 |
||
 |
||
 |
      |
|
 |
|
|
         
|
||
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
 |
 |
|
|||||
 |
www.powertocreate.com > news > press release | |
||||||
 |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Press Release |
|
|||||||
| Real Wheels WARNER HOME VIDEO RENEWS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY POWER TO CREATE New Deal Adds Two New Real Wheels DVDs to 2005 Schedule Power To Create Celebrates More Than 10 Years With Warner Home Video Burbank, CA (March, 2005) – Warner Home Video (WHV) has signed an agreement with Power To Create, the Seattle-based producer of award-winning children's entertainment programming, to add two new Real Wheels titles to the 2005 schedule as part of their long-term distribution pact, it was jointly announced by Christine Martinez, Vice President, Non-theatrical Franchise Marketing, WHV and Ken Urman, Founder and CEO, Power To Create. The two upcoming titles, Rockin' Real Wheels and Tractor Adventures, will be available in September 2005. Both titles are from the best-selling Real Wheels series; Rockin' Real Wheels , the first sing-along DVD from the series, is designed to attract an even younger audience. Each show provides children with a close-up look at the world of transportation , highlighting the vehicles and their use as well as the drivers. The programs will contain newly produced bonus material and kid-friendly menus "We are thrilled to extend our long-standing relationship with Power To Create," said Martinez. "The Real Wheels franchise has proven to be very successful over the years and continues to grow in popularity with parents and kids alike. As a valuable tool for parents, both entertaining and educational, the programs are certain to be an evergreen product line that will be popular for generations." According to Urman, "I think the success of Real Wheels is in its ability to capture the attention of children with real stuff. Fire trucks, tanks, police cars are all captivating subjects for kids, and while being entertained they are learning about the fire truck, or whatever vehicle we're highlighting." Power To Create is celebrating more than 10 years with distributor Warner Home Video. The first Real Wheels VHS titles were released in 1994, since then 28 programs have been released to date. Home video success led to Real Wheels being picked up in 2003 by Public Television. Now in its second season, it can be seen in over 40% of the country. Over the years, awards and endorsements follow the series, including
the Children's Video Report, the American Library Booklist,
the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, Video Librarian,
Dove Foundation, Parents' Choice Awards, Telly Award, the Oppenheim
Gold Seal Award, Kids' First and the AMA Brighter Image Award.
Media praise comes in the form of Billboard, The New York Times,
The Washington Post, Child Magazine and The View. Real Wheels: Homegrown Video Hits Public Television Best-selling live-action video transitions to TV Shown on 45 stations across USA Including 7 with the highest market share Seattle, Wash.— Real Wheels home video series debuted on 45 public television stations across the nation in September, including large market share stations like WLIW (New York, NY – 6.80%), WYBE (Philadelphia, Pa.- 2.65%), WTVS (Detroit, Mich.- 1.77%), WNSC and WTVI (Charlotte, N.C.-.91%), WPTO (Cincinnati, Ohio-80 %) KRCB (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Calif. – 2.25%) and KVIE7 (Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Calif. – 1.179%) "We are delighted with the interest these larger market stations have shown in our series," executive producer Ken Urman said from his office in Mercer Island, Wash. "And each week since our September launch, I hear from even more stations who want to carry the show." Aimed at the 2- to 8-year-old audience, the program features real-life situations where experts operate larger-than-life equipment like fire trucks, trains, tanks and bulldozers under the guidance of a fun-loving character named DAVE, played by series co-creator Dave Hood, who lives outside San Diego, Calif. "Real Wheels is a series unlike any other we've had to date on public television," said Chris Funkhouser, vice president of Exchange & Distribution Services for Boston-based American Public Television (APT). "It's a unique and exciting concept for the public television audience, particularly children. Given children's enthusiasm for vehicles and equipment of all kinds, there's a great deal for them to learn and enjoy in this series." "Real Wheels and public television are a good match because of our common goal to provide programming that is both entertaining and educational," said Hood, who recently appeared on the TV program The View. Hood and Urman have been creating these shows for the past 10 years. Episodes focus on teaching kids about the real world by taking them to construction sites and work zones that they normally wouldn't explore on their own. With DAVE as their guide, they meet real people who do the real work of serving society in productive and useful ways. Real Wheels Popular Among Kids And Parents Alike "Most kids and their parents like the show because it engages their curiosity and makes them laugh," said Urman who keeps several binders full of letters and email sent by fans over the years. Hood's onscreen character is the subject of many letters according to Urman, who said, "Fans think he's very funny and they like to watch his antics with the wide variety of vehicles we feature." Kids also write in saying, "I want to be an astronaut," or "I want to be a police officer," according to Hood who is proud that the show teaches kids about real-life occupations. "My grandfather taught me that you can be happy working with your hands at a job you love. That's something our show teaches too," Hood said. Parents like the program because it's fun for them to watch too, which gives them more one on one time with their children. One mother wrote, "My kids constantly watch all of [the Real Wheels videos]. The way you mix humor with the educational material is a stroke of genius." Other parents seem to appreciate having programs to share with their kids that are outside the usual television fare. In an email, a parent wrote, "It is really a blessing to have videos to chose from that teach our children something other than fighting and violence," Series Strengths Grow From Producers' Personal Interests Urman first got into the business of making live action videos for kids when he looked around for something that wasn't animated or fantasy based for his son who was 2 years old at the time. "I wanted to teach him about the real world he was going to have to live and work in someday, but there wasn't much out there that I could share with him." Urman said. Urman referred back to his own childhood for ideas. " I was especially crazy about fire engines and trains," Urman said. "Anything with big wheels that made lots of noise." When he noticed that his son liked the same kind of things, the idea for the series began to take shape. Hood joined the project as onscreen talent, and his involvement and commitment to the series has grown over the years. "Kids learn things from us that will shape them as adults. That's a big responsibility and we take it seriously," Hood said. As a child Hood preferred live-action shows like Sky King over cartoons "But I recognize that kids like them so I added a cartoonish quality to my character, who is always making mistakes and learning from them before he moves on," Hood said. "It's important to teach kids that making a mistake is okay. It's how we all learn," Urman said. Hood relies on his wealth of experience relating to kids. "I just do what feels right to me without talking down to the kids," Hood said, adding, "Too many people get all sappy, like they're talking to a puppy instead of a child. My onscreen character talks to kids like they were adults—only cornier." Urman urges parents to look for Real Wheels in their public television station lineup. "If you don't find it, give your local station a call," he said. He and Hood hope that the reaction to their public television presence will enable them to attract funding for more positive entertainment for children. Real Wheels videotapes and DVDs are available from Warner Home Video. Co-Viewing Real Wheels is an educational, live-action series for children that provide them with a first-hand look at professional, adult careers. Real Wheels has been made to promote co-viewing between children and parents because of its real-life format. Co-viewing is an opportunity for the parents to become more involved with what their children watch. "I get a kick out of watching some of the episodes with my children because I'm learning from watching what excites them", a loyal fan says about the series. Real Wheels stimulates the minds of young children throughout their impressionable years by encouraging education beyond what is taught in our episodes. Children can choose to do many things to extend their learning opportunities by role playing, going to the library, checking out related web sites, or visiting a museum. Since our series focuses on real-life, adult occupations, it promotes the idea of role-playing by giving children an opportunity to learn what professional construction workers wear on the job, or what kind of equipment a police officer works with. This is an opportunity for parents to also be involved and harness the ideas and education from the Real Wheels episodes. If a child doesn't understand why a fire truck has so many ladders, the parents can pause the program and further explain the functions of a fire truck and what the ladders are used for. Help your child develop critical responses to what they see on television. Start a conversation by asking your child what they feel, "Do you envy that character?" Or ask what they know, "Do you think that was the actor or a stunt double?" If something in a show interests your child, encourage them to learn more by conducting experiments or asking a teacher. In every episode we encourage children to visit a library or museum for more information on the careers and topics that are covered. Libraries and museums are great additional resources to help children gain more knowledge about the careers that fascinate them the most. Traveling to these institutions can give parents another opportunity to become involved and participate in their children's interests. Reading books, taking museum tours, checking out web sites, or simply sitting down and discussing what was learned, can be a great learning experience for both parents and children. |
||||||||
Web site content © copyright 2005 - Power to Create, Inc.