CONTEST

Goethe-Institut and the Cortoons International Animation Film Festival jointly announce an international animation short film contest on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, www.mywallcontest.com

The contest is open to students, apprentices and alumni of international animation film schools, other educational institutions as well as freelance animation professionals, animation producers and animation film schools from all over the world, without any age limit.

The contest is open to submissions that are inspired in any way by the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and fall into the ‘Animation Film’ category. The category includes collages, cartoons, 2D or 3D animation, puppet animation, computer animation and combined live action/animation as well as other animation techniques.

Prizes will be awarded to the four best submissions.

The contest will run from 15 October 2013 to 28 February 2014.

Participation is voluntary and free of charge.

Submissions must be at least one minute long but not exceed a total length of five minutes including titles and credits.

The submitted films must not have been shown in any other festival. Only finished works will be considered.

The best films will be shown at the Cortoons Festival in march 2014 in Rome.

The Prizes:

• Goethe-Institut Prize: A trip to Berlin inclusive of 3 nights in a 4-star hotel and economy class return flights for 2 persons. The prizewinning animation film will be shown on Goethe-Institute channels for 2 weeks all over the world.

• Audience Prize: A cash award of €1,500. The winner will be selected by online public vote on Facebook.

• Cortoons Festival Prize: The prizewinning animation film will be shown for 1 month on the 4 channels of the Cortoons Festival (http://cortoons.tv/).

• Goethe-Institut/Cortoons Festival Prize for Schools: A trip to the Cortoons Festival in Rome inclusive of 3 nights in a 4-star hotel and economy class return flights for 2 persons, in March 2014.

For further informations: www.mywallcontest.com  info@mywallcontest.com

 

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Promote Yourself: 24 BRAND-NEW ASIAN PROJECTS TO BE UNVEILED AT 2013 ASIAN ANIMATION SUMMIT NEXT MONTH

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Asian Animtion Summit 2013 Logo

24 BRAND-NEW ASIAN PROJECTS TO BE UNVEILED AT THE 2013 ASIAN ANIMATION SUMMIT NEXT MONTH

 

Best-in-class animated concepts from Australia, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand will be pitched live to Asian and international buyers

TORONTO, CANADA –November 5, 2013: Kidscreen is thrilled to announce the 24 animation concepts that have been selected for the 2013 Asian Animation Summit showcase. Representing the very best kids TV and film development work across Australia, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand, these projects will be presented live at the event to an audience of broadcasters, co-producers, distributors and investors from Asia and the international marketplace.

At the inaugural Asian Animation Summit last year, 80%* of companies that presented projects at the event secured additional financing or partners as a direct result, and these deals have involved high-profile media companies including Disney Channel US, CBC Canada, The Jim Henson Company, Cake Entertainment and Bejuba! Entertainment.

The following 24 projects, carefully selected based on global-market potential and quality, will be looking to achieve the same kind of results this year:

Alien Monkeys

CrazyBird Studio (Korea)

Blink Blink

Big Brain Pictures (Thailand)

Blue Yonder

Anya Animation (Thailand)

Call For ChiChi

Neon Pumpkin (Korea)

Chameleon

Giggle Garage (Malaysia)

Change Zoororing

JM Animation (Korea)

DENO

BYTE In A Cup (Thailand)

Didi and Friends

Digital Durian (Malaysia)

Doodolls

Synergy Media (Korea)

Elwood Pie

Kapow Pictures (Australia)

Fanshaw & Crudnut

Blue Rocket Productions (Australia)

Gunk Aliens

Moody Street Kids (Australia)

Harajuku HJ5

Vision Animation (Malaysia)
Moody Street Kids (Australia)

Hip-Hop Cowboy

Creative Bean Studios (Thailand)

Hogie the Globehopper

Lil Critterworkshop (Malaysia)

Lulu

Flying Bark Productions (Australia)

Magic Adventures: The Crystal of Dark

Hong Dong Moo (Korea)

Nobodies

The R&D Studio (Malaysia)

Soule

Red Soul Studio (Malaysia)

The Adventures of Bani

Studio Gale (Korea)

The Kazoops

Cheeky Little Media (Australia)

The Mole Farmer Rabby

Daejin Animation (Korea)

The Strange Chores

Ludo Studio (Australia)

Warriors in Black

Sean Pictures (Korea)

An initiative of Australia’s ABC TV and Screen Australia, Korea’s KOCCA and Malaysia’s MDeC, the Asian Animation Summit is produced and owned by Kidscreen, with a mandate to facilitate international financing and co-production connections for projects from the Asian region.

This year’s event is set to take place in Phuket, Thailand from December 9 to 11—optimal timing for those who are also attending Asia Television Forum (December 3 to 6) in Singapore.

Over the course of the three-day event, each project will be presented in a moderated live pitch and Q&A format, with plenty of time for follow-up meetings and casual networking built into the schedule.

 

For further details, please contact:
Janet Balmforth/Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR

Tel: +44 (0) 208 868 0511 Email: janet@ddablueprint.com

*based on responses to a survey involving all AAS 2012 presenting companies that was conducted in October 2013