Press Release from Kidz Entertainment/EEMC
Kidz Entertainment/EEMC has announced that Co-owner and Director of Entertainment, Claus Tomming, is spearheading a drive to increase the company's presence and success in Russia.
With a burgeoning economy that is weathering the present difficulties well and good prospects for long-term growth, Russia is a target market for the licensing trade and Claus has been spending increasing amounts of time with Kidz Entertainment/EEMC's Russian team in its Moscow offices. This has already led to some spectacular successes: a deal has been signed that will see FIFI AND THE FLOWERTOTS launching in the most sought after children's timeslot in Russia -- the 6.00pm slot that is known as 'Goodnight Kids'. Fifi will launch in the summer and run for 3 years, a huge achievement in a country where state control of the big channels makes selling TV content incredibly hard.
That's not all -- the team have also signed the first ever direct to retail deal in Russia. This will see more than 20 ICE AGE 3 products going on sale in the 1,500 stores owned by X5, the biggest retail group in the country. This will tie in with Fox promoting the movie and the subsequent DVD sales.
"Russia is a big priority for us over the next few years," explains Claus, "licensing has huge potential there purely because there is virtually no brand heritage -- Russians did not grow up with familiar brands in the way that people did in the West so it's something of a blank canvas. Nobody knows what will make it big there."
Claus believes that a presence on the ground in Russia is vital: "You have to understand the unique trading conditions that exist in Russia and I'm lucky in that we have an excellent Russian team who have offered me invaluable advice and assistance. You can't just treat Russia like any other market -- the Disney Channel was recently refused the right to broadcast there, an unimaginable situation elsewhere. I'm there to reassure people that we have a real commitment to Russia and that we are there for the long-term. It's been a very rewarding experience so far and I'm confident that we will be bringing more deals to the table very soon."
