WOW! Unlimited Media Inc., the leading next generation animation and kids media powerhouse led by industry trailblazers Michael Hirsh and Fred Seibert, has entered into a partnership with legendary music producer Bob Ezrin, known for his work with a range of iconic performers from Pink Floyd, U2 and KISS, to Alice Cooper and Andrea Bocelli, to produce a slate of music-infused kids programming. Initial projects in development include Ukulele U, starring award-winning musician Melanie Doane and developed in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and a series inspired by the ingenuity and work of the brilliant guitarist Les Paul.  This announcement comes at a time of significant growth for WOW! Unlimited Media as it aims to bolster its animated and live action kids programming for both linear and digital platforms.

WOW! Unlimited Media and Ezrin were enthusiastic to collaborate on this kind of programming seeing the numerous ways young children benefit from music and musical enrichment.  Leveraging his success as one of the world’s foremost producers for iconic musical acts, Ezrin will develop unique, music-based kids shows with the support of WOW! Unlimited Media CEO Michael Hirsh, who brings a wealth of experience, including creating the hit music series, The DoodleBops. With this collaboration, WOW! Unlimited expands their portfolio of music-focused programming and reinforces their mission of providing enriching and top end content for a global audience. Initial series are expected to be ready for distribution later this year.

"WOW! Unlimited Media aims to be one of the world’s leading producers of entertaining and educationally empowering kids programming.  By working with a highly regarded music producer like Bob, we can harness new ways in which we bring engaging music infused content to kids of all ages,” said Hirsh.

Fostering creativity through music, Ukulele U shows kids that not only can they sing and dance to music, they can make music from their own imagination.  Melanie Doane, award-winning recording artist and music teacher, is the musical ringmaster who leads a group of ukulele-playing kid performers, while inviting their friends at home to join in as they jam out to “kidified” popular songs. In many episodes, special guest stars, including some of the world’s greatest musicians, join Team Uke to play along, which makes for a unique treat for parents who watch with their kids.

“I’m very happy to be working with this team to generate shows that will wrap kids in the inspiration and excitement that comes from experiencing and making music,” said Ezrin.  “As a passionate advocate for music as an essential part of the education and development of the whole child, I am thrilled to be lending my energy to this platform that will empower kids to develop their imaginations and their talent too.” 

The development of Ukulele U and the Les Paul project comes during a true boom in the kids content and animation industry, with WOW! Unlimited Media perfectly situated at the forefront.  Established by industry luminaries Fred Seibert, founder of Frederator and producer of all-time animation hits like Adventure Time and The Fairly OddParents, and Michael Hirsh, godfather of the Canadian animation scene and founder of Nelvana and Cookie Jar, WOW! Unlimited Media combines two of the biggest animation studios (Frederator Studios and Rainmaker/Mainframe Studios) and along with its bold vision, takes center stage in the emerging battle for animation supremacy.  The company quickly put itself on the radar with a number of high-end properties including Castlevania, a top-rated animation series on Netflix, Reboot: The Guardian Code (Netflix), Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (with Mattel for Netflix), Bee & PuppyCat (Cartoon Hangover Select/Verve), and Spy Kids: Mission Critical (Netflix). Currently, WOW! Unlimited Media has several major projects in the works for a number of third parties, including Amazon’s Costume Quest which was released in March 2019.