Gerry Anderson: A Tribute by Peter Greenwood

When we lose a personality of any kind, there is always a outcry for this loss, but in this case the loss is so much more personal to an entire generation of adults and children alike. Gerry Anderson, who passed this month, was and will remain the Walt Disney of United Kingdom.

He built his career from the ground up, struggling to get a foothold with no contacts in the film industry. He was, in the best sense of the term, a self made filmmaker, and as such he was instrumental in gathering a crew of such immense talent that their work resonates at full strength to this day.

From a tiny studio, Century 21 Productions produced adventures in the best traditions of a boy's own adventure annuals with its unique British charm and design. The magical and hypnotic space age craft brought all of us to the edge of our chairs.

This complex group of worlds were linked by the beautiful TV Century 21 comic pages, with artwork and storytelling that was and is to this day in step with the impressive nature of the shows each strip mirrored.

With the addition of Dinky's Die Cast range the craftsmanship that made England great was front and centre in every outing for the golden area that was Gerry Anderson's reign as the king of British children's television.

Gerry Anderson broke so much new ground in so many areas it will now be almost impossible in the future of children's television not to walk in his shadow, a legacy that is not I can almost say with total certainty ever never be equaled in it's diversity again.

He was the first to pull together all aspects of marketing for television, with his publishing division and a recording unit for children's albums TV21 Toys, fancy dress, sweets, ice lollies and an amazing stand alone Project Sword space toys line.

Anderson merchandising provided income to a whole generation of British workers. This was no flash in the pan operation... and for all of this, production on these shows had a budget that was not even close to the live action fare from ATV.

Ironically, ATV and all its owners have profited above and beyond even Lew Grade's expectations for these shows. I'm sure he would have ordered another 32 episodes of Thunderbirds had they understood the vast returns it was to continue to generate to this day.

You see, Gerry was a leader strong and with a sense of what he wanted from his creations, in his office with monitors watching the progress on his stages in order to get these complex children's film to the screen wielding the producers power with pure skill.

For myself, I loved these shows - all of them - and I played with the toys and read the comics and watched them and continue to, as they are ageless and timeless in so many ways. Ttheir charm is beyond a doubt as the next group of children will soon find.

And to this day, all of us involved in merchandising and licensing of classic television look to Century 21 productions and marvel at the vast scope of what was produced and accomplished ..it was such a uncommon feat of brilliant marketing unequaled to this day.

So we have lost a master of our childhood day dreams in Gerry Anderson, yet in one sense he will be with us in so many levels for all time.

So thank you Gerry, for showing us the way and raising the bar so high for the future of great British Television.

• Peter Greenwood, whose numerous licensing credits include a series of Thunderbirds-inspired Kit Kat adverts for Australian television, is currently working on the retro-merchandising of TV comedy My Favourite Martian, which was also a strip drawn by Bill Titcombe for TV Century 21. A digital collection of the strips is in the works for 2013

• Please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Society in memory of Gerry via his son Jamie Anderson's Just Giving Page: justgiving.com/RememberingGerrryAnderson


 

Egmont launches "Brave" magazine

Egmont has just launched a new Disney•Pixar title, Brave, to tie in with the new animated movie.

Described as "a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humour", Brave uncovers a new tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the headstrong Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.

According to Egmont, Brave Magazine will take readers further into the Highlands of Scotland and introduce them to all the colourful characters in Merida’s life; from her larger than life father King Fergus, her mother Queen Elinor and mischievous triplet brothers, to the unruly and uproarious lords of neighbouring clans: Lord MacGuffin, Lord Macintosh and Lord Dingwall.

On sale in all major retailers, the new magazine, featuring stories, fact files, puzzles, activities, drawing and colouring, it's aimed at girls aged four to eight. The magazine will be on sale every four weeks and has a launch cover price of £3.99, dropping to £2.99 from issue three onwards.

The first three issues carry covermounts including a Merida dress-up set of slippers & pendant, nail varnish, lip shine, bracelet and hair-bands.

“We are delighted to be extending our collaboration with Disney and bringing this new magazine to market," says Debbie Cook, Director of Magazines at Egmont Publishing Group.

"The film is fantastic and we are confident our content will deliver fun stories, games, dress-up and play value, extending the brand experience for fans.

"We are really excited to be adding Brave to our leading primary girls portfolio."

Brands With Influence to rep Egmont comics and characters

Brands With Influence, a merchandising and Intellectual Management company, has been appointed to represent Egmont UK’s archive of classic comic and magazine titles that includes Roy of The Rovers, Battle, Misty and Whizzer and Chips.

The collection spans the 40 years since the 1970s.

"We feel this is just the right time to bring these titles and brands back to life through a strategic licensing program," says David Riley, managing director, Egmont Publishing Group.

"The nostalgia market remains buoyant and our brands will have a real affinity with those children, now adults, who grew up with them. We are looking forward to working with Brands With Influence to bring these classic brands back to the high street."

Whether this signals the potential revival of some of Egmont's strips in print - alongside Titan Books publication of series such as Charley's War and Johnny Red, and STRIP Magazine's publication of Hook Jaw - is not clear from this initial press notice.

IPC has a deal with a similar company, Drawn Ink, who have been actively pushing many of the company's comic characters for potential use on clothing and other merchandise.

Diesel launches Only the Brave Captain America fragrance

Well, Parliament has wound up for the summer and it's time for the traditional 'silly season' of stories, as the news media scrabble for stories to fill both print and electronic pages.

We just didn't think things would start here in comics world with the launch of a superhero fragrance.

Still, you've got to admire DIESEL, who have created this "new and utterly cool limited edition fragrance" Only The Brave: Captain America Edition. It's a sign of great faith in the potential popularity of the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger film, which was partly shot in the UK - and the enduring appeal of the good Captain himself, discussed here on USA Today.

Still, we have to say the PR hype for this new license is a bit OTT. Created to celebrate the release of Captain America: The First Avenger, we're told this fragrance "signifies the ultimate encounter between the most iconic men’s fragrance and the most legendary superhero".

Our astonishment aside, you can't knock the product design - ace British comics artist Bryan Hitch designed the comic box the fragrance comes in and, in celebration of this momentous occasion, the Only The Brave fist will don Captain America’s iconic shield in a pop style: strong, fun, arty – heroic!

Yes, it's gloriously daft. But hey, it's clearly been done in style.

Will The Beano go digital?

Nestling among recent trade reports about Beano and Commando publishers DC Thomson is news that more changes are in the offing for its comics output, including, perhaps, digital editions.

DC Thomson is one of hundreds of companies that will be exhibiting at the Brand Licensing Europe event in London at the end of this month, and a company profile reports the company will be making a concerted effort to promote its various comic brands at the gathering, working with its UK licensing agent, Start Licensing, which highlights The Beano, Dandy's Bananaman and the recently-launch Jacqueline Wilson magazine on its web site.

"At the show we will debut our plans for The Broons – best known amongst Scots - but arguably one of the biggest character brands never to have been licensed," says Tim Collins, who heads up the company's commercial development for children's entertainment.

Collins joined DC Thomson late last year and handles the management of their licensing, TV, syndication and digital project teams. Joining him soon is John Paul Murphy,  a former marketing chief for Edinburgh’s Winter Festival, who has been appointed the company's brands marketing manager, and who has been tasked with developing the company's brands across all available 'channels', including traditional publishing, digital, events, sponsorship, promotions, advertising and licensing where appropriate.

Of major interest to comic fans are the company's plans for possible digital publication, which
Collins describes as "One of our big opportunities.

"We have access to five million pages of comic book material from the 1930s to current publications,"  he notes.

Could this mean DC Thomson is finally looking to develop digital editions of its titles such as The Beano and Commando? It certainly seems to be ramping up to take on the challenges of the online world, with a new direct-to-consumer sales department, a new telephony system and a new e-commerce website, which HoldtheFrontPage recently reported would complement its established relationships with suppliers to assist with subscription services and orders.

New licensing plans for The Beano, both kids and adult themed products, will be revealed at the show, Licensing.biz reported last month, along with a new vision for Commando, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. DC Thomson says it is looking to licence the brand into a wide range of adult gifts and stationery.

With longtime staff members such as Editorial Manager Ian Lamb about to retire, it seems big changes are set to follow the 'changing of the guard'. But DC Thomson has not given up on print, despite the announced cancellation of Classics from the Comics (see earlier story).

"We are expanding our children’s magazine publishing business," says Tim Collins, "so are on the look-out for new properties as well."

• DC Thomson Official web site: www.dcthomson.co.uk

• Start Licensing: www.startlicensing.co.uk

Chorion Secure Rights to Dan Dare

(Updated 14 July 2009): Media trade magazine Broadcast is reporting that the company Chorion has secured international licensing rights for "classic" Dan Dare, as featured in the original Eagle comic, offering the character for "a broad range of licensing applications."

All merchandising will be handled by the Copyrights Group Limited, a Chorion company. However, book rights for Dan Dare - and also for all the Eagle properties owned by Dan Dare Corporation - are handled by Gordon Wise at the British literary and talent agency, Curtis Brown Group Ltd.

Among its many properties, Chorion controls the rights to the estates of authors such as Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler and Dennis Wheatley. Its portfolio includes Noddy, the Mr. Men, Paddington and The Wombles. They also hold rights to the Ladybird Archive and more.

"Chorion will work to boost the popularity of the classic character through licensing deals," Broadcast reports. "Agreements have already been secured with Simon Spicer for greeting cards and wrap, Somerbond for apparel, Day 2 Day Trading for figurines, and Russimco, who will be launching a master toy range in early 2010."

"The unique heritage artwork of Dan Dare created by Frank Hampson and a team of young highly talented artists is simply breathtaking in quality, with vivid colours and precise detail," say Chorion.Chorion's Dan Dare web page, which is now live (no direct link) is careful to promote the original Dan Dare and the work of Frank Hampson in his creation.

With over 100 years' experience, Curtis Brown, which is handling Dan Dare book rights, is one of Europe's oldest and largest independent literary and talent agencies, representing many of the world's most popular and successful authors, screenwriters, directors, actors, playwrights and celebrities, including Brian W. Aldiss, Margaret Atwood, Alan Garner and Ian Rankin.

Mr Wise told downthetubes that the new agreement this is only an arrangement for representation of the brand for merchandise, not any transfer of ownership or anything broader.

All film and other media rights for Eagle-related properties remain with Dan Dare Corporation, which similarly continues to retain ownership of the Eagle itself and strips also acquired by Dan Dare Corporation/Colin Frewin Associates.

• Chorion Web Site: www.chorion.co.uk

• Curtis Brown web site: www.curtisbrown.co.uk.