BBC Three has commissioned Mentorn Media to make a factual entertainment series, Hotel of Mum and Dad (working title), about the growing trend of young coupleshaving to move back in with their parents or in-laws, it has been announced.
1 in 10 young people have moved back home with their partner - that's a staggering 300,000 couples. But with sky-high house prices, fewer jobs, rent through the roof, crippling debts and extortionate childcare costs, it's a growing trend for multiple generations to live under one roof. The 6x60' series gets a first-hand look at the various compromising situations faced by the couples who have had to 'bunk up' with the parents or in-laws. Each episode then challenges couples to test drive a place of their own that fits their budget. The series contrasts the potential nightmare of the family dynamics between two generations when shacked up under one roof with the effect on everyone involved when the couple move out.
Will the young lovebirds cope in the real world? Do mum and dad miss them? Or do they all get on better when there's some distance?
Whether they live with parents to bring down child care costs or because they like their mother's home cooking too much to leave, the series will explore a range of family dynamics and relationships through this very 21st Century phenomenon.
Mentorn Media's Director of Programmes, Hannah Wyatt, said: "We're delighted to be making this programme and working with the team at BBC Three. This is designed to be a funny and heart-warming series, exploring a very 21st century phenomenon in a humorous and insightful way."
Zai Bennett said: "In Hotel of Mum and Dad we're going to see what life is really like living as a couple under the same roof as your mum and dad and if we can't coax you to take those first steps to independence with your own home".
The series has been ordered by Zai Bennett, Controller, BBC Three; Alan Tyler, Executive Editor, Entertainment Commissioning and Fiona Campbell, Commissioning Editor for Independents at BBC News and Current Affairs, and will be made by Mentorn Scotland.
With Passion Distribution firmly implanted in the Tinopolis Group, the company will be heading to MIPTV with two new series from Pioneer Productions, just one of the Group's production companies. Passion Distribution's new programming line-up for MIPTV includes STRANGEST WEATHER ON EARTH and WEATHER THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. Passion expects to licence both series in over 40 territories and follow in the global footprint of STORM CITY. STORM CITY (4 x 60') was originally produced by Pioneer Productions for Sky 2D, Sky 3D, Sky Atlantic and National Geographic US. Recent sales include SBS (Australia), Media Contents Store (Korea), Nelonen Media (Finland), TV3 (New Zealand), DR (Denmark), M6 (France) and Pan-Eastern Europe (Viasat). The hugely ambitious series takes weather storms to a spectacular new level. Using state of the art technology and science, we witness the blow-by-blow damage of orchestrated natural disasters, from killer quakes to amazing floods, as they wreak havoc on a specially constructed 'city'. STRANGEST WEATHER ON EARTH (12 x 30') looks at weather events so bizarre they're beyond our wildest imagination, from fire-nadoes to fish and worms falling from the sky. In this series we'll explore the wild and wonderful world of the weirdest weather on Earth. WEATHER THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (9 x 30') reveals how our history has been shaped by weather, from the sinking of the Titanic to the crash of the Hindenburg. We see how severe drought, torrential rain, extreme cold and unpredictable winds have created dramatic turning points in history. Both documentary series were produced by Pioneer Productions for The Weather Channel. As previously reported, Passion is also launching 4 new series direct for The Weather Channel as part of an exclusive agreement between the companies.
Following an independent assessment by ISO certification specialist QMS International, Video Arts was judged to have quality management processes and procedures in place that enable it to provide best practice generic and custom video training, as well as e-learning and m-learning resources, that consistently meet the exacting requirements of its customers.
All areas of the company's business were assessed in the accreditation, including its product line, its working practices, its learning and development activity and its customer interactions.
"Our reputation has been built on the quality of our resources and our level of service," said Martin Addison, CEO of Video Arts. "The fact that we've now held the internationally-acclaimed ISO 9001 for 12 years provides reassurance to our customers that we set ourselves very high standards. We constantly evaluate our operations to ensure that those standards are maintained and further improved. The values of quality, service and continuous improvement are embedded into our business, along with great learning content, and we regard these as key to customer satisfaction."
ISO 9001 is a standard recognised in over 150 countries worldwide. However, Greville Payne of QMS International, who was involved in the assessment of Video Arts, highlighted that only five percent of UK businesses have been awarded ISO 9001 certification. He paid tribute to "the investment in people and training that enables Video Arts to provide an efficient service to its customers."
Founded in 1972, Video Arts is the world's leading provider of video-based learning. It serves customers in 50 countries and produces learning content in 40 languages.
Passion Distribution is set to launch 120 new hours of programming from OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network at MIPTV in April. The slate is part of an exclusive distribution agreement between the two companies. The new shows and returning series represent the growing success of the network in the U.S. and include 12 new series and 8 headlining specials featuring extraordinary stories.
Series highlights include, among many others, a new reality series from producers World of Wonder LIFE WITH LA TOYA (10 x 30'). Showbiz icon, La Toya Jackson, takes us into the world of her globally high profile family as she sets out to make dramatic life changes and confronts all they have been through, tackling love and her career all on her own unpredictable terms. LIFE WITH LA TOYA premieres on OWN in the US on 13th April.
DELIVER ME (10 x 60') fulfils viewer's insatiable appetite for birth stories and the women on the frontline of delivery holding the hands of soon to be mums as they give birth.
From birth stories to dog rescuers - the new reality series DOGFELLAS (10 X 30')(WORKING TITLE)follows a former street enforcer for the mafia whose life-changing encounter with a stray pup inspired him to open a top dog grooming parlour in Brooklyn, New York.
IYANLA: FIX MY LIFE (13 x 60') features inspirational speaker and accomplished author, Iyanla Vanzant, as she goes behind closed doors and deep inside the most private parts of people's lives for emotional, riveting conversations. Secrets will be revealed, truths will be uncovered and emotions will come out as Vanzant teaches us how to pull back the curtain on what is broken in our lives.
Lisa Ling, renowned journalist, returns with another season of her critically acclaimed documentary series (18 x 60'), ideal either to schedule as singles or a series. Ling takes viewers along for an in-depth look at some of the most controversial and thought-provoking issues in the world today, covering subjects from swingers and modern polygamy to young girls entering convents and faith healers.
New program offerings also include a look into the world of PROSTITUTION: LEAVING THE LIFE (1 x 120'), inmates SERVING LIFE (1 x 120') for an average sentence of 90 years in prison and individuals who ended up in dramatic, intense and life altering situations in THE NIGHT I ALMOST DIED (1 x 60').
Sally Miles CEO of Passion Distribution quote: "Our relationship with OWN has gone from strength to strength and this is the strongest line up yet to bring to market. We know our buyers are going to be excited to hear about the new series and specials available for their schedules."
Astronomy and space research are lifting off this week, with the launch of Cosmic Comics. Published online by Llanelli-based media company Tinopolis, the project is the brainchild of Dr Emma Weitkamp, the creator of Science Comics, from University of West England, Bristol.
The comic draws on the astronomical expertise of Prof Paul Roche of the University of Glamorgan and is brought to life by illustrator Dave Smith and website editor Charles Wilson of Tinopolis Interactive.
Cosmic Comics follows the adventures of three ordinary teenagers who are given access to the fantastic facilities of the Faulkes Telescope South , a world-class research telescope in Australia.
Published weekly on Planet Science, the five episode comic will be supported by short articles explaining the science behind the children's exploits as well as interactive polls and quizzes to test readers' astronomy knowledge. All five episodes will remain on the website allowing browsers to catch up on any missed episodes.
The central characters in the Cosmic Comics are Jake, Mara and Ravi who are studying for their GCSEs at the White Horse Academy in Rockley. They are taught by astronomy enthusiast Mr Krater who has managed to get access to the Faulkes Telescope South. The 'Cosmic Comics crew' turn their eyes towards the heavens and put our solar system under scrutiny. As they get to grips with using a real research telescope, their adventures begin. Before starting the project Dr Weitkamp explored the reading habits of young teenagers and found that 40% of 13 to 15 year olds read a comic weekly or daily with a similar percent reading about science on the internet on a daily or weekly basis. Of 10 and 12 year olds, about 35% were reportedly reading a comic daily or weekly with about 24% reading about science on the internet.
"Young people love reading and research shows that placing science into a wider context not only helps engage readers but also facilitates learning", said Dr Emma Weitkamp. "Feedback from the Science Comics project showed that children loved the stories and teachers commented how helpful it was to place chemistry in an everyday context." Cosmic Comics aims to do the same with astronomy.
Prof. Paul Roche, chair of Astronomy Education at the University of Glamorgan and the science consultant to the project said, "The comic storylines will help us to communicate some very exciting space science and astronomy, like the threat posed by asteroid and comet impacts, or eruptions from the Sun that might damage our satellite networks. It's all about real science, but in a format that should appeal to our target audience. There is lots of really interesting science going on out there, and we want to show that the UK is at the leading edge of much of this international research."
"Tinopolis Interactive have been hosting a world-class science education website for the last three years", said Charles Wilson, editor of Planet Science. "It's very exciting for us to be part of a project which will inspire a new generation of astronomy enthusiasts". Cosmic Comics is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
Long-running series, ICONOCLASTS, continues its track of successful sales with its 6th season (6x30') for Passion Distribution. The 6th season of this highly acclaimed show has proved a global hit, being licensed in over 134 territories, securing a number of large pan deals including Asia (Sundance Channel), Latin America (Turner), the Middle East (DMTV) and Central Eastern Europe (Sundance Channel). The UK (Sky), Canada (Sundance Channel) and France (Sundance Channel) picked up the latest season after successfully running all 5 previous seasons. Denmark (DR-K), Germany (NBC Biography) and New Zealand (Rialto) have also acquired the latest season after seeing great success from ICONOCLASTS' previous seasons. ICONOCLASTS, a Grey Goose and @Radical Media production, is a profile series bringing together two celebrity icons from varying worlds, including music, fashion and art, dropping them into an intimate situation. Produced for Sundance Channel, the latest season features icons such as, TV chef Jamie Oliver, designer Paul Smith, singer Norah Jones, and actor James Franco, to name a few. The first 5 seasons of ICONOCLASTS (30x60') have historically sold well for Passion, being licensed in over 118 territories including Australia (Foxtel), Italy (Sky Arts), Korea (Sky HD), Israel (Talit), Poland (Onet), and Pan-Africa (Seed Entertainment). Passion Distribution's Director of Sales, Emma Simpkins said "The intimate, unprecedented access to iconic celebs that ICONOCLASTS gives its audience, makes this a smart acquisition for international buyers. The return of all previous licensees to this new season is proof that this is a show that delivers what international buyers and audiences want."
Back in July 2012 we published the first Welsh language children's books on the Apple iBookstore. Sales have been successful and now we are pleased to announce that all fifty books from the popular Pobl Pedol series are now available as iBooks. They are aimed at helping children with Dyslexia and encouraging children and parents to learn Welsh. Split into four different phonic levels, each book covers certain letters and sounds.
At 49p each they're a great addition to your electronic library.
The Pobl Pedol book are the third installment in the Pitrwm Patrwm series.
Buy Pobl Pedol books.
Yn ôl ym mis Gorffennaf 2012, cyhoeddon ni'r iBook Cymraeg cyntaf ar yr Apple iBookstore. Mae'r llyfrau digidol wedi gwerthu'n dda a nawr rydyn ni'n falch o gael cyhoeddi bod pob un o'r 50 o lyfrau Pobl Pedol nawr ar gael fel iBooks. Eu nod yw helpu plant â Dyslecsia i fwynhau darllen yn ogystal ag annog plant a rhieni i ddysgu Cymraeg. Mae'r llyfrau wedi'u rhannu i bedair lefel ffoneg sy'n mynd i'r afael â llythrennau a synau penodol.
Am 49c maen nhw'n ychwanegiad gwych i'ch llyfrgell ddigidol.
Pobl Pedol yw'r drydedd gyfrol yn y gyfres Pitrwm Patrwm. Prynwch lyfr Pobl Pedol.
Last night, after months of working togetherTinopolis Interactive, Meat Promotion Walesand Careers Wales launched a careers DVD focusing on the red meat industry in Wales. Many industry representatives, assembly members and careers officers got together at y Senedd in Cardiff Bay to celebrate the occasion.
The DVD was filmed in all over Wales on farms, with auctioneers, vets an butchers to name but a few. Dai Davies, the chairman of Meat Promotion Wales opened the ceremony by inviting the young people of Wales to really consider the meat industry as a career path. Using quotes from the DVD's contributors he said the red meat industry holds "promising prospects" for the young people of Wales. He added, that the DVD really sings Wales's praises and that each of the ten contributors showed that you can have a successful career in the red meat industry in Wales.
He thanked Careers Wales for their support throughout the project and also to Tinopolis Interactive who managed to "capture on camera the spirit of the participants."
Alun Davies, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes who participated in the DVD said that it had been a privilege to be part of something that will encourage young people to think about a career in one of Wales' most promising industries.
Copies of the DVD are freely available to schools and careers officers. You can view the videos here.
BBC Three and BBC Learning have commissioned a new series of Free Speech, the monthly live current affairs debate programme, it has been announced.
Produced by Mentorn Media, the makers of Question Time, the new presenter of Free Speech will be Rick Edwards. He takes over from Jake Humphrey when the next programme is broadcast on February 13, 2013.
Broadcaster Rick Edwards, who counts presenting the C4 Paralympics coverage and being a columnist for the Observer Magazine amongst his many and varied credits, said: "It's hugely exciting to be joining the Free Speech team - it's clearly a very important show, and unique in the way that it engages with an often under-represented younger audience. I'm looking forward to hearing their take on the issues that matter to them, and occasionally sticking my oar in. As for stepping into Jake's lovely shoes, I'm lucky; we're both a size 11."
Free Speech launched in March 2012. Commissioned by Executive Producer Fiona Campbell, of BBC Current Affairs, and Head of Commissioning, BBC Learning, Abigail Appleton, it is fully interactive, with viewers on Twitter using the "Power Bar" to show whether they agree or disagree with opinions voiced by the four panellists on each show.
Subjects covered in the nine programmes aired in 2012 included Immigration, Education, London 2012 and Body Image, as well as exclusive polls by ComRes.
Panellists so far have included Government ministers, Opposition MPs, BAFTA-winning actor Adam Deacon, comedian Shappi Korshandi and Internet entrepreneur Jamal Edwards. The programme travels the country with locations so far including Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle, London and Bristol.
BBC Three Controller, Zai Bennett, said: "Free Speech challenges and engages the BBC Three audience and gives them a valuable opportunity to have their voice heard. I'm very pleased to be continuing the channel's dedication to bringing current affairs to the attention of young people in the UK. We're really excited to have Rick on board; he's a great presenter and will be an excellent addition to the programme."
Via a production partnership between Mentorn Media and social TV production company, Telegraph Hill, a new cross-platform strategy including exclusive online video and social media management has been delivered to Free Speech.
Through the Free Speech website, Facebook page and Twitter feed, viewers can debate the big stories every week day, and tell producers what subjects they want thrashed out on the next TV show: @BBCFreeSpeech, bbc.co.uk/FreeSpeech and facebook.com/BBCFreeSpeech
Free Speech also offers the audience the chance to make part of the show. The Lab at BBC Learning works with groups of young people in advance of each programme, giving them the skills to make two films about the issues being debated that month: one for transmission during Free Speech and one for the web.
Executive Producer for Free Speech, Steve Anderson said: "Free Speech has made an instant connection with BBC Three viewers who clearly enjoy a space where the stories that matter to them get a good airing.
"Student fees, the shortage of jobs and housing and media portrayal of young people have all got people going in the first episodes. We are delighted to be asked to carry on and are looking forward to working with Rick, who is a great talent."
Free Speech is a co-commission from BBC Three, BBC Learning and BBC News and Current Affairs.
The Series Producer is Susan Crook. The Executive Producer is Steve Anderson for Mentorn Media; Andrew Tomlinson for BBC Learning and Fiona Campbell for BBC News and Current Affairs.
Tinopolis, one of the UK's largest independent TV production and distribution companies, has acquired Firecracker Films Limited (Firecracker), one of the most innovative producers of factual and factual entertainment programming in the UK and US. The transaction follows quickly on the acquisition of Passion Distribution and further underpins Tinopolis' strategy of widening its creative and geographical reach. Firecracker's strengths in factual and popular factual programming are significant additions to Tinopolis' portfolio of companies and programmes.
Firecracker was founded in 2002 by Mark Soldinger to focus on documentary programming with international sales potential and is now one of the fastest growing factual and factual entertainment producers both in the UK and the US achieving organic revenue growth of over 150% in 2012. Firecracker works with all major broadcasters in the US and the UK and has created shows including Thelma's Gypsy Girls (C4), The Daredevils (C4), Family Guns (Nat Geo), Unsafe Sex in the City (BBC3) and Last Chance Driving School (AETN) as well as one of Channel 4's biggest rating hits of the last decade, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and in the US, Big Fat American Gypsy Weddings (TLC). Firecracker is one of only a few UK Indies that has successfully organically expanded into the US and now generates as much turnover from the US as it does from the UK. Firecracker also has a valuable branded content division that produces innovative audio visual content directly for brands such as Diageo, Nissan, Heineken, Motorola and GSK.
Firecracker's management and creative team will remain with the business and Mark Soldinger, CEO, Sue Oriel, Managing Director, Jes Wilkins, Head of Programmes, and Jeremy Groman, Creative Director will all become shareholders in the Tinopolis Group.
Tinopolis, which delisted from AIM in 2008 through a management buyout backed by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners, has grown its turnover from £50m in 2006 to over £130m today and developed into a global media company comprised of several leading independent businesses. The range of programmes produced extends to documentaries and factual, sport, comedy, flagship current affairs series, critically-acclaimed dramas and high rating entertainment formats, as well as human interest, history and science. Tinopolis is responsible for successful television shows such as Question Time, Traffic Cops, Hell's Kitchen and the London Paralympic Games coverage.
Ron Jones, Executive Chairman of Tinopolis, commented: "In Firecracker we have acquired a company that is operating at the cutting edge of television on both sides of the Atlantic. Tinopolis continues to build a group of companies that has the range and financial strength to provide the best creative ideas to our customers around the world. Firecracker is an ideal partner for us. Its programmes are already sold in over 100 territories around the world and our distribution platform will help to support its continuing development."
Mark Soldinger said: "We have been conscious for some time of the requirement for a financial and operational partner that will allow us to sustain Firecracker's rapid growth over the long term. Tinopolis's existing capabilities and its forward strategy immediately marked it out as our partner of choice and we look forward to working with Ron Jones, Arwel Rees and other senior executives from the wider Group on developing the opportunities ahead."