October
8 Comics animate studio's Mipcom pitch

Standing out amid the hustle and bustle of such huge markets as Natpe and Mipcom can be difficult for even the best production companies. But the appeal of comics is helping indie animation studio Lincoln Butterfield to cut through the noise.

Founded by Robert Hughes, a helmer on Disney’s "Phineas & Ferb" series, and veteran business executive Joseph Walker, Lincoln Butterfield put together a comicbook for this year's Natpe to promote its proposed family animated series "Tan." Hughes says the comic flew off the table, and the company has recently signed a worldwide representation agreement with PorchLight Entertainment.

"The comic book has turned out to be the most powerful promotional tool we have in our arsenal," says Walker. "Unlike a traditional brochure or two-sheet, it has an inherent perceived value from the start. People hold onto comics because they never know what might become a collector's item. But, more important, the comic book is a superior way to 'transmit' the show is about. Each of a show's characteristics — from the plot lines to the look of the design to the type of humor — is there in one tidy package."

For Mipcom, starting next week in Cannes, LB has put together another comic for its adult-oriented comedy series "When in Rome." The series, about two cousins' misadventures in the ancient empire, evoke the look and feel of classic Mad Magazine work. Hughes says the company is talking with a couple of major comics publishers about doing more comics

The international market at Mipcom is a vital part of LB's strategy, which is to find international partners for co-production and distribution that would eventually circle back to an outlet in the United States. Other properties in development include "Venture Probe" — best described as "Star Trek" meets "Office Space" — and family series "N.I.T.: Neighborhood Investigation Team." The company currently has no plans now to adapt either series into a comic, but an "N.I.T." children's book is planned.