Audi will be broadcasting a series of Webisodes during the Olympics to continue leveraging its sponsorship of the US Ski Team. The auto manufacturer’s campaign includes promoting the shorts on Facebook and Justin.tv.

Each 15-minute episode will take a behind-the-scenes look at the team as it pursues the gold medal.

Last month, Audi ran a branded entertainment documentary on NBC about the ski team’s preparation for the Games.

The Webisodes will be hosted by two injured US skiers and will be broadcasted on Facebook, Justin.tv, and a US Ski Team site.
 

On March 1, Corus Entertainment expands its comprehensive portfolio of women's specialty services with the launch of W Movies, Canada's first movie channel dedicated to women. Programmed exclusively with women in mind, W Movies will be the go-to destination for women looking for entertaining and intelligent films, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

"With the phenomenal success of women-oriented films at the box office, coupled with the huge popularity of our film blocks on W Network, we know that women have a real appetite for movies," said Susan Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Specialty and Pay Television. 'With women's movie services representing one of the fastest growing genres in the U.S., we are thrilled to be able to offer Canadian audiences the first dedicated movie channel for women."

Based on W Her Report research and the strength of the movie ratings on W Network, Canadian women made it clear that offering up smart, engaging films and TV movies are an entertainment must-have. Catering to Women 25 - 54, W Movies will provide viewers with access to great movies and movie-oriented programming, all day long. From Hollywood hits to Canadian films and critically acclaimed TV movies, the network will showcase films for and about women, with genres ranging from relationship, romance and comedy to drama and suspense.

With non-stop movies throughout the schedule, viewers can turn to W Movies on the weekends for celebrity-themed film events shaped around some of the biggest names in Hollywood. March features Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks from Friday, March 5 to Sunday, March 7 with titles including Big, Forrest Gump, You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally. Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford are the featured celebrities from Friday, March 12 to Sunday, March 14 with films including Working Girl, Six Days and Seven Nights, Dangerous Minds and What Lies Beneath. Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck are the star attraction from Friday, March 19 to Sunday, March 21 with Chasing Amy, Bounce, Shakespeare in Love, A View From the Top and Sliding Doors. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere wrap up the month from Friday, March 26 to Sunday, March 28 with Dying Young, Sleeping with the Enemy, Steel Magnolias, Runaway Bride and The Hoax.

Additional premieres in March include Once on March 2, Memory Keeper's Daughter on March 2, Tristan and Isolde on March 4, Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith on March 9, The Engagement Ring on March 11 and The Hoax on March 27.

Visit the W Movies website at www.wmovies.ca.

W Movies is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation. The company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, CosmoTV, VIVA, Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York ( CJR | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com. 

W!LDBRAIN (http://www.wildbrain.com/), the award-winning entertainment company and one of the world’s foremost producers of animation, has entered into a partnership with digital agency Fuel Industries (http://www.fuelindustries.com/), branded entertainment experts and creators of popular interactive brands, including AllGirlArcade.com (http://www.allgirlarcade.com/), to develop television, motion picture, direct-to-consumer platforms and consumer products utilizing the existing popularity of Fuel Industries’ entertainment properties.

“Fuel has a great body of characters and stories with limitless creative possibilities," said Michael Polis, CEO, Wildbrain. “As a company, we will strategically integrate the proven Fuel Industries branded properties and characters into our studio’s content and distribution businesses. Under this agreement, we are looking at a number of properties that have the potential to become sustainable franchises and growth drivers on a number of media platforms,” he continued.

“Our development deal with W!LDBRAIN, combined with their successful portfolio of world-class animation and family entertainment, is a major step in our company’s efforts to realize the full potential of our interactive properties,” said Mike Burns, CEO of Fuel Industries. “As a digital agency expanding into an original content creator, we are confident that our expertise in building audiences for brands will continue to generate success for our own IP.”

Current Fuel Entertainment (http://www.fuelentertainment.com/) properties in development and/or production at Wildbrain include:

AllGirlArcade.com – A rapidly-expanding tween girl gaming portal and virtual world (http://www.allgirlarcade.com/) (Spark City) based on Fuel’s ‘Clik Stars’ property. The property is currently one of the web’s fastest growing girl’s portals, and includes a vibrant social network and a host of original web and mobile games based on the colorful characters.

Fairies and Dragons – A property for kids 6-10 that appeals to both girls and boys through the unique combination of four fairies and their elemental dragon friends into a magical storyline that has already captured hearts across Europe as the world’s first Digital McDonald’s Happy Meal™.

Sideway – A property for teenage boys that captures the art, passion and individuality of the underground graffiti culture that lives within today’s urban youth. Sideway follows the adventures of Noz, a rebellious New York youth, and his mysterious journey through the wacked out realm of Sideway, a two-dimensional world that exists solely on the city’s walls.

Tetsurai – Set in a steampunk-inspired alternate future of clanking iron and hissing steam, Tetsurai is an engrossing property for teen boys that combines television, an MMO, an arcade fighter and a role-playing game in a dark, sci-fi package.

About W!LDBRAIN:

Wildbrain is an award-winning entertainment company and one of the world’s foremost producers of animation. The studio develops and produces television, motion pictures, short-form programming, commercial content and licensed merchandise. The studio has produced an exceptional slate of programming, including the critically acclaimed television series Yo Gabba Gabba! (Nick Jr.) and live touring show Yo Gabba Gabba!: There’s A Party in My City; The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO) and the hit Disney series, Higglytown Heroes. Wildbrain and its creative team have won top industry awards. In film, the studio won an Annie for its computer graphics short film, Hubert’s Brain. Wildbrain has received Clios, Addys, BDA Awards and Annies for their commercial work, reinvigorating classic brands for leading companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Honda, Kraft and Nike and has gained national attention for their animation work on behalf of Esurance, Ubisoft and Virgin America. Some upcoming television and short-form projects include Bubble Guppies, an animated series for Nick Jr., The Hard Times of RJ Berger, an animated series for MTV and Team Smithereen, the short-form stunt puppet show from Dan Clark. Wildbrain’s sister company, Kidrobot, creates limited edition toys, clothing, artwork and books, with stores in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. Wildbrain is based in Los Angeles, CA.

About Fuel Industries

Fuel Industries is a multiple award-winning interactive studio that lives at the intersection of marketing and entertainment. With 100 employees and presence in Canada, the US, and the UK, Fuel has built audiences by creating entertaining online experiences both for major international brands and its own licensed entertainment properties. Fuel's diverse holdings include interests in game development, video production, sound design, social media, and mobile marketing. Passionate about redefining the interactive agency and inventing the future of online content, Fuel's clients and joint venture partners include Electronic Arts, Paramount, Fox, Microsoft, Intel, MTV, Vans and HBO. For additional information, visit www.fuelindustries.com.

GREENZYS, an eco-friendly literary based children's brand that encompasses – books, plush toys, animated content and an interactive website, will be introduced to consumers on April 5, 2010, exclusively at FAO Schwarz New York and online through FAO.com and will be expanding to domestic and international retailers after the exclusive launch.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100201/LA46944)

The GREENZYS' characters, manufactured as plush toys by Kids Preferred, promote green living and teach eco-friendly practices to youngsters through heartwarming stories and endearing plush animal toys that are both environmentally safe and fun. Among the GREENZYS characters being introduced are Peat the Penguin, an ardent supporter of recycling, reusing and reducing waste; Yew Yew the Panda, who grows bamboo to prevent erosion and create oxygen; Willow the Elephant, who collects rainwater for her plants and uses her trunk as a water hose; and Violet the Giraffe, the ecological genius who teaches the GREENZYS how to reduce their carbon paw print in an effort to protect the environment.

GREENZYS are the creation of product designer Lisa Keyser who, along with GREENZYS co-founder Mark Lieber, shares a deep concern for the earth along with a love of animals.  Lieber, also founder of Rethink Entertainment & Media, has an impressive track record for creating, developing producing and distributing top quality branded entertainment and consumer product franchises.  The Simpsons, Barney, Maisy, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men, Sweet Valley High, Dragonball Z and The Tick are just some of the franchises Lieber has been associated with throughout his career.

"The GREENZYS are a fun and engaging way of involving young children in the daily activities of green living," says GREENZYS co-founder Lieber.  "We use the animal characters and their stories to reinforce the importance of green living practices such as conservation of natural resources, recycling, reusing and replanting. And if we're successful in entertaining and educating them simultaneously, then we cultivate these eco-friendly practices as habits that will sustain our children and our planet."

"I am very excited to see The GREENZYS come to life and bring Green Awareness to kids around the world.  The GREENZYS is a team of earth conscious animal characters who through fun and enlightening adventures will inform our kids on the positive effect that good green daily practices have on our planet," says GREENZYS Creator, Lisa Keyser.  "Populations are getting larger while the earth isn't getting more capacious, and we need to do a better job of reducing, preserving and conserving.  Every climate and region of the planet will represent new challenges and adventures for THE GREENZYS to thrive within."

Adam Newman is head of creative affairs for the GREENZYS, who oversaw the collaboration with the author, Creative Capers animation studio, and Curious Light web studio to create the content that's being used for all media outlets including literary, internet, mobile entertainment, and all digital formats.

The GREENZYS will also have an original theme song to be released next month.  It will be composed by Michael Orland, musical arranger and associate musical director of the series American Idol with lyrics by Adam Newman.  The GREENZYS song will be performed by 13 year old newcomer recording artist Samia Najimy Finnerty. Samia is the daughter of actress Kathy Najimy and lead singer of the Dan Band Dan Finnerty: popular from the films Old School and The Hangover and featured regularly on The Jay Leno Show. The song will accompany The GREENZYS Animated Video on Greenzys.com and will be the official music video for the brand.

The GREENZYS book is from acclaimed writer Danielle Mentzer, author of Plucked Duck, whose writing and development credits include the Emmy-award winning Santa Claus Brothers, Pink Panther & Pals and The Mouse and the Monster as well as the global hit series Sitting Ducks. Cris de Lara, an award-winning digital artist, illustrates the book series, which is published by DK Publishing.

Beth Richman, of Bluebird Media Consulting, served as an educational consultant for GREENZYS. Richman has previously worked with both Sesame Workshop and Scholastic Media on developing and designing curriculum-based entertainment properties for preschool and school-aged children.

In keeping with the eco friendly children's brand commitment to environmental conservation, a portion of every GREENZYS purchase will benefit the non-profit Environmental Media Association (www.ema-online.org), founded by Cindy and Alan Horn and Lyn and Norman Lear. EMA supporters have included, Gwyneth Paltrow, Maroon 5, Amy Smart, Cameron Diaz , Daryl Hannah, Ed Begley Jr., Nicole Richie, Ted Turner, Blythe Danner and numerous other celebrity/corporate environmentalists.

In a special promotion marking the 40th anniversary of the Earth Day celebration on April 22, 2010, each GREENZYS toy purchased between April 5 and December 31st will support the Arbor Day Foundation (www.arborday.org) by the planting of a tree in our nation's forests.  In addition to the hours of fun that the GREENZYS plush toys and stories give children, youngsters are also invited to go the GREENZYS website (www.greenzys.com) to receive a personalized digital certificate acknowledgement of their planted tree contribution from the specific GREENZY they've purchased.

There's also a GREENZYS pre-School TV series is in development.

To catch a first look at the GREENZYS, go to www.greenzys.com.  To follow GREENZYS on Twitter, please click here.  Become a fan on Facebook by clicking here.

About Rethink Entertainment & Media and MoonReef Designs

Rethink Entertainment & Media (www.rethinkent.com)  represents a new altruistic mind set in entertainment.  As a multi-faceted, award winning studio known for creating intellectual properties and collaborating with top talent on a multitude of projects spanning all forms of media, Rethink Entertainment & Media is committed to educating the world's children on environmental and ecological issues that will impact their lives and their future.  Rethink Entertainment & Media is known for bringing innovative creative ideas and proven entertaining concepts to content for all ages for all genres, formats, and mediums.  Rethink Entertainment & Media is based in Los Angeles.  MoonReef Designs (www.moonreef.com), founded by Lisa Keyser, is a design studio that creates hand painted works of art, digital designs and illustrations for various consumer products including tile, toys, stationary, textiles, giftware, and prints. Keyser is a mother of two children from New Jersey and is passionate about the environment and making it green as well as secure for future generations.  With this in mind, she created the GREENZYS characters.

Kids Preferred, LLC is an award-winning division of Kids Preferred, Inc., which was founded in 1983 and is one of the largest plush toy manufacturers in the U.S.  Known for its superior quality and unique designs, Kids Preferred, LLC serves the specialty, juvenile, gift, and better department store trade by distributing soft toys and gifts under its own brand, private label and licensed brands including amazing baby™, asthma & allergy friendly™, Between the Lions™, Classic Winnie the Pooh®, Elmer, The World of Eric Carle™,  Guess How Much I Love You™, Harley-Davidson®, Madeline™, Martha Speaks™, Pat the Bunny®,  Spot™ and The Snowman™.  The company is headquartered in East Windsor, NJ and has offices in New York City, Hong Kong and Shanghai.  For more information, contact Kids Preferred at 1-866-SOFT TOY (763-8869) or visit their website at www.kidspreferred.com.