Chapman Entertainment
 Logo used from 2005 to 2013 | |
| Industry | Television production |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 19, 2001 |
| Founders | Keith Chapman Greg Lynn Andrew Haydon |
| Defunct | September 2013 |
| Fate | Assets acquired by DreamWorks Animation |
| Successor | DreamWorks Classics |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Brands | Fifi and the Flowertots Roary the Racing Car Little Charley Bear Raa Raa the Noisy Lion |
| Website | www |
Chapman Entertainment was a British television production company founded by Keith Chapman and Greg Lynn and based in London, England.
History[edit]
The 2001-2008 Era[edit]
The company was founded by Greg Lynn in London in 2001, together with Keith Chapman and Andrew Haydon, a former managing director of John Reid Entertainment, an artist management company. The company was created for the purpose of exploiting both the intellectual property rights of Chapman's creations and also those of interested third parties.[1]
The company is structured to allow greater rewards and input to property creators. This developed from Chapman's own frustrations at his lack of involvement with his Bob the Builder character. He created the character in the early nineties and struck a deal with HIT Entertainment which saw them develop the character. The project was handed over to HOT Animation, specifically Jackie Cockle and Curtis Jobling, who took the basic title and premise of the show and ran with it, developing the project in-house from a blank canvas. The resulting show was commissioned by the BBC Children's department. The company was credited to the Project: Build It series.
In May 2005, Chapman Entertainment launched Fifi and the Flowertots, a stop-frame animation show on Five's Milkshake! and Nick Jr. The show has been sold into over 100 territories worldwide. Fifi and the Flowertots features the voices of Jane Horrocks and more.[1][2]
In May 2007, Chapman Entertainment launched their second show, Roary the Racing Car on Five's Milkshake! and Nick Jr. The idea for the show was suggested by Brands Hatch employee David Jenkins and features the voices of comedian Peter Kay and more with racing driver Sir Stirling Moss as the narrator.[2][3]
The 2008-2013 Era[edit]
In July 2011, Chapman Entertainment announced the departure of their MD Greg Lynn ahead of massive company redundancies, "soaring costs and challenging trading conditions" were listed as the reasons for the redundancies.[4]
In August 2011, Chapman Entertainment announced the company being place for sale. It had placed poor toy sales as the main cause.[5]
In November 2012, Chapman Entertainment announced the company being placed into administration, again blaming poor toy sales as the main cause.
In September 2013, DreamWorks Animation (which would be acquired by NBCUniversal in 2016) acquired Chapman Entertainment's TV library. The acquisition adds to DreamWorks growing library of family entertainment brands that also include properties gained when it acquired Classic Media in 2012. The Chapman programs are now distributed through DreamWorks Distribution, DreamWorks Animation's UK-based TV distribution operation. [6]
As of today, Chapman's shows in the United States are currently available on Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming service.
List of shows[edit]
- Fifi and the Flowertots (2005–2010)
- Roary the Racing Car (2007–2010)
- Little Charley Bear (2011–2015)
- Raa Raa the Noisy Lion (2011–2018)
References[edit]
- ^ a b Carter, Meg (28 April 2005). "Bob the Builder's gaffer prepares to unleash Fifi on world's tots". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Midgley, Carol (26 June 2006). "Can I build it? Yes, again". The Times. London.
- ^ Rampton, James (4 May 2007). "Peter Kay puts fun in Formula One". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 February 2008.
- ^ Loveday, Samantha (26 July 2011). "Chapman Entertainment restructures | Latest news from the licensing industry". Licensing.biz. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ "Roary the Racing Car creator Chapman up for sale". Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ Wendy Goldman Getzler (17 September 2013). "DreamWorks scoops up Chapman's library". Kidscreen. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
