Nelvana Inks First-look Deal With Award-winning Writer And Illustrator Kyle Charles

 NELVANA INKS FIRST-LOOK DEAL WITH AWARD-WINNING
WRITER AND ILLUSTRATOR KYLE CHARLES 

The Two-Year Deal Sets the Stage for Nelvana and Charles to Develop
Original Animated Content for Audiences of all Ages on all Platforms

Nelvana enters first-look deal with award-winning writer and illustrator Kyle Charles

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For Immediate Release

TORONTO, June 29, 2021 – Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live action content, announced today a first-look deal with award-winning Indigenous writer and illustrator, Kyle Charles. Marking the company’s first, first-look deal in three years, this new two-year agreement sees Charles pitching original content to Nelvana for joint development, from TV series to features films for both kids and adults.

“Kyle is a seasoned artist with a great ability to tell thoughtful stories through illustration and we are so proud to welcome him to the Nelvana team,” said Athena Georgaklis, Head of Development, Nelvana. “With an impressive series of original concepts already presented to our team, we’re eager to tap into Kyle’s expertise in creating action heroes that translate from book to screen, while adding new voices and perspectives to the work we do as creators and storytellers.”

“I am beyond excited to work with Nelvana and be a part of their long-standing legacy in Canadian animation,” said Charles. “I look forward to sharing my ideas and collaborating with the Nelvana team to create stories that will engage and inspire people around the world.”

As Nelvana marks its 50^th anniversary this year, this announcement underscores the company’s focus on bolstering creator-driven content, tapping into first-rate talent to allow creators the opportunity to develop their own passion projects and IPs.

Charles is an Indigenous artist currently living in Edmonton and a member of the Whitefish Lake First Nation (located about 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton). His previous work includes This Place: 150 Years Retold, Moonshot: Vol 3, Marvel Voices: Indigenous Voices #1 in which he was tasked with illustrating a story of a Cheyenne heroine, Dani Moonstar (aka Mirage), and Batman: The Detective. He has also written and illustrated short stories for publishers Heavy Metal and OnSpec Magazine.

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About Nelvana
Entertaining kids for over 50 years, Nelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. Nelvana produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and action series, and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana’s content airs on Corus Entertainment’s kids channels in Canada and in over 180 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 4,700 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Canadian Screen Awards. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.

About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world.  Engaging audiences since 1999, the company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a suite of digital assets, animation software, technology and media services. Corus is an established creator of globally distributed content through Nelvana animation studio, Corus Studios, and children’s book publishing house Kids Can Press. The company also owns innovative full-service social digital agency so.da, and lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:
April Lim
Corus Entertainment
(416) 860-4216
april.lim@corusent.com

Stacey Grimshaw
Corus Entertainment
(416) 479-6082
stacey.grimshaw@corusent.com