Co-produced by GBH Boston and Atomic
Cartoons for PBS KIDS and CBC Kids, the animated series was
acknowledged for "Outstanding Achievement in Youth
Programming"
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 14, 2020 /CNW/ - Following today's
announcement that Molly of Denali has won the 2020
Television Critics Association (TCA) award for "Outstanding
Achievement in Youth Programming", Thunderbird Entertainment Group
Inc. (TSXV: TBRD) (OTC: THBRF) (Thunderbird or
the Company) wishes to congratulate the entire cast and
crew, and all partners involved, in producing this ground breaking
animated series.
Co-produced by Thunderbird's kids and family division (Atomic
Cartoons) and GBH Boston for public broadcasters PBS KIDS and CBC
Kids, Molly of Denali has been widely celebrated as the
first nationally distributed series to feature an Native American
lead character. It airs on PBS stations and digital platforms
across the United States, and on
CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service in Canada.
"Molly is an authentic voice, and the series has become renowned
for its representation and inclusion. To be acknowledged by the
TCA, an organization that has been helping curate the best content
on television for decades, is a tremendous honour and a testament
to the incredible talent and dedicated partnerships behind this
production," said Jennifer Twiner
McCarron, Chief Executive Officer, Thunderbird
Entertainment.
Molly of Denali involves Alaska Native voices in all
aspects of the production, both on screen and behind the scenes.
Every Indigenous character is voiced by an Indigenous actor,
including Molly, voiced by Alaska Native Sovereign Bill (Tlingit
and Muckleshoot). The series was developed with an Alaska Native
working group, with funding through the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting (CPB), as part of a scriptwriting fellowship for
Alaska Native writers. Its theme song is sung by Phillip Blanchett and Karina Moeller of the Yupik Alaska Native band
Pamyua, with the Athabascan fiddle and traditional drum played by
Gwich'in musician Brennan
Firth.
Additionally, Molly of Denali is grounded in a pioneering
curriculum focused on informational text, a foundational aspect of
literacy education. In every episode, Molly navigates her world and
solves problems with the help of books, online resources, field
guides, historical documents, maps, tables, posters, photos,
Indigenous knowledge from elders, her very own vlog and more.
The TCA represents more than 200 professional journalists and
critics who cover television for publications across the United States and Canada. Its members reach tens of millions of
consumers each week, and are considered experts within the
industry, representing their employers as moderators, panelists,
radio/TV guests and more. The organization has honoured outstanding
achievements in content from broadcast, cable and streaming outlets
with its annual TCA awards since 1984.
In addition to this latest honour from the TCA, Molly of Denali
was also the recipient of a prestigious 2020 Peabody Award in the
Children's and Youth Category.
For information on Thunderbird and to subscribe to the Company's
investor list for news updates, go to www.thunderbird.tv.
About Thunderbird Entertainment
Group
Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global
award-winning, full-service, multiplatform production,
distribution, and rights management company, headquartered in
Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning
scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world's
leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international
broadcasters. Thunderbird's vision is to produce high quality,
socially responsible content that makes the world a better place.
The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual,
and scripted content through its various divisions, including
Thunderbird kids and family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird factual
(Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird productions. Thunderbird is
on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more
information, visit: www.thunderbird.tv.
Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as
that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts
responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which
has been prepared by management.
SOURCE Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.