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[02/11/10 - 09:36 AM]
Syfy and Worldwide Biggies Join Forces to Launch Innovative Transmedia Property DR. What
"Dr. What" will be featured in six action-packed animated shorts premiering on the network and Syfy.com.

[via press release from Syfy]

SYFY AND WORLDWIDE BIGGIES JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH INNOVATIVE TRANSMEDIA PROPERTY DR. WHAT

Mystery Adventure Series Marks Key Expansion of Syfy Kids And Syfy's Aggressive Push into Youth Market Under New Syfy Kids Banner

Six Animated Shorts and Episodic Online Games to Debut on Syfy and Syfy.com Enabling Viewers to Create their Own Dr. What Adventure

New York, New York - February 11, 2010 - Syfy, the premier television and online destination for imagination based entertainment and Worldwide Biggies Inc., the digital entertainment studio headed by family entertainment veteran Albie Hecht and focused on creating online experiences and multi-platform content for the digital family, announced today the formation of a new strategic partnership in which the two companies will launch an innovative, first-of-its-kind transmedia property entitled Dr. What. Serving as a key foundation for Syfy's newly created Syfy Kids banner, Dr. What combines top quality animation and gaming with Worldwide Biggies' proprietary interactive storytelling technology to create a ground-breaking new format.

Dedicated to serving the all-important youth market of 2-17 year olds, Syfy Kids is designed to deliver compelling content across multiple platforms and enable young consumers to stimulate their imagination with fantastical worlds, stories, and characters in the realms of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, paranormal and adventure.

The partnership with Hecht, the mastermind behind some of the most successful children's franchises of all-time including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Jimmy Neutron and Blue's Clues, provides Syfy with engaging content from a proven hitmaker to help launch its kids business. Meanwhile, for Worldwide Biggies, the alliance with Syfy gives it access to one of the hottest television brands and highly-trafficked entertainment sites to introduce its latest innovative creation.

Dave Howe, President of Syfy, said, "The kids business is an important growth area for Syfy, enabling us to tap into a whole new generation of young consumers who are born with built-in digital DNA and highly active imaginations that seek out the best in innovative, interactive story-telling experiences. Under the new Syfy Kids banner, we're committed to delivering the very latest in cutting-edge, immersive kid's entertainment that's designed and built from the get-go to live and breathe across multiple media and platforms."

The Worldwide Biggies-Syfy relationship will be managed by Alan Seiffert, Senior Vice President Syfy Ventures, Syfy's portfolio of media and non-media businesses which transcend the television screen and leverages the deep affinity the Syfy audience has with the most mainstream and profitable genre worldwide. In addition to the Channel, these businesses include the new Syfy Kids banner, Syfy Games, Syfy Media and Syfy Gear.

Mr. Seiffert said, "Partnering with Albie and his Worldwide Biggies studio gives us the opportunity to stimulate the imagination of young consumers and deliver exciting experiences that extend characters, stories and games. Albie's vision for Dr. What is perfectly aligned with our mission for Syfy Kids."

"Worldwide Biggies has taken the traditional development model for creating an intellectual property and really flipped it on its head," said Albie Hecht, CEO and Founder of Worldwide Biggies Inc. "Our goal is to embed our characters with transmedia DNA and launch as innovative digital content, then take them to traditional formats. We feel Dr. What is a great representation of our Gametoon technology and we are very excited to be partnering with a company like Syfy that truly understands where the future of children's entertainment is at."

A mystery-adventure series, Dr. What revolves around the thrill-seeking J. Howard What, creator of digital life. Truth be told, Dr. What tends to invent first and ask questions later. When a risky experiment takes an unexpected turn, it will take everything you've got to save yourself, and answer the question - Where is What!?

Worldwide Biggies and Syfy will introduce viewers to the world of Dr. What through six action-packed animated shorts premiering on the network and Syfy.com. From there, viewers will be able to extend their experience online by playing out their own customized Dr. What epic adventure through Worldwide Biggies' proprietary GameToon technology -- an interactive animated story-driven game series. The best viewer creations will then be featured in a television special to be aired on Syfy.

About Worldwide Biggies Inc.

Helmed by longtime children's entertainment veteran Albie Hecht, Worldwide Biggies is a digital entertainment studio creating interactive IP for the digital family and designed for additional distribution in the film, TV and licensing arenas. Worldwide Biggies launched its first multi-platform hit on Nickelodeon and Nick.com with The Naked Brothers Band and continues to produce the Video Game Awards on Spike TV, which Hecht created during his tenure as the network's president.

In 2010, Biggies will launch two separate virtual worlds for kids, a robust slate of iPhone/iPod Touch games, and continue to develop and produce innovative television programming for leading networks. This Spring, Biggies will introduce its latest character franchise, Bigby, initially as an iPhone game application, with a full transmedia rollout to follow. Worldwide Biggies is also in development on a feature film with Sony called Swift, as well as has over 30 original IP's in development internally.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)





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