From the Creators of Life with Derek, Innovative Entertainment App Targets Kids and Tweens With An Original Series & Suite of Related Interactive Activities
Toronto, Ontario – January 26th, 2012 – Award-winning creator, producer and distributor Shaftesbury (Life with Derek) and its digital media division, Smokebomb Entertainment, alongside topnotch mobile games developer XMG Studio, today announced the launch of Totally Amp’d, an original sitcom available exclusively via a new app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Totally Amp’d is tailored to kids aged 8-14 and stars Ashley Leggat (Life with Derek) and Cristine Prosperi (Degrassi: The Next Generation).
Featuring a ten episode series of music comedy, an original soundtrack and a suite of interactive activities designed to fully immerse kids in the action, Totally Amp’d tells the story of five talented teenagers who are brought together in hopes of becoming the next big pop group. With each episode, users unlock interactive customization tools, letting them create posters and album covers, customize the band’s look, direct music videos, remix and upload their own vocals to the original songs and more.
“We see Totally Amp’d as catering to what we deem the underserved tween mobile entertainment market,” said Daniel Dales, CEO and Executive Producer, Smokebomb Entertainment. “Focusing on an aspirational story and very real characters that kids will fall in love with, the Totally Amp’d App offers hours of interactive entertainment that will put viewers in the middle of the action, delivering a creative and emotionally immersive experience.”
“From the mobile perspective, I think Totally Amp’d really exemplifies the future of transmedia.” says Ray Sharma, founder and CEO of XMG Studio “Why should viewers be limited to consuming content in one way? This app allows you to watch the show, but also to play and interact with the content. Increased interactivity is the future of entertainment and Totally Amp’d is a definite milestone in the mobile entertainment experience.”
Totally Amp’d takes users through the lives of five teenagers with raw talent who come together in the hopes of becoming the next big pop group. When XMP! Music announces a contest for an up-and-coming band to win a spot opening for pop sensation Charlie Fever, the label’s savvy receptionist-turned-manager, Zoe (Ashley Leggat), taps a group of teens to form the band Totally Amp’d in order to bring home the prize – and show up her arrogant boss, Archie. Through the course of the series, Zoe and her handpicked crew navigate the rocky – and hilarious – road to fame while trying to make their dreams come true. The dynamic young cast also includes Cristine Prosperi and Demetrius Joyette (Wingin’ It) as members of the aspiring band.
Totally Amp’d is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie and Shane Kinnear; created and produced by Daniel Dales, Jarrett Sherman and Jay Bennett; and published by XMG Studio. The live-action series is directed by Benjamin Weinstein (Life with Derek, Baxter) and written by Karen McClellan (Being Erica). All original music performed by the cast was written and composed by award-winning composer Jared Gutstadt, CEO and co-founder of Jingle Punks (The Voice).
Totally Amp’d is a joint initiative of Shaftesbury and Smokebomb Entertainment. Published by XMG Studio, the project has been funded with the participation of the Canada Media Fund’s Experimental Stream and the OMDC’s Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit.
The Totally Amp’d App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, or at www.itunes.ca/appstore. The first ten episodes of Totally Amp’d are free. Additional will be made available via In-App Purchase for $4.99.
About XMG Studio Inc
XMG Studio is an award-winning developer of hit video games for mobile devices. Founded in late 2009, XMG has been pushing the app envelope to create innovative titles that provide a cool experience for casual gamers. The company’s core focus is to develop properties that allow players to actively immerse themselves in our games. Whether it is the incredible customization feature in Drag Racer Pro Tuner, or the experimental touch mechanic in Cows vs. Aliens, XMG’s portfolio of mobile casual games all seek to drive the maximum in user engagement through innovation. Based in Toronto, Canada, XMG is presently one of the largest independent mobile game studios in the emerging app economy. For more information visit www.xmg.com, follow XMG on Twitter.com/xmgstudio or become a fan on facebook.com/xmgstudio.
About Shaftesbury
Founded in 1987, Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator, producer and distributor of original content for television and multiple platforms, with programming available in more than 120 countries worldwide. Recent productions include three seasons of The Listener for CTV and Fox International Channels and five seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for Citytv, UKTV and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment. Shaftesbury’s slate of programming for kids and families includes the global hit series Life with Derek and the movie follow-up to the series, Vacation with Derek. Shaftesbury’s divisions include Shaftesbury Factual, which is focused on non-fiction storytelling across a broad spectrum of genres; Smokebomb Entertainment, the company’s digital media division responsible for the development and production of original multiplatform series and companion web experiences for Shaftesbury’s slate of properties; and Shaftesbury Sales Company, which manages international sales and distribution for the company’s content. Shaftesbury recently launched Shaftesbury U.S., a new division focused on development for the U.S. market located in Los Angeles, California. www.shaftesbury.ca
About Smokebomb Entertainment
Smokebomb Entertainment is an award-winning pioneer in the digital media world, led by co-founders and co-heads Daniel Dales and Jarrett Sherman. Smokebomb creates original, interactive multiplatform content as well as media-rich online and mobile companion experiences for broadcast television series. At the core of every project created is a focus on character and storytelling, and how those elements speak to and engage target audiences. Smokebomb has developed several original series for digital deployment, including Backpackers and Focused, and is in production on Totally Amp’d and State of Syn, two groundbreaking App series that blend episodic live action with a suite of interactive games and activities. www.smokebomb.ca