Award-winning Indie Big Deal Films (Little Badman, Hope, Dreaming whilst Black) is making a further push into animation by teaming up with Hoek, Line & Thinker for the launch of Big Thinkers; a new program to unearth the next big animated hit authored by UK diverse creators.
Big Thinkers is inviting UK creators that have a story they are passionate about, or an idea or character design that they feel can be the next iconic IP that the world is looking for, to send in their submissions. Big Thinkers wants to develop animated series that can compete with the best content already out there, while being told from a perspective that gives a voice and the screen to underrepresented sections of the audience. Projects should be aimed at preschoolers, children six to 11 or a prime time audience.
Submissions will be accepted at www.bigdealfilms.com from now until midnight on 10 April. 10 Finalists will be invited to come and pitch their projects in person to a jury in London a few weeks after that. The Jury will consist of a broad representation of industry perspectives and backgrounds, including Elliott Palmer (CBBC, Nickelodeon, King Bert), Shamik Majumdar (Disney EMEA), Kristina Yee (Goat Girl), Ed Barnieh (Netflix) and Lindsey Adams (Daily Madness).
The three winning creators will be invited to come and develop their ideas into full pitch bibles at Big Deal Films. There, they will work in partnership with experienced creative teams and studios with a view to presenting their ideas to key broadcasters, platforms and overseas partners later in the year.
Big Deal Films co-founder and MD Dhanny Joshi said, “Now more than ever, the world of animation needs stories, characters and superheroes that truly reflect the world we live in. Further increasing our presence in animation feels like a very natural next step for Big Deal Films and we are excited to partner with Tom and the Hoek, Line and Thinker team to make this a reality.”
Big Deal Films co-founder and creative director Thomas Stogdon said, “We love children’s content in all genres and want to bring a smile and our unique voice to the projects we will be developing.”
Line and Thinker founder of Hoek Tom van Waveren said, “I am very excited to be partnering with the wonderful team at Big Deal Films, they are well known for their great content and for being first class ambassadors of innovative and diverse content. But most importantly, they understand what makes great characters and great comedy! I look forward to building a slate of fun and innovative animated shows with them through this initiative.”