Ground-breaking animated series for PBS KIDS and CBC Kids is one of only two nominees in the children and youth category
VANCOUVER, CANADA (May 19, 2020) – Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC:THBRF) (Thunderbird or the Company), a global award-winning, full-service multiplatform production, distribution and rights management company, today proudly shared that the animated series Molly of Denali has been nominated for an esteemed Peabody Award. The series is co-produced by WGBH Boston and the Company’s kids and family division Atomic Cartoons, for PBS KIDS and CBC Kids.
Overall, the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors has selected 60 nominees that represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and digital media during 2019. The nominees were chosen by unanimous vote of 19 jurors from nearly 1,300 entries from television, radio/podcasts and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, children’s and public service programming.
“It is such an incredible honour to receive a Peabody Award nomination for Molly of Denali, a series that we have been so passionate about from the very beginning,” said Jennifer Twiner McCarron, CEO of Thunderbird Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons. “We are so proud of everyone involved in creating this series, and we are also deeply touched by the response it has received, particularly from many Indigenous children who are seeing themselves portrayed on screen for the very first time.”
Since its premiere in July 2019, Molly of Denali has been widely acknowledged as the first nationally distributed children’s series in the United States to feature an Indigenous lead character. It follows the inquisitive 10-year-old Molly Mabray, who has cultural heritage from three Athabascan groups (the Gwich’in, Koyukon and Dena’ina), as she and her friends explore the epic surroundings and rich Native culture that is home. The series is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop informational text skills through video content, interactive games, and real-world activities.
All Alaska Native characters portrayed on the ground-breaking series are voiced by Indigenous actors, and more than 60 Alaska Natives contributed to the series as writers, producers, actors, musicians, and language and cultural advisors. In Canada, Molly of Denali airs Wednesday and Saturday mornings on CBC, and is available on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
In a statement announcing the nominees, Jeffrey P. Jones, Executive Director of Peabody said: “Peabody is proud to champion this year’s nominees who inspire our connection, provoke our thinking and delight our senses. From the communal strength of black women to the eminence of science to the conviction of those who speak up, these stories and their creators celebrate the diversity of human experience and of our democracy.”
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ABOUT THUNDERBIRD ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global award-winning, full-service multiplatform production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. Thunderbird’s vision is to produce high quality, socially responsible content that makes the world a better place. The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual, and scripted content through its various divisions, including Thunderbird kids and family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird factual (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird productions. Thunderbird is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: www.thunderbird.tv.
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