Social Media Pet Phenom Doug the Pug Teams up with Kickstart Entertainment for Brand New Animated Series
Los Angeles January 18, 2023 - Doug the Pug is teaming up with Kickstart Entertainment and producer, Loris Kramer Lunsford (Johnny Test, StarBeam, Interrupting Chicken) to develop an animated comedy series based on the hit social media personality. With over 19 Million followers and over 1 Billion video views, Doug the Pug is a two-time People’s Choice Award winner, a New York Times Best Seller, and appeared in a national Super Bowl Commercial in 2020.
Kickstart Entertainment is the international animation and live-action production company behind the hit Netflix kids series StarBeam, Kidscreen 2023 Best New Series Nominee Deepa & Anoop, and Amazon’s global success The Boys. Kickstart has a long history of adapting global brands into television and digital content and Lunsford has been working as an independent producer developing and producing projects for kids and family with Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Apple and others.
The animated series, one of the first for the Creator Economy, will also be Executive Produced by Doug the Pug’s long-time manager, Victoria Bachan, Managing Director of Whalar Talent, the in-house talent management division of global creator commerce company Whalar.
“It has been a dream of ours since day one to create an animated series around the World of Doug The Pug, and Kickstart is the dream team to do it with,” said Leslie Mosier and Rob Chianelli, Proud Owners and Creators of "Doug the Pug.” They continued: “Together we are thrilled to build out our mission to spread positivity, kindness and laughter through this show. We're confident that Doug’s fans on social media will be thrilled, and new fans will love it too.”
“The huge success of Doug the Pug across social media platforms and beyond is exactly the kind of foundation Kickstart loves to build stories around. Doug is ready to take his mainstream appeal to an even broader audience and the entire Kickstart team is ready to develop this beloved character into animated programming,” said Kickstart Founder and CEO, and Executive Producer, Jason Netter.
“It’s one small step for celebrity pugs, but one romp in the park for the creator economy as LA’s Kickstart Entertainment (StarBeam) puts a new series called Doug The Pug into development.” - Kidscreen
Executive Producer, Loris Kramer Lunsford added: “When I met Doug and his parents, Leslie and Rob, it was love at first sight, and I knew I wanted to be a part of his world. I am so thrilled that they have entrusted me and Kickstart to take him and his 19 million social media followers on an animated adventure!”
“As Doug’s longtime manager, I have always seen the potential for a successful brand beyond social media. As we grow the reach of Doug the Pug through a narrative medium, we will keep the heart and soul of his character while inviting more people to experience his joy,“ said Whalar Talent Managing Director, Victoria Bachan.
This animated series comes off the heels of Doug the Pug’s recent book, “Doug the Pug and the Kindness Crew”. Doug's reach goes far beyond the internet; he’s starred in music videos for Katy Perry, DNCE and Fall Out Boy and has appeared on national TV shows such as Good Morning America, The TODAY Show, The Doctors, and This Morning, and has been featured on Jimmy Fallon and The View.
Doug the Pug is also behind a 501c3 foundation that works to bring joy and needed support outside of treatment to children and their families battling cancer and other life threatening illnesses.
Doug the Pug, the animated series, is currently being shopped to partners for distribution.
About Kickstart Entertainment
Founded in 1999, Kickstart Entertainment is a proven animation and live action production company with locations in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Hong Kong, Suzhou, and Mumbai. Working in all formats to create content for global audiences, it has produced over 600 episodes of television and 20 feature films. The company of passionate storytellers and designers is committed to inclusion, both in front of and behind the camera.
About Whalar
Whalar is a global creator commerce company enabling creators, brands, and the world’s leading social platforms to work better together to drive business growth for all. We help brands stay culturally relevant through strategic creator relationships that deliver entertaining and must see content at scale. We are differentiated by our unique capabilities, including comprehensive creator talent management, brand partnership expertise, proprietary technology, a dedicated Web3 innovation practice, and C Talent, the leading management agency for Deaf and Disabled talent. Our team includes over 300 diverse storytellers, creatives, data, and technology specialists across North America, Europe, APAC, and MENA. We power the creator economy. We are Whalar.
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