Sophie "Kido" Prigent
"Grizzy and the Lemmings" is Hari Studio flagship series that allowed the company to build a worldwide reputation. The slapstick comedy has +1 billion views on YouTube, is in the top 10 Netflix TV shows in +60 territories, #1 on Okoo in France and currently, the fourth season is in production. "We are lucky to have 4 windowing exposure," commented Sophie "Kido" Prigent, Head of Sales to Señal news. Hari reached a world deal with Warner for some seasons and some other seasons for all EMEA, APAC and Latin America. "We have free to air broadcasters on board in most of the territories, also Netflix for the SVOD segment and FVOD on Youtube" she added.
Taking into account Grizzy global hit, Hari is on its way to replicate it with their new slapstick comedy called "The Weasy family" (78x7') that is in early pre-production. "We have the BBC, Super RTL, and France Television on board," confirmed Prigent. "It's very slapsticky in the sense that it is a visual comedy, with lots of laughs, but with sweet stories dealing about emotions and relationships, making it relatable for kids and families," she said.
Another Hari highlighted IP is “Mystery Lane” (26x22') that will be delivered in July this year. "We are partners with Disney in Germany and Benelux, we have also France Television in France as well as ITV in the UK, ABC in Australia, SVT in Sweden, TeleQuebec in Canada, and more will be announced soon," Prigent commented. “Mystery Lane” is a show “à la Scooby-Doo meets Sherlock Holmes” for kids 6+, with dialogues, it has different layers of tones so that kids a bit younger can also follow the plot. "It's a nice fit also for co-viewing opportunities because of how sophisticated the stories are and the outstanding quality of the CGI", she asserted.
Hari is focusing on developing new classic original IPs in its studios in Paris and Angouleme. "We develop and produce a few strong IPs that we're going to really cater for and have more seasons made, we are really committed to quality storytelling content and with a CGI animation close to the theatrical level," she remarked.
MAIN CHALLENGES
According Hari executive, one important challenge that content creators are facing nowadays is to bring together a wide audience, as kids tend to move away from the TV screens. "Having different layers of narration to address different ages, within the same series, it's quite a good thing. It's hard to do, but when it's well done, it works," she affirmed. “It’s our purpose at HARI, to bring people together through stories that inspire laughter and optimism,” she added.
ACQUISITION AND SALE STRATEGY
Currently, Hari is in the financing stage for some of the series and is looking for as many opportunities for windows as possible for them. "Having pan regional partners is great, ideally combined with free to air partners and SVOD", said Prigent. Being well positioned worldwide, Hari continues to work with global partners around the globe, and this year wants to expand more in Latin America. "It's a very competitive landscape with in some cases fewer or shorter slots, that makes it more challenging" she concluded.