"Secret Millionaire's Club": Playing to high net worth demo

It's surely the first animated series to bow at an annual shareholders meeting -- let alone such a well-heeled affair as Berkshire Hathaway's yearly powwow.

But then again, "Secret Millionaire's Club" is the first animated series to feature Warren Buffett as a character. "Secret" will have its preem on Saturday during Berkshire Hathaway's meeting in Omaha, and 26 regular weekly episodes will roll out via AOL starting Monday.

The project hails from animation vet Andy Heyward's partnership to develop kidvid properties with AOL. "Secret" is among the first new series from Heyward's A Squared Entertainment banner.

The series aims to teach kids financial basics with a story that involves a group of kids who come into money after unexpectedly finding a rare piece of baseball memorabilia. Buffett is their mentor and investment adviser.

Heyward's ties to Buffett go back many years, to the days when his DIC Entertainment company was owned by Capital Cities/ABC, in which Buffett was a key investor. Heyward for years has produced animated shorts to open Berkshire's annual meetings.

"Secret" segs will unspool for the rest of us non-millionaires on the SMCKids.com microsite created by AOL.

-- Cynthia Littleton