Ground-breaking animated series for PBS
KIDS and CBC Kids is one of only two nominees in the
children and youth category
VANCOUVER, May 19, 2020 /CNW/ - 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.
Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as
that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts
responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which
has been prepared by management.
SOURCE Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.