m4e AG and BASTEI Media agree upon cooperation and co-production of m4e’s new CGI series Wissper m4e - October 2014

 

Jo Daris, Head of Operations at m4e AG; Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO of m4e AG and Executive Producer of WISSPER; Michael Luda, Managing Director of BASTEI Media and producer of WISSPER; Lisette Looman, Producer at m4e AG (from left to right)

The brand management and media company m4e AG and BASTEI Media GmbH, a subsidiary of Bastei Lübbe AG, will be cooperating extensively in the production of the new CGI series “Wissper”. Thus two leading family-entertainment companies within the German market will be combining and complementing their expertise in the brand management, TV production, publishing and digital media sectors – as well as in licensing & merchandising – in order to achieve successful brand-establishment of the eagerly awaited CGI series “Wissper”.

Within the scope of this agreement BASTEI Media will act as co-producer for “Wissper” (52 x 7 minutes). The series will be developed and co-produced by Dan Good and the London animation studio Absolutely Cuckoo (BBC’s “Waybuloo”). Additional co-producers are the Irish Telegael and the Indian animation studio Discreet Art Productions. The completion of the series is planned for end of 2015.

Michael Luda, chief executive at BASTEI Media: "This joint production with m4e signifies for us an important part of our new international orientation. With “Wissper” we can contribute our experience in the children’s sector as well as our good relationships with German TV stations."

The collaboration also provides for BASTEI Lübbe AG taking over a large part of international publishing rights as well as the development, production and distribution of apps and games. Marketing of international book rights will be carried out via the Bastei Lübbe subsidiary Baumhaus Verlag. Worldwide distribution as well as worldwide licensing & merchandising will be conducted by m4e AG.

Bodo Horn-Rumold, publisher at the Baumhaus Verlag publishing house says about this: "As regards content, “Wissper” is one of the best international concepts that I have seen in the last few years since our series “Laura's Star” in this four to eight year-olds age group."

Thomas Schierack, chairman of Bastei Lübbe AG commented: "This co-production and the collaboration with m4e are another important keystone of our strategic plan to establish own IP-rights in the long-term via as many as possible product variants and distribution alternatives. With the participation in game publisher “Deadalic” and the founding of Bastei LLC in the USA we already reached important milestones this year. Now we are about to realize this idea with the first global project “Wissper” within the children’s and youth genre."

“We are very pleased about the successful conclusion of this agreement with BASTEI Media GmbH. We are now conviced that we have found the perfect partner with Bastei Lübbe in order to develop the new entertainment brand “Wissper”. Due to their timely collaboration, we are now both in a position to offer an extensive range of medial products using a high degree of creativity from the start, thus perfectly addressing the target group." – explains Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO of m4e AG.

The CGI series “Wissper” comprises 52 episodes and it is aimed at young girls in the target group of 4 to 7-year-olds. The series concerns a perfectly normal little girl called Wissper, although she has a very special talent: She is able to communicate with animals. She is thus in a position to understand their problems and then to assist them. Consequently, Wissper the animal-whisperer is a wholly natural heroine for young viewers all around the world.