Upfront Update: Hallmark Super-Sizes Movies; Nickelodeon Doubles Down on the Funny

Crown Media Family Networks Venue Same geography new lunch hangout After years of serving a press lunch at the stylish Eleven Madison Ave restaurant Crown Media moved a few blocks south to Gramercy Terrace a tropicalfashioned yet intimate room atop the Gramercy Park Hotel on Lexington Ave Blueberry lemonade on hand off the bat gave you a taste of the islands as did black sea bass on the menu Grade 45 JacksPresentation Another change in focus from recent years This time around Crown39s executives led by president Bill Abbott and programming executive vice president Michelle Vicary shared the proceedings with celebrity talent Touched By An Angel creator Martha Williamson whose new Hallmark Channel series Signed Sealed Delivered starts in April and When Calls The Heart costar Lori Loughlin One and all stressed further emphasis on original familysuited series and movies plus expanding the walltowall approach Hallmark Channel uses successfully for Christmas into other holiday periods quotWe39re reaching new heights as a network and a company That39s no small featquot Abbott said Welltimed clips accented the pitch as did Williamson39s turn on returning to TV series a decade after the Touched finale quotWe39re trying to encourage people once againquot she said quotWe can still make a difference like this in TVquot Grade 45 JacksNews Hallmark Channel and sister network Hallmark Movie Channel will offer more than 50 madefor features combined over the next year Two of them will be backdoor pilots for 2015 Hallmark seriesMr Miracle based on an upcoming novel from Cedar Cove creator Debbie Macomber and Chesapeake Shores created by bestselling novelist Sherryl Woods Five original films will be created for a new Valentine39s Day campaign and another multifilm project is coming on Mother39s Day En route to all that Hallmark Movie will rebrand as Hallmark Movies ampamp Mysteries marking the inclusion of more firstrun films quoton the softer side of mystery you grew up loving on TV no blood or gorequot Vicary pointed out A quotMystery Wheelquot trio of recurring features done on Hallmark several years ago will premiere by mid2015 Two elements are set Garage Sale Mystery starring Loughlin and The Gourmet Detective featuring Cove costar Dylan Neal In another development Abbott confirmed discussions are underway with Walden Films Proctor ampamp Gamble and WalMart to continue and expand the Friday night Walden Family Theater showcase which offeredThe Watsons Go to Birmingham and other madefor flicks Original series may be part of the expansion plan Grade 5 JacksHosts Abbott Vicary and ad sales executive vice president Ed Georger engage well with Loughlin and especially Williamson raising the presentation39s appeal Grade 45 JacksOverall Grade 45 Jacks As polished as a combo press lunchpresentation gets Nice new locale and good move to bring celebrities in for both the formal pitch and reporter question time afterNickelodeonVenue First time out this year for Jazz At Lincoln Center39s Rose Hall the top scene of many a memorable upfront On every level seating technical capability and afterparty food you rarely get better Three large screens on stage welcomed attendees with the nowtraditional display of Nick logo sequences in orange of course This was the second 2015 upfront playing quotHappyquot Anyone want to guess how many events will do so in all On the delish after side pork and veggie dumplings with four sauces to choose from and a dessert display featuring organic homemade peanut butter cookies and creamy bitesize brownies Grade 5 JacksPresentation One of the more rapidfire in recent memory Seemed like every three minutes or less speakers paused for a video clip or a graphic display on those screens Believe it or not with all the information and clips Nickelodeon group president Cyma Zarghami and content production president Russell Hicks offered in less than an hour there was no time for slime Zarghami did leave room for a few punch lines the first a surefire nominee for best selftargeting quote of the season quotI don39t remember 2011 or 2012 And prefer not toquot she said referring to her channel39s ratings trouble back then Now Nick boasts 13 months of yearoveryear viewership increases The absence of slime delighted attendees in the first few rows close to the stage who had been advised preshow by Nick radio DJs to expect something messy As always Nick closed out with music from a pop star in this case multipleGrammy nominee Sara Bareilles Her tunes including hit quotBravequot the one with the quotHonestly quot line have lilt and you have to love a backup band with violin and cello Grade 5 JacksNews Funny keeps ruling After making a recommitment to liveaction and animated comedy originals last year the channel will debut six more series before the end of 2014 plus a new sportsfocused Kids39 Choice awards special this July Bad Seeds Welcome To the Wayne and Pig Goat Banana Cricket will be the new toons with Pig Goat mixing four storylines one for each character into each episode Liveaction newcomers are Henry Danger from Nick sitcom guru Dan Schneider Bella and the Bullfrogs and Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn Separately Nick Jr will launch four new preschool series including new Dora the Explorer and Fresh Beat Band spinoffs Blaze and the Monster Machines showcased at last winter39s upfront and Shimmer ampamp Shine As for Nick at Nite original sitcoms See Dad Run and Instant Mom will switch from Sunday to Thursday nights in a few weeks Grade 5 JacksHosts Zarghami who has developed a penchant for offthecuff wit with each passing year and Hicks make a nice onstage duo Grade 4 JacksOverall Grade 5 Jacks While fast to the point of wondering if we were going for a world record presentation time all the elements clicked naturally You were so entertained you barely noticed there was no slime in the house5 Jacks Excellent4 Jacks Very Good3 Jacks Good2 Jacks Fair1 Jack Poor0 Jacks Worse than badNext up GSN and ABC FamilyThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Upfront Update: Hallmark Super-Sizes Movies; Nickelodeon Doubles Down on the Funny

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Upfront Update: Hallmark Super-Sizes Movies; Nickelodeon Doubles Down on the Funny

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