iWorld
Netflix announces the worldwide debut of Julie’s Greenroom
MUMBAI – Netflix announced today that award-winning actress will star in Julie’s Greenroom, a new preschool show from The Jim Henson Company that features an all-new puppet cast of kids learning about the performing arts. The series will be available exclusively to Netflix members globally in early 2017.
Andrews, who created the series with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton and Judy Rothman-Rofė, will executive produce and star as Ms. Julie – the director of the Wellspring Center for the Performing Arts in which she teaches performing arts workshops in the theatre and its “Greenroom.”
Ms. Julie and her devoted assistant Gus (Giullian Yao Gioiello) bring the performing arts to a new generation of kids known as the “Greenies,” played by original puppet characters built by the renowned Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The Greenies are a diverse group of kids who are mesmerized by all that the arts and creativity has to offer. Over the course of the season, with Ms. Julie’s guidance and inspiration from the visiting guest artists, the kids create an entirely original new show, that is a mashup of all the performing arts including mime, music, dance, improv, circus arts, voice and more.
Most episodes will feature an original song and every episode will feature a guest star who engages the kids in a specific area of the performing arts. The incredible array of confirmed guest stars will include Alec Baldwin, Sara Bareilles, Joshua Bell, Tituss Burgess, Carol Burnett, Chris Colfer, Robert Fairchild, Josh Groban, David Hyde Pierce, Bill Erwin, Ellie Kemper, Idina Menzel, Tiler Peck, and Stomp.
Ms. Andrews commented that “this project represents the fulfilment of a long held dream to educate children about the wonder of the arts. I am thrilled to be partnering with my daughter and long time coauthor, Emma, to bring this show to life along with our co-creator, Judy Rothman-Rofė. We could not be more honored to be working with the extraordinary Jim Henson Company. We are equally delighted to be premiering as a Netflix original production.”
“It’s been an incredible treat to work with Julie on this project,” said Andy Yeatman, Director of Global Kids Content at Netflix. “This show is all about awakening children’s interest in the performing arts while introducing a new era of puppets to the viewers.”
“The best of the best have joined together to bring Julie’s Greenroom to Netflix,” said Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. “Our award-winning director, Tony-nominated puppeteers, Broadway composer, and accomplished guest artists, led by the incomparable Julie Andrews, together will inspire kids to explore, appreciate and celebrate all forms of performing arts.”
Julie’s Greenroom began shooting this May in Long Island, New York. The thirteen 30-minute episodes will premiere globally on Netflix in early 2017. Julie’s Greenroom is a Netflix Original produced by The Jim Henson Company and is executive produced by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton and Steve Sauer, and Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford for the The Jim Henson Company. Emmy Award®winning actor and writer Joey Mazzarino is co-producer and director, Tom Keniston is producer, and Emmy Award®winner Bill Sherman joins the series as composer.
iWorld
Prashant Iyer joins Sony LIV as head of marketing
The former Netflix India director grew the streamer’s social following from half a million to 55m
MUMBAI: Sony LIV has poached one of India’s most battle-hardened streaming marketers. Prashant Iyer, who spent nearly eight years at Netflix building its India operation into a social-media juggernaut, has joined the platform as head of marketing.
Iyer leaves Netflix having done rather a lot. He grew the streamer’s India social community from roughly 500,000 followers to over 55m, delivered engagement and organic impressions double those of rivals, and ran more than 250 campaigns across titles, brand and partnerships. In his final role as director, marketing, he sat on the core leadership team credited with driving 15-times revenue and subscription growth over eight years. He also served as the only director-level social leader across Asia-Pacific, a regional mandate that stretched across a 200m-plus follower community.
Before Netflix came Nike, where Iyer spent three and a half years straddling digital brand commerce and key account management, including ownership of Myntra, the brand’s largest digital account in India. Earlier still, Titan Company gave him his first crack at brand and digital marketing.
Sony LIV, which has been muscling for position in an increasingly crowded streaming market, has landed a marketer who knows precisely how to build an audience from scratch and, just as importantly, how to keep it. For a platform still chasing the kind of cultural cachet Netflix India took years to earn, that is not a bad place to start.
