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Galloping to market
With an established UK program in tow,
HIT Entertainment’s Mike the Knight gets
set to ride into the US licensing landscape
W
hile it’s never easy to launch a brand-new IP,
HIT Entertainment has had some early success
with its medieval-themed preschool property
Mike the Knight. It’s now looking to duplicate
that achievement in the US market.
“The landscape is quite crowded, but we were lucky to
secure a great broadcaster,” says Stacey Reiner, VP of HIT
Global Brands in the US, referring to Nickelodeon, which
bowed the series in February. Its US premiere drew 1.4 million
viewers and won the timeslot with kids two to 11. And
Nick joins TF1(France), Treehouse (Canada) and CBeebies
(UK) as notable broadcast partners on a growing list of TV
sales for the series.
“I think it’s probably diffi cult for a smaller producer to
launch a new IP, but the partners we have are really opening
up a lot of doors,” says Reiner.
Jon Owen, SVP of HIT Global Brands, agrees that the
initial response from broadcasters has raised the Mattelowned
company’s expectations for the entire franchise.
“There was a very high level of preschool expertise
[involved in the creation of the show],” he says, noting
that the production team had experience on series like Lunar
Jim and Bob the Builder under their belts. “That is why
it’s resonating from a broadcast point of view.”
Another key component is that the series mines an
underdeveloped play pattern in the preschool realm.
While HBO is currently having ratings success with the
decidedly adult, medieval-themed Game of Thrones, the
notion of depicting that historical period on-screen for a
preschool audience is new.
“It’s a timeless subject matter,” says Owen. “You have
dragons and trolls and quests, and you just have to ask
yourself why it hasn’t ever been done before. It just seems
so obvious.”
Reiner agrees that the medieval theme sparked initial interest
in the concept before one frame of the series was ever
completed. “Medieval play resonates with children,” she
explains. “It transports whoever sees it to a diff erent age of
dragons and castles.”
The landscape also allows its producers to imbue the
series with a unique social-emotional curriculum that
also sets it apart from other preschool fare on the market.
“We encourage children to champion their responsibilities,
the way Mike does,” says Owen, adding that
the focus on the quest narrative and chivalry are not
common components of preschool programs. “It’s also
quite funny,” he says. “There is a great deal of comedy
in there, too.”
Mike the Knight’s
new quest is to establish
a healthy US consumer
products program
While Character Options has snatched up UK master toy
rights, and Simon & Schuster has inked a global fi ve-year
publishing deal, the CP ball should start to roll stateside in
earnest after Licensing Show.
“Obviously, toys will be a big driver everywhere,” says
Reiner. “But I think you will see costume role-play and apparel
also being major players.”
Reiner says she will be looking for partners who can take
advantage of the vibrant colors and patterns that fi ll the
Mike the Knight stylebook.
“I have already had a lot of proposals for softlines and
toys,” she says. The company is now planning a full rollout
to US mass retailers in fall 2013, looking for “A+” partners
who can innovate product lines over a number of years.
“HIT is known for evergreens, and we believe this is
another one,” she says. “It is our biggest focus right now.”
–Gary Rusak
May/June 2012
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