Big Apple animation studio Curious Pictures has announced a slew of key creative team moves on the heels of its anti-parental oppression hit, Codename: Kids Next Door, winning Best Television Series for Children at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF). Curious partner David Starr will move into the new role of exec producer for branded entertainment while Mary Know, a former partner at Commercial Artists Management, will take on Starr’s former exec producer duties on commercials. In addition, to help expand its branded entertainment vision, Curious has signed on the Ugly directing team of Abraham Spear and Rohitash Rao, as well as James Proimos’ Bouyant Duck animation studio.
Starr is already spearheading innovative projects for companies such as AOL, Mattel, Lavazza and Burger King with Knox as the primary communication contact between clients and the Curious creative team.
Ugly’s Spear and Roao will help develop animated content for commercials and downloadable shorts for cell phones. The duo made their debut earlier this year at the Saatchi Saatchi New Director’s Showcase in Cannes and have recently completed a multi-spot campaign for Fuel TV, Fox Sports’ new extreme sports network.
Bouyant Duck’s animation has earned recognition at the Clios, One Show and Cannes. Proimos is currently doing work for National Geographic TV and Film and Nickelodeon Movies’ second animated feature.
Tom Warburton’s Codename Kids Next Door, now on its sixth season, received its Ottawa festival honors from a panel of children judges. This was the first year that OIAF had kids judging the children’s category.
For more information on Codename Kids Next Door and Curious Pictures visit www.curiouspictures.com.
