CHUB CITY® ACCELERATES INTO AN ANIMATED TV SERIES

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc. has signed a development agreement with Nelvana Enterprises and Fuel Entertainment to create an animated action comedy TV series, Chub City®, it was announced today by Mr. Yuma Sakata, President and CEO, Dentsu Entertainment USA.

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The series follows the adventures of a team of heroic teenagers who drive customized cars at Chub City battle rallies. These rally sites pop-up spontaneously in different parts of the world, with teams arriving by train, ship, truck and helicopter in container units called Convos™ that become the building blocks for these instant cities. The stories find humor in the relationships of the diverse team of drivers and the awkward bond that forms with their more logical sentient cars, all while battling to recover a powerful hidden energy source.

The series is based on a prolific intellectual property and toy brand which has been sold worldwide at more than 11,000 stores including Walmart and Carrefour, and has been featured in nationally advertised Burger King and Taco Bell kids meal promotions. The new series, which promises to build on the Chub City brand by bringing the characters to life in action packed adventures, will be supported by new toy technology that will bring innovation to the vehicle toy space.

"We believe Chub City has a unique blend of action adventure and comedy that will appeal universally to kids in the US and abroad," said Colin Bohm, Managing Director, Nelvana Enterprises. "We're thrilled to be leveraging both the creative edge of Fuel, and the demonstrated success of the Dentsu global network of companies."

Mike Burns, CEO of Fuel Entertainment, commented, "Creatively, Chub City is on trend with what's happening in the vehicle customization world right now, and we believe it is the kind of project that will work beautifully in both traditional and new media formats."

Sakata commented, "Chub City is an ideal example of Dentsu Entertainment USA's strategic approach to children's entertainment. Teaming up with companies who excel at development and have a great vision to reimagine the brand is something that we're extremely excited about." 

Dentsu Entertainment USA, Nelvana Enterprises, and Fuel Entertainment are actively seeking toy and broadcast partners for the animated action comedy, Chub City. For more information, please contact Marc Harrington, Senior Vice President, Global Strategy and Development for Dentsu Entertainment USA, at [email protected].

About Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc.

Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc. was formed in 2010 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange, Code 4324).  Dentsu Inc. is the world's largest advertising agency brand, and a leading producer of Japanese animation, with over 37,000 full-time employees and more than 700 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide.  Dentsu Entertainment USA develops original animation programming and media content for domestic and international markets, and manages licensing programs for new and existing properties.  Current projects include Chub City®, featuring evolved vehicles and savvy young drivers, currently in development as an animated series; LBX™ (a.k.a. "The Little Battlers eXperience"), a highly successful animation, video game and toy franchise, based on miniature customizable robots;  Deltora Quest®, a 52-episode animated series airing globally, and based on the international top-selling fantasy-adventure book series of the same name; and Monsuno®, an innovative toy line and animated boys action adventure series currently airing on Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and free-to-air channels in more than 150 countries.  Dentsu Entertainment USA is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.  For more information, please visit www.DentsuEntertainment.com.

About Nelvana

Founded in 1971 as a small independent studio, Nelvana is now one of the world's leading international producers and distributors of children's animated and live-action content.  Nelvana is comprised of Nelvana Studio and its distribution arm Nelvana Enterprises and owned by Corus Entertainment Inc.  Nelvana Studio is a globally recognized studio that produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool, boys and live action.  Leading boys action brands include anime series BEYBLADE: Metal Fury, BEYBLADE: Shogun Steel and Bakugan.  Nelvana's content airs on Corus Entertainment's kids channels in Canada and in over 160 countries around the world.  The Nelvana library has well over 3,800 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Geminis.  Nelvana Enterprises distributes programming from the Nelvana Studio and key creative partners to broadcasters, home entertainment and digital distribution partners the world over.  Its merchandise licensing team manages consumer products licensing globally, including home entertainment and interactive.  For more information visit www.nelvana.com.

About Fuel Entertainment

Beginning with vibrant characters and engaging storylines, Fuel creates entertainment properties for today's emerging audiences that spark imagination wherever viewers go.  As the next generation eagerly embraces a new approach to entertainment, Fuel has established itself as an industry leader, both in the development of revolutionary entertainment technologies and the creation of fresh and original content. With animated and live action television, gaming and digital experiences, Fuel Entertainment has helped its clients and creative partners reach youth audiences seamlessly across both traditional and emerging platforms like never before.  Learn more at www.FuelEntertainment.com. 

CONTACT: Karen Strickholm
505-988-4401
[email protected]

SOURCE Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc.