Corey Caplan: "Every title on Guru’s slate is packed full of adventure, comedy, and heart"

Guru Studio is expanding several kids' properties around the world. In dialogue with Señal News, Corey Caplan, Senior Director of International Sales at the company, describes the distinctive qualities and global appeal of the company's catalog and describe the latest trends and consumer behaviors in the kids’ content landscape.

What is the current company’s international approach regarding sales and acquisition objectives?
"Guru takes a 360-degree approach across media and licensing to our original IP like 'True' and 'The Rainbow Kingdom' and to our newest third-party acquisition '123 Number Squad.' The success of Guru’s sales strategy lies in our ability to work very closely with our broadcast and L&M partners on the overall strategy to grow each brand. We look for every possible avenue to promote and amplify our brands, whether it be on linear broadcast, the newest ad-supported platforms, and Youtube/social media. Having a strong Youtube presence for brands like 'True' has always been a strong focus for Guru and increasingly, being able to leverage Youtube rights alongside broadcast partners in every territory is a critical source of engagement data for agents and licensees as well. Acquisition-wise we are focused and selective. We want to work with producers and creators that share Guru’s passion for high-quality animation and building brands and to find shows that will occupy their own unique slot on our slate."

What are some of the distinctive qualities and global appeal of Guru's catalog?
"All of Guru’s shows are designed to be accessible and universal for preschoolers, kids, and their parents. Every title on Guru’s slate is packed full of adventure, comedy, and heart, with the signature production values that are an important part of the Guru brand. 'True’s' mix of mindfulness, imagination, and the comedic adventure continues to delight preschoolers worldwide as a top property on Tiny Pop in the UK, Clan in Spain, and CBC Kids in Canada, to name a few. We also just crossed over a billion views on Youtube for the property this summer. The family comedy and unique world of 'Big Blue' makes kids crack up across the world, and the show is doing great for our partners at CBC Kids, NickToons UK, EBS Korea, and Australia with ABC with more launches coming soon. Every episode of our preschool series 'Pikwik Pack' is a surprise package of fun, funnies, and all the feels. We love seeing how the show continues to resonate across the world with its lessons of teamwork, community, and generosity."

How would you describe the latest trends and consumer behaviors in the kids’ content landscape?
"We’ve seen an evolution even over the past year amongst studios and broadcasters to partner in an effort to maximize a show’s exposure on as many platforms as possible, but especially on YouTube. ● With licensees and retailers asking for YouTube performance metrics, YouTube has become an essential window after - or even sometimes before - the first linear window starts ● Parents and kids are going to Youtube first to engage with brands, especially in preschool."

What are the most recent global deals that Guru Studio secured during 2022?
"We are very excited to see 'Big Blue' premiere soon on RTVE Clan in Spain, Canal Panda in Portugal, and MBC in the Middle East. True will be launching soon with Boomerang in Turkey and just launched on Cartoon Network in the Philippines. We have toys now launching at retail around the world, including in the UK from Bandai UK and master toy partner United Smile."

How would you describe the global potential of Omen's "123 Number Squad!"?
"'123 Number Squad' is a unique mix of comedy, teamwork, adventure, and number-based learning that will delight kids across the world. Every episode is fast and funny, and kids will learn about sharing, resilience, teamwork, and friendship along the way. With a top-tier roster of broadcasters already on board, like Sky Kids in the UK, Okto in Singapore, and HOP in Israel, we are confident that even more partners are going to join the Squad and bring the show to their young viewers."

By Diego Alfagemez