An elated Diana Rico (right), after being handed the winner’s certificate by Reed MIDEM’s Laurine Garaude (left). Pictured in the centre is Richard Decaillet from 4Direcciones Audiovisual
Cannes, France – 4Direcciones Audiovisual’s director and producer Diana Rico’s winning pitch for Ooommm-Mmmooo, Yoga for Children is a 7-minute series where animated cows, each with a distinct character, teaches a bunch of children just how to stretch it out – Yoga style.
Funnily, the only entry among the six finalists to combine animation with live-action had a title everyone on stage (with the exception of Rico) struggled to pronounce. When asked if that’s a problem, Rico jokingly proclaimed “No. They WILL learn to pronounce!”
Apart from the multi-platform potential and original story-telling which the judges were clearly looking for, Rico’s idea met a third criterion that was most crucial for securing the win – the potential to target international audiences.
“It’s a format too. You can have Asian kids practicing Yoga. It’s not difficult Yoga,” explains Rico. “You can address any kid through this show because it has very little text and it’s just movement and enjoyment and imitation and song – it’s just a joyride.” A ride, the producer hopes, will take the series beyond Colombia.
“Well, I hope we can sell it globally,” says Rico. “The series is about to be finished and it’s going to be airing it in Colombia. We really want to offer the kids a different story on the web, in a book and on TV, but in order for the full experience we need coproduction, distribution and licensing & merchandising in Asia. There are enormous possibilities; from Yoga mats, health snacks, products for the skin and clothes. We want the brand to expand.”
The final six ideas presented represented a crazy mix – children creating mayhem; gorillas who fix up automobiles; child investigators in a spooky and mysterious world; an exploration into the hidden legends of the world; an imaginative series in a world of fuzzy felt; and of course, the winning entry with cows in Yoga poses!
Rico’s pitch was not only a crowd pleaser (what’s not to like about dancing cows?), it had a tangibility to it; given that it’s been adopted in Colombian schools. For Rico, this is hard work that has finally paid off.
“We prepared for this pitch through some coaches. We stayed up late last night rehearsing. It sucked; it was horrible,” she says, with a laugh. “We practiced again this morning, and when we were onstage we could only get half of it out!”
“We have been to so many contests and we NEVER WIN! For me, being on stage and showing my stage – I didn’t care about the rest. We really just wanted to get the love we have for the project through and despite not saying everything we had intended, I think it came through.”
And came through it did, as 4Direcciones Audiovisual takes home a €2,500 value prize which includes a one-on-one meeting with a buyer during the main networking event at MIPCOM, free permanent access to Toon Boom’s award-winning storyboarding software Toon Boom StoryBoard Pro 3D (valued at US$1,249) plus editorial coverage in MIPCOM publications, among others.
Congratulations and Namaste!
The finalists at MIPJunior International Pitch 2012 are:
- Ooommm-Mmmooo, Yoga for Children, presented by Diana Rico from 4Direcciones Audiovisual (Colombia)
- Toggle, presented by Steve Smith from Beakus LTD (UK)
- Gorollas, presented by Joon Lee from B.I. Group (South Korea)
- Las Cuevas, presented by Antonio Morales from Ink Apache S.L. (Spain)
- Animals (Dizfriends), presented by Claudio Jimenez Palomar from Mighty Studio (Mexico)
- Casimilo and the legends of the new world, presented by Louise Dellicaud from Sacrebleu Productions (France)
The six-men jury are:
- President: Andy Heyward, Co-founder and CEO, A Squared Entertainment (A2), UK
- Helen Mc Aleer, Chief Global Development Officer, The Walker Books Group and Managing Director, Walker Productions, UK
- Morgann Favennec, Head of Children Programme, M6, France
- Emmanuel Franck, Senior Vice-President of Filmed & TV Entertainment, Ankama, France
- Anna Rafferty, MD, Penguin Digital, Penguin Books, UK
- Brad Schultz, Head MoshiTV, Mind Candy, US
