CYBER GROUP STUDIOS, TIJI UNVEIL NEW SERIES

CANNES: Cyber Group Studios has presold its new animated series Guess What?, produced for Tiji, into more than ten territories and will be looking to sign up more partners at MIPCOM this week.

Targeted at kids aged 3 to 6, the 52x7-minute show premieres on Tiji November 23. The interactive preschool series introduces Timothy and Annabel, two cute rabbits who solve riddles together. It was selected to compete in the MIPJUNIOR Kids Jury 2009.

"I am delighted with this new coproduction with Tiji, which lets us enter the world of interactivity and help children acquire new knowledge while having fun" said Pierre Sissmann, the president of Cyber Group Studios. 

Pierre Belaisch, the director of programming and channels at Lagardère Active, called Guess What? "a totally new experience for Tiji, where characters from the channel branding become heroes of an animation series in dazzling 3-D.... an adventure we are pleased to share with Cyber Group Studios."

The first episodes of the new series are being presented exclusively at MIPCOM today at an event at Restaurant Plage Royale on the Croisette.

« OZIE BOO ! SAVE THE PLANET », A NEW CYBER GROUP STUDIOS AND TIJI COPRODUCTION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WWF FRANCE

Cannes, October 5th 2009. At MIPCOM Junior, Cyber Group Studios announces the production launch of the new « Ozie Boo ! – Learn to live together » series, winner of the TV France International Export Prize 2008, mainly about making children more aware of ecology. This new project is made in partnership with WWF France which brings its scientific knowledge to the series.

The Ozie Boos are back again with the new series produced by Cyber Group Studios « Ozie Boo! Saves the Planet » (78x4’), coproduced with TIJI, and the main theme is about learning how to live in harmony with our planet earth. Thus, the series is a fun, optimistic way to teach 2‐5 year olds about ecology with the Ozie Boos and their friends, with high quality live video footage in the background.

With Club Panda’s (WWF) active participation and provision of content, three major themes are developed: the animal world, daily reservation of the environment and the discovery of the planet.
«I am particularly proud that our Ozie Boos, today present worldwide, have joined forces with the WWF in order to defend such values as ecology and protection of the environment.


« It’s so important for children growing up today, who will be grown men and women tomorrow », declares Pierre Sissmann, President of Cyber Group Studios, « and I’d like to thank the WWF teams for trusting us with this project and offering us their scientific knowledge of the chosen themes. »

« Airing on Tiji for years, the Ozie Boos have been teaching children how to live with each other every day ; it’s therefore natural for them to explain ecological issues in an entertaining way to our younger viewers » explains Pierre Belaisch, Director of Programming and Channels at Lagardère Active.
We are thrilled about the collaboration on this new season of “Ozie Boo! Save the Planet” with Cyber Group Studios. It is important to increase as soon as possible young generations’ awareness of environmental issues” says Serge Orru, Managing Director of WWF France.

The worldwide release will be in Autumn 2010, the series has already been presold to more than fifty countries, including Latin America, Canada, Norway, and the Middle East, etc…..

CYBER GROUP STUDIOS AND OUIDO ENTERTAINMENT FORM
A JOINT VENTURE DEDICATED TO MAKING FEATURE LENGTH ANIMATION

Cannes, October 5th 2009. Cyber Group Studios, French producer of animation, fiction and documentaries, and OuiDO ! Entertainment, French producer of feature length animation have just founded a joint company
« PixieDust Pictures» specialising in the production of feature length animation.

This company will pool their experience, projects and development of several original or licensed properties.

This joint venture will allow Cyber Group Studios, whose business was recently honoured with several distinctions, including the TV France International Export Prize for 2008 for its production «Ozie Boo!» (the most exported French animation series from 2005 to 2008), to continue its policy to become more diversified in all Entertainment domains.

Founded by ex‐chief executives of The Walt Disney Company, with more than thirty years’ experience
in the industry – Pierre Sissmann, Dominique Bourse, Cecilia Dubois‐Bossel, and the producer/presenter
Billy and Olivier Lelardoux, Cyber Group Studios create and distribute international productions with innovative content. In three years, it has produced, coproduced and distributed more than 170 half‐hour programmes and has established itself as an international player, particularly in preschool animation, with « Ozie Boo ! » (210 episodes) sold in 160 countries, « Manon » (launched in December 2008 and already sold in 54 countries) and
« Tales of Tatonka » (available in 2011 and already pre‐sold in 26 countries).

This joint venture will also allow OuiDO ! Entertainment to pursue and speed up their own, initiated feature length project developments.
Founded by Sandrine Nguyen and Boris Hertzog, OuiDO ! Entertainment will bring its international coproductions as well as its executives’ past experience in producing and financing these to the new entity, notably in the last 6 years when they successfully managed Attitude Studio.

Pierre Sissmann, President of Cyber Group Studios, announces: « This entry into full‐length animation is for our company a natural extension of its business and a further exploitation of its copyrights. We are delighted to do it with OuiDo! Entertainment whose vision and experience complete our own. »

Boris Hertzog and Sandrine Nguyen, co‐managing directors of OuiDO ! Entertainment, believe : «this agreement will allow us to pursue the development of our feature length projects and combine our skills.With our friends from Cyber Group Studios, we are pleased to have found partners who share our vision and ambition and whose dynamism will help kick‐start our projects.»

Productions in development are « Ozie Boo ! The magic shell » the film derived from the now famous series produced by Cyber Group Studios and co‐written by Alexandre Révérend and Pierre Sissmann, “First Love”, an original work developed by Sandrine Nguyen, and two other projects, including for the first time, a theatrical adaptation of a world‐famous children’s character.
The objective is to produce films suitable for international family audiences, thus creating a wellknown family brand worldwide.

CYBER GROUP STUDIOS TAKES OVER WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION AND LICENSING OF EMMY AWARD WINNING SERIES “ANIMALIA”

Cannes, October 5th 2009. Cyber Group Studios has just inked an agreement with the Australian based company Burberry Productions for the distribution of the Emmy‐Award winning series Animalia.

Based on the acclaimed best‐selling picture book by Graeme Base, the show is a 40 half‐hour highend CGI children’s animation series produced for the BBC, CBBC, Ten Network Australia, PBS and CBC. The series features two contemporary kids, Zoe and Alex, who visit the extraordinary land of Animalia, a spectacular place inhabited by talking animals from the pages of Graeme Base’s classic book.

Thanks to a strong presence already established in the distribution of youth programming, Cyber Group Studios will be handling the worldwide sales of TV, Home Video, and Licensing of the hit‐series and has already initiated deals in some new territories.

Ewan Burnett, Executive Producer, said: “Burberry and Animalia Productions are delighted to be placing our series in the hands of Cyber Group for international distribution and licensing. Cyber are rapidly becoming one of the market leaders in children’s branding and we believe “Animalia” will sit very well in their catalogue and market strategy. “Animalia” has already achieved considerable success around the world and we look forward to working with Cyber to take the show to the next level”.

“Animalia is a ground‐breaking series for 6 to 10 years old with a strong appeal for buyers seeking for top quality programming with action, adventure, and fun. With a current presence in more than 100 markets and very high ratings, we are very excited to continue to extend the franchise internationally“declares Pierre Sissmann, Chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios.

“We are proud to have been selected by Animalia Productions to represent this award‐winning property”, says Carole Brin, Director of International TV Sales at Cyber Group Studios, “and we look forward to keeping on building the brand with our offices throughout the world”.

CYBER GROUP STUDIOS AND KOREAN PRODUCER SIEUN DESIGN SIGN A PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND COPRODUCTION OF THE SERIES “ACADEMIE ROYALE”

Cannes, October 5th 2009. Cyber Group Studios has just inked an agreement with the Korean production company Sieun Design for the development and coproduction of the series “Academie Royale”,
a new CG animated series targeting little girls who dream about becoming princess.

Once upon the time… doesn’t exist anymore! In the 21st century, girls choose to be princesses and “Academie Royale” will show you how! “Academie Royale” is a new CGI animated series targeting 5‐8 years old girls and boys, about how a school can teach you… to become a true royalty !

Liz, Melle and Ange, the 3 young heroines, are learning each day, in the idyllic Duchy of Malamar and under the royal influence of King Albert and Queen Marie, how to become the most beautiful and good at‐heart princesses ever…
But schooling isn’t always easy and sometimes the three of them would prefer to be free like birds and act like any normal girls of their age. Amidst all these classes of good behaviour, at time, some of them loose their good manners and feelings…

And the boys are not in an easier place either…. How can you win the heart of such beautiful girls, or be like charming princes, when they’re just… normal little boys!

Let’s follow the day to day adventures of these very original students… like a true sitcom animated series for kids, with beautiful and magical backgrounds… and a big Secret behind!

CYBER GROUP STUDIOS RECEIVE THE “CHEF D’ENTREPRISE MAGAZINE” SILVER TROPHY (CEO’s MAGAZINE)

On June 16, 2009, for the third year in a row, were awarded the “Chef d'Entreprise Magazine” (CEO’s magazine) trophies. These trophies reward the most successful French small and mid-cap companies in 5 categories: International / Export, Marketing / Sales / Communication, Innovation, Environmentally friendly growth / Quality, Human Resources.
Cyber Group Studios received the Silver Trophy in the International / Export category for its series:

  - Ozie Boo!,(78x7’) sold in 150 countries and rewarded last December by TV France International as the most     exported French animated TV series in 2008,

  - Manon (52x7’), released in December 2008 and already sold in 54 countries,

  - Tatonka (40x11’)  with a planned release date in 2011 and already presold in 26 countries,

These series have been distributed by the company’s network through its four international sales offices
(Los Angeles for North-America, Budapest for Eastern Europe, Buenos Aires for Latin America and Hong Kong for Asia-Pacific). This network has recently been made available to third-party producer products
(TV series, movies, web and mobile phone series).