FEDERATION kids & family and ZDF Studios announce a slew of sales for Egyptology themed tween live Action series ‘Theodosia’
France/Germany – Thursday, 31st August 2023
Premium kids content distributor Federation Kids & Family (part of powerhouse Federation Studios) and leading German distributor/prodco ZDF Studios are delighted to announce multiple sales for the premium tween live action series Theodosia.
Produced by Cottonwood Media in co-production with ZDF and ZDF Studios, Theodosia is based on the highly-acclaimed books by New York Times best-selling author Robin L. LaFevers, and set against the backdrop of Edwardian London and Egypt. Theodosia boasts two seasons to date (featuring a total of 52 x ½ hour episodes), with Season 2 ‘Theodosia and the Oasis of Magic’ having recently finished filming across Belgium, Paris and Morocco.
The following broadcasters have snapped up various seasons of the magic and Egyptology-themed adventure series: BBC (UK) due to the success of Season 1, pre-bought Season 2, and TV3 (Catalonia) acquired Season 1 and Season 2, whilst RAI (Italy), BYUtv (US), RTL Nederland (for its SVOD service Videoland), and AMC Networks International (Spain) stepped in for Season 1.
Further deals for Season 1 also include LRT (Lithuania), MTVA (Hungary), YLE (Finland), and DR TV (Denmark).
May 2023 also saw the launch of the Theodosia And The Curse Of The Mummy Priestess, an original podcast on Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Prime, Apple Music and other podcast platforms, featuring key characters Theo, Henry, Will, and Safiya, BUT with a unique storyline (not featured in the TV series) based on the real legend that an Egyptian mummy once haunted the old London Underground system around the British Museum Underground Station.
Monica Levy, Co-Chief of Distribution, Federation Kids & Family said: “We have a real gem of a series with Theodosia that brings Egyptology to life in the form of a live-action series for the tween demographic, with a truly international talent pool that hails from a primetime background. The sets are breathtaking and filming in such locations as Morocco has given the production a real authentic feel. It’s a pleasure to continue our partnership with ZDF Studios, and working together to bring Theodosia to new audiences as we continue to roll both seasons out.”
Marei Bruckmann, Director Junior, ZDF Studios said: “We are very pleased with the marketing success of the first season of Theodosia so far. With the second season coming soon, more broadcasters and streamers will join the magical adventures of Theodosia. The series will provide exciting entertainment for children in all countries around the world. We are proud to be involved in another great project with our partners at Federation Kids & Family.”
Since launching, Theodosia has also scooped up numerous awards including: Winner of Grand Prize for Best Fiction (Youth) at the Luchon TV Festival 2023, Winner of Best Live Action Television (Children’s Jury Award) Chicago International Children’s Film Festival 2023, nominated for Best Children/Youth series (Venice TV Award) 2022, to name a few.
Theodosia centres around a smart, bold 14-year-old named Theodosia Throckmorton (aka Theo), the daughter of two intrepid Egyptologists, excavating in the Valley of the Kings. When Theo and her younger brother, invention-mad Henry, stumble upon a hidden tomb and a mysterious artefact, the ‘Eye of Horus’, Theo unlocks the power to see and perform true magic, thus discovering a whole new world of mystery as well as danger. From her parent’s home, the world-famous Museum of Legends and Antiquities in the heart of Edwardian London, Theo must do battle with ancient forces, dark magic and comic chaos as she and Henry, street magician Will, along with their friends, try to survive teenage life, get through education and….save the whole world!
The series stars Eloise Little (His Dark Materials, Father Brown), Nana Agyeman-Bediako (Come Away, The Huntsman: Winter’s War), and Frankie Minchella, to name a few. Matthias Hoene (Season 1), Alexander Jacob, Matt Bloom and Leila Smith are the directors of the show. Executive Producers for both seasons are Leila Smith (Find Me in Paris, Lockout) and Emmy-Award winning Joe Williams (Hank Zipzer’s Christmas Catastrophe, Young Dracula, Eve), with Alexa Dosne as co-executive producer. The series is produced by Cottonwood Media’s David Michel, Cécile Laurenson and Zoé Carrera Allaix.
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About Federation kids & family
Headed by co-founder David Michel, Federation Kids & Family is a global kids’ content producer and distributor, and a division of Federation Studios, a leading global media powerhouse specializing in high-end international programming. Federation Kids & Family distributes premium original content featuring animated series and specials, as well as talent-driven live action drama series. Titles feature LIVE ACTION tween series such as the global hit Find Me in Paris (ballet/time travel themed – 3 seasons), Spellbound (witchcraft/ballet), Theodosia (period Egyptology-themed), ANIMATION series The Ollie and Moon Show, Squish, Presto! School of Magic, The Star of Andra and Tati (animation special), and DOCU-STYLE series Let’s Dance, to name a few. Federation Kids & Family also focuses on building strategic partnerships and alliances with major international companies and broadcasters.
https://federationstudios.com/genre/kids/
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About ZDF Studios
ZDF Studios is a commercial subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest TV broadcasters in Europe. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mainz, Germany, the ZDF Studios Group operates more than 30 direct and indirect subsidiaries and affiliates in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom spanning TV production, distribution and services. The parent company, ZDF Studios, is responsible for global programme distribution, realisation of international co-productions, acquisition of licences and merchandising of successful programme brands under its own name, for ZDF and third parties. ZDF Studios has the largest German-language programme inventory in the world and a constantly growing range of international productions, consisting of series and mini-series, television films, documentaries and children's programmes. The companies of the ZDF Studios Group cover the entire value chain from the development of scripted and unscripted TV content to production, marketing and monetizing, including TV and streaming licences as well as merchandising and online rights. The positioning of ZDF Studios as an integrated media company enables the development of innovative, outstanding and high-quality programmes and makes the Group an attractive workplace for German and international talent to flourish in a very inspiring and creative environment.
www.zdf-studios.com
For media enquiries please contact:
Federation kids & family
Céline Xerri-Brook: celine@magena-media.com, tel: +44 (0)7957 334228
Valérie Tailland: Valerie.tailland@fedent.com, tel: +33 (6) 82 57 06 09
ZDF Studios
Christine Denilauler: Christine.Denilauler@zdf-studios.com. tel: +49 (0)6131-9911130