Crayola Launches Kids and Family Studio Division
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Crayola, the more than a century-old school and creative arts supply company famous for its crayons, is launching a studio division that will produce multigenre content for kids and families.
Victoria Lozano, Crayola’s executive vp marketing, will oversee the division, which has already partnered with production companies, animation studios and IP owners to build out a content slate focused on exploring the possibilities of children’s creativity while also leveraging color as an element of the studio’s stories. Lozano will receive support from Crayola sister company Hallmark Media and Goatfish Agency, which was founded by Rick Glankler, Fremantle’s former president and general manager of kids and family entertainment.
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“As world leaders in creative self-expression, the establishment of Crayola Studios is a logical next step for us [and] builds on plans announced last year to develop entertainment content that inspires and nurtures the next generation and helps them develop lifelong creative mindsets,” Lozano said in a statement. “Our unique perspective offers an exciting opportunity for the industry as it searches for stand out new and trusted content that has creativity at its heart.”
Among the projects already in development is an animated adaptation of Gen-Z Media’s award-winning podcast turned best-selling book series The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian. A co-development with Cyma Zarghami’s MIMO Studios, the show will be penned by Brad Birch.
“Crayola is synonymous with kids and color, and we are so excited to collaborate with them to bring these beloved journeys to life through world-class animation and artistry,” Zarghami said in a statement. “We have been cultivating The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian since we first identified it and immediately saw the great potential and opportunity to tell rich stories in video the way Gen-Z Media did in the podcast. The combination of great characters, creativity, adventure and information is something we can’t wait to bring to audiences worldwide.”
The sci-fi adventure follows the 8-year-old Finn Caspian, who — while aboard the Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station — teams with his friends Abigail, Elias and Vale to form Explorers Troop 301. Across the series’ order of 52 11-minute episodes, the kids will explore uncharted planets, assist aliens and solve a mystery that has the potential to destroy the space station.
Based on the award-winning podcast written and performed by author and former Time Out Chicago Kids web editor Jonathan Messinger, the Gen-Z Media podcast has garnered over 24 million downloads across its 12 seasons and 260 episodes since its launch in 2016. Its companion book series was also honored by the School Library Journal as Best Book of 2020.
“This series allows kids to explore the power and limitless potential of imagination, self-expression and creativity,” Lozano added. “Its DNA is at the very core of what we do at Crayola and a perfect example of the type of shows we want to produce going forward. We’re thrilled to join forces with the talented team at MIMO to bring Finn’s action-packed adventures to life.”
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