NICKELODEON INTERNATIONAL AND AUSTRALIA’S NETWORK 10 ANNOUNCE FIRST PARTNERSHIP TO CREATE BRAND-NEW LIVE ACTION SERIES
NEW YORK/SYDNEY—MAR. 2, 2020—Nickelodeon International and ViacomCBS-owned Australian free-to-air broadcaster, Network 10, today announced their first-ever partnership with the greenlight of Taylor’s Island (working title). Produced by Fremantle, with major production investment from Screen Australia, the new original live-action series will premiere across Nickelodeon channels around the world, beginning early 2022. As part of the agreement, Nordic Entertainment Group is also a partner, premiering Taylor’s Island as an exclusive Viaplay Original on their Viaplay streaming service in the Nordic and Baltic markets.
The 20 x 22-minute action-packed comedy filmed in Queensland follows Taylor Young, a girl who is fascinated by the phenomena surrounding a mysterious island, ever since her uncle’s disappearance there. With a gang of friends, including Nori, a wisecracking local rebel; Meesha, a tough-as-nails thrill seeker; Ellis, a hypochondriac and born worrier; and Taylor’s stepsister Lila, an aspiring vlogger, Taylor is determined to get to the bottom of the secrets and inexplicable events of the island. In the pursuit of the truth, the friends go on an adventure of a lifetime, facing endless beaches, hidden treasures, cryptic riddles, and thrilling legends waiting to be unraveled.
“This new partnership marks our first non-preschool Australian scripted live-action production for Nickelodeon channels around the world. As we continue to diversify our kids content pipeline, this is an exciting time for us to team up with ViacomCBS’s own Network 10 to bring new content to kids everywhere.” said Jules Borkent, Executive Vice President, Kids & Family, ViacomCBS Networks International.
Beverley McGarvey, Chief Content Officer & EVP, ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand, said: “We are thrilled to be announcing our first partnership with Nickelodeon International to create Taylor’s Island. This new original live-action series further cements our commitment to premium children’s content. It will be a fantastic addition and complement our diverse, entertaining and accessible slate of children’s programming already available on Network 10’s free to air channel, 10 Shake.”
Screen Australia’s Head of Content Sally Caplan said, “We’re thrilled to support this compelling and imaginative children’s series from the experienced team at Fremantle and an exciting group of established and emerging Australian writers. With its playful storylines and diverse cast of characters, I’m confident it will engage young audiences here and around the world.”
This news follows Nickelodeon International’s recent production partnerships in markets like China with Deer Squad, a co-production with iQiyi; Israel with Spyders, Nickelodeon International’s first original co-production with Ananey Studios; and India with The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj, the brand’s first collaboration with Viacom18.
Taylor’s Island is produced by Fremantle Australia, executive produced by Chris Oliver-Taylor, produced by Tim Powell alongside co-producer Jonah Klein. Chris Rose, VP Production & Development for Nickelodeon International and VIS KIDS is overseeing the show with Rachel Davis serving as the Executive in Charge of Production for Nickelodeon International in Australia. Additional executive producers include creators Matt Cooke and Vince Lund, and Michael Ford. Taylor’s Island has received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen Queensland, with production commencing in July 2021.
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About Nickelodeon International
Nickelodeon, now in its 41st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films. Nickelodeon is one of the most globally recognized and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family, available in nearly 400 million households across 170+ countries and territories, via more than 80+ locally programmed channels and branded blocks. Outside of the United States, Nickelodeon is part of ViacomCBS Networks International, a division of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC). For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc.
About Network 10
There’s no place like Network 10. As one of Australia’s premier commercial television networks, Network 10 delivers some of the most talked about, tweeted about and meme-worthy content in Australia. It is premium and differentiated to the young and young at heart via an enhanced viewing playground of channels including 10, 10 Peach, 10 Bold and 10 Shake, and an online video on demand and streaming service, 10 Play.
About Fremantle
Fremantle is one of the largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content in the world. Each year we produce over 12,000 hours of original programming and distribute over 30,000 hours of content in more than 200 territories. From Got Talent to My Brilliant Friend, Family Feud to The Young Pope, Idols to American Gods, The Price is Right to Neighbours and The X Factor to Enslaved - we are behind the world’s most-loved and most-watched shows.
In Australia, Fremantle productions include the hugely successful Australia’s Got Talent, Celebrity Name Game, Great Australian Bake Off, Farmer Wants A Wife, Grand Designs Australia, Escape from the City, The Recording Studio and Restoration Australia; and original drama such as Wentworth, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Neighbours and soon to be released, With Intent. Fremantle is also at the forefront in the creation and production of digital media content, podcasts, brand integration and brand extensions including the popular Grand Designs Magazine and Australia's number one selling board game, Family Feud.
Fremantle is part of RTL Group, a global leader across broadcast, content and digital, itself a division of the international media giant Bertelsmann.
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Update (9/4) - Fremantle’s Australian prodco has named Matchbox Pictures’ scripted development executive Warren Clarke as head of development – scripted. In his new role, he'll be joining the Taylor’s Island creative team.
Update (6/7) - Taylor’s Island will begin filming on location this summer; Threewise Entertainment, a new UK & China-based kids and family production company founded by producers Michael Ford and Luna Luo, will be part of the production.
Official Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) press release:
NENT Group to launch live action series ‘Taylor’s Island’ on Viaplay
TUE, MAR 02, 2021 14:00 CET
- ‘Taylor’s Island’ is a brand-new live action series targeting kids aged 6–11
- Series is a co-production with Nickelodeon International and Network 10
- NENT Group to premiere at least 40 original productions in 2021
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), the Nordic region’s leading streaming company will launch brand new live action series ‘Taylor’s Island’ (working title) as its next Viaplay Original. The fast-paced series targets children aged 6–11 and follows Taylor Young, a girl who is fascinated by the secrets surrounding a mysterious island. ‘Taylor’s Island’ will premiere on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service later in 2021.
In this action-packed comedy we meet Taylor Young, a girl who is fascinated by the mystery and phenomena surrounding a mysterious island, ever since her uncle’s disappearance there. With a gang of friends, including Nori, a wisecracking local rebel; Meesha, a tough-as-nails thrill seeker; Ellis, a hypochondriac and born worrier; and Taylor’s little sister Lila, an aspiring vlogger, Taylor is determined to get to the bottom of the secrets and inexplicable events of Bermuda. In the pursuit of the truth, the friends go on an adventure of a lifetime, facing endless beaches, hidden treasures, cryptic riddles, a town bursting with colorful Caribbean culture and thrilling legends waiting to be unraveled.
NENT Group is increasing its original kids content slate, which includes Swedish Kristallen nominated ‘Saga’s Stories’, ‘Fixi in Playland’, ‘Mia’s Magic Playground’, ‘Peppy Pals’ and Swedish Kristallen nominated ‘The Great Escape’.
Filippa Wallestam, NENT Group Chief Content Officer: “Viaplay already offers the popular Nickelodeon content, and to co-produce ‘Taylor’s Island is a natural next step to further strengthen our partnership with ViacomCBS. This creative live action series is fast-paced, fun and filled with adventures and mystery which will appeal to our youngest viewers.”
The 20-episode long series ‘Taylor’s Island’ is a cooperation between Nickelodeon International and ViacomCBS-owned Australian free-to-air broadcaster, Network 10 and produced by Fremantle. The series will premiere globally and on NENT Group’s streaming service Viaplay later in 2021.
About NENT Group’s original productions
NENT Group is set to premiere at least 40 original productions in 2021. In the past three months; ‘We Children from Bahnhof Zoo’; season two of ‘Hammarvik’; ‘The Defeated’; ‘The Head’; ‘Happily Married’; ‘Professionals’; season two of ‘Pros and Cons’; ‘Orca’; season two of ‘The American Runestone’; and ‘Cryptid’ have premiered on Viaplay.
Recently announced originals include; ’Kin’; ‘What about Monica’ ’Glacier’; ‘THE KINGDOM EXODUS’; ‘Made in Oslo’; ‘Estonia: The Last Wave’; ‘A Class Apart’; ‘Threesome’; ‘Suedi’; season two of ‘Stella Blómkvist’; season two of ‘Wisting’; ‘The Box’; ‘Two Sisters’; ‘Thunder in My Heart’; ‘Furia’; ‘Close to Me’; ‘Try Hard’; ‘Max Anger’; ‘Dystopia’; ‘Suck It Up’; ‘The Swarm’; ‘Delete Me’; season two of ‘The Truth Will Out’; ‘Harmonica’; ‘Perfect People’; season two of ‘Face to Face’; ‘Huss’; season two of ‘Those Who Kill’; season three of ‘Fixi in Playland’; season two of ‘Honour’; ‘Home Invasion’; and ‘Margeaux’.
NENT Group’s ‘Wisting’ has been shown on BBC Four and Sundance Now; ‘ALEX’ has been sold in Europe, Asia and the US; ‘Veni Vidi Vici’ has premiered on Hulu and is set for a US remake with Lionsgate; ‘Pros and Cons’ has been picked up by Canal+ and Topic; ‘Honour’ has been sold to RTL and VRT; ‘Those Who Kill’ is available on the BBC and ARTE; and ‘Mia’s Magic Playground’ has launched on Sky Kids.
NENT Group has established a UK-based joint venture with FilmNation Entertainment and invested in US studio Picturestart.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Nordic Entertainment Group AB (publ) (NENT Group) is the Nordic region’s leading streaming company and our vision is to become the European streaming champion. Our Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic country and will launch in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the US in 2021, followed by five additional markets by 2023. We operate streaming services, TV channels, radio stations and production companies, and our purpose is to tell stories, touch lives and expand worlds. Headquartered in Stockholm with a global outlook, NENT Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘NENT A’ and ‘NENT B’).
Contact us:
press@nentgroup.com (or Roberta Alenius, Head of Corporate Communications: +46 70 270 72 17)
investors@nentgroup.com (or Matthew Hooper, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer: +44 7768 440 414)
Download high-resolution photos: Flickr
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To read NENT Group’s privacy policy, click here
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Official Queensland Government via Screen Queensland:
Fremantle Australia’s New Teen Mystery Series on the Gold Coast
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| Three of the writers of Taylor’s Island L-R: Alix Beane, Hannah Samuel and Marisa Nathar |
3 March 2021
The Queensland Government via Screen Queensland today announced that Fremantle Australia’s brand-new teen series, Taylor’s Island (working title), will film exclusively on the Gold Coast from July this year.
Taylor’s Island (working title) follows the adventures of 14-year-old Taylor and her tight-knit group of friends as they explore the mysteries of their island home.
It features a diverse female cast anchored by Australian leads and is produced for Viacom, to broadcast on Network 10 in Australia and Nickelodeon internationally.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the production would contribute around $9 million to the local economy and support around 165 jobs which is important for our economic recovery.
“Through Screen Queensland, my government is proud to support the screen industry in Queensland because it creates local jobs,” the Premier said.
“We’ve also emerged as one of the safest places to film because of the hard work of all Queenslanders in managing the global pandemic.
“Queensland is the place to be backed up by our enviable reputation for creating high-quality children’s screen content with local production companies Ludo Studio (Bluey, The Strange Chores), Like A Photon Creative (Combat Wombat, The Wishmas Tree) and The Steve Jaggi Company (Dive Club, Swimming For Gold) garnering global recognition for our screen industry.”
Screen Queensland Chief Creative Officer Jo Dillon said Taylor’s Island is another example of exciting new Australian-made children’s content driven by strong female characters.
“It’s great to see a series about a diverse group of teenagers, led by a girl, driven by curiosity and a strong sense of adventure, and we’re proud that it’s being made on the Gold Coast.
“The lead roles will all be played by young Australian actors—an enormous step in their budding careers,” Ms Dillon said.
Chris Oliver-Taylor, Fremantle’s CEO Asia Pacific, who will Executive Produce the Series, said, “Taylor and her friends are fearless, curious and brave, driven by an insatiable thirst for solving mysteries and discovering the truth.
“Fremantle, with our producer Tim Powell, and co-producer Jonah Klein, is proud to be working on a show that is both diverse and communicates positive messages to young viewers.
“We are delighted to be working with the ViacomCBS team on this wonderful series and are thrilled to be back in Queensland,” Mr Oliver-Taylor said.
The series will be created by a diverse team of talented writers led by Queensland script producer and writer Stephen Vagg. Writers include Sam Carroll (The Bureau of Magical Things), Alix Beane (Mustangs FC), David Hannam (Nowhere Boys), Marisa Nathar (Mustangs FC), Natesha Somasundaram (The Unlisted), Trent Roberts (Secret Bridesmaids’ Business) and Hannah Samuel (The PM’s Daughter).
Taylor’s Island has received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen Queensland.
ENDS
ABOUT FREMANTLE
Fremantle is a global leader in producing and distributing content, known for creating irresistible entertainment of all genres and as the place that creatives want to call home. We are an independent family of producers, studios, incubators and culture shapers who are experts at working with global talent to translate ideas into award-winning content that audiences love. Each year we produce over 12,000 hours of original programming and distribute over 30,000 hours of content in more than 200 territories. In Australia, Fremantle productions include the hugely successful Australia’s Got Talent, Australian Idol, Grand Designs Australia, Escape from the City, The Recording Studio, Farmer Wants A Wife and Restoration Australia; and original drama such as Wentworth, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Neighbours and soon to be released With Intent. Fremantle is at the forefront in the creation and production of podcasts, digital media content, brand integration and brand extensions including the popular Grand Designs Magazine and Australia’s number one selling board game, Family Feud.
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From C21 Media:
Nickelodeon, 10 land on Taylor’s Island
ViacomCBS-owned Nickelodeon International and Australia’s Network 10 have collaborated for the first time to order a live-action children’s series about a teenager whose uncle disappears.
Fremantle Australia will produce Taylor’s Island (working title, 20×22’), which will start shooting on Queensland’s Gold Coast in July, supported by Screen Australia and Screen Queensland.
Created by Matt Cooke, Vince Lund and Michael Ford, the comedy follows 14-year-old Taylor Young as she and her friends explore the mysterious island after her uncle vanishes.
The production will contribute about A$9m (US$7m) to the local economy and support 165 jobs, according to Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“We’ve emerged as one of the safest places to film because of the hard work of all Queenslanders in managing the global pandemic,” she said, citing shows such as Ludo Studio’s Bluey, Like A Photon Creative’s Combat Wombat and The Wishmas Tree and The Steve Jaggi Company’s Dive Club and Swimming For Gold.
Nordic Entertainment Group, which is also a partner, will offer the series as a Viaplay Original on its Viaplay streaming service in the Nordic and Baltic markets.
Jules Borkent, executive VP, kids and family at ViacomCBS Networks International, said: “This new partnership marks our first non-preschool Australian scripted live-action production for Nickelodeon channels around the world. As we continue to diversify our kids content pipeline, this is an exciting time for us to team up with ViacomCBS’s Network 10 to bring new content to kids everywhere.”
The project stemmed from talks between Borkent and Fremantle Asia Pacific CEO Chris Oliver-Taylor, who told C21: “Viacom had this great idea, created by Matt Cooke, Vince Lund and Michael Ford, and wanted to partner with someone to work the idea up into an Australian series for global release.
“So the Fremantle team, working with Rachel Davis [the executive in charge of production for Nickelodeon International in Australia], have been creating the world of Taylor’s Island from the inspiration brought to us from Matt, Vince and Michael.”
Tim Powell will produce alongside coproducer Jonah Klein. Led by script producer and writer Stephen Vagg, the writing team comprises Sam Carroll (The Bureau of Magical Things), Alix Beane (Mustangs FC), David Hannam (Nowhere Boys), Marisa Nathar (Mustangs FC), Natesha Somasundaram (The Unlisted), Trent Roberts (Secret Bridesmaids’ Business) and Hannah Samuel (The PM’s Daughter).
The diverse female cast and directors are yet to be announced.
ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand chief content officer and exec VP Beverley McGarvey said: “This new original live-action series further cements our commitment to premium children’s content.”
The news follows Nickelodeon International’s recent production partnerships in markets such as China with Deer Squad, a coproduction with iQiyi; in Israel with Spyders, Nickelodeon International’s first original coproduction with Ananey Studios; and in India with The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj, its first collaboration with Viacom18.
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Originally published: Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 15:34 GMT.
Additional sources: Mirage, Televisual.
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