WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, is extending its longstanding partnership with HarperCollins Productions to include exclusive linear broadcast distribution rights, on a worldwide basis, for the publisher’s Emmy Award-winning action-adventure animated series, Carmen Sandiego. Under the deal, WildBrain has been appointed to distribute seasons one–four (33 x 30’ total) of the hit series, which was originally produced for Netflix by HarperCollins Productions and WildBrain’s animation studio in Vancouver. WildBrain has already secured deals for all four seasons of Carmen Sandiego with Disney for its linear broadcast channels in Japan and France.
The series, which launched on Netflix in 2019, follows the adventures of Carmen Sandiego—a master thief who uses her skills for good—as she pulls off a string of international capers, while also giving fans a look at Sandiego’s backstory and why she became a thief. Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) stars as Carmen, with Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) as Player, Carmen’s chief accomplice and friend.
These new rights build on WildBrain’s relationship with the Carmen Sandiego brand across its 360-degree offering of production, distribution and licensing. Under the existing partnership with HarperCollins Productions, WildBrain also distributes all four seasons of the classic 1990s Carmen Sandiego animated series, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (40 x 30’), and the company’s dedicated consumer products licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, represents the brand globally. The recently announced agreement with WildBrain CPLG includes representation of consumer products rights for the new Carmen Sandiego animated series as well as an upcoming live-action Netflix movie currently in development. The WildBrain CPLG arrangement is part of a larger partnership with HarperCollins Productions, which also includes consumer products representation for Pretzel and the Puppies and The Oregon Trail.
Caroline Tyre, VP Global Sales and Rights Strategy at WildBrain, said: “We’ve established a hugely successful and far-reaching relationship with HarperCollins Productions on the amazing Carmen Sandiego brand across our 360-degree capabilities of production, distribution and licensing. It’s been a thrill for our talented teams to be part of the reinvention of this beloved and iconic property, and with new consumer products licensing opportunities in the pipeline and a forthcoming live-action film, Carmen Sandiego is more popular now than ever before. We look forward to expanding the audience for both the new and classic series around the world.”
Caroline Fraser, Head of HarperCollins Productions, added: “Carmen Sandiego is one of the crown jewels of HarperCollins Productions properties, and we are excited to expand the distribution of this award-winning television series. Our hope is that the action-packed adventures of Carmen Sandiego will inspire kids and families around the world to learn about and celebrate all cultures. We have partnered with WildBrain in several ways to help us accomplish this goal—first to animate this gorgeous TV series, then to help build a consumer products program that extends the brand, and now for distribution. With all of these capabilities under one roof, WildBrain is an ideal partner for HarperCollins’ efforts to reach kids and families across multiple touch points.”
An award-winning production company within HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Productions develops and produces TV, film and interactive projects adapted from books published by HarperCollins, with projects ranging from preschool to YA to family entertainment, in both live-action and animation.