Spanish company is first in series of licensees to be announced by Teshkeel
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait, Dec. 6, 2006 — Teshkeel Media Group, the Kuwaiti-based media and entertainment company, and Montichelvo Industrial, S.A., a leading manufacturer of gift and stationery products, announced today a license that grants Montichelvo Spanish and Portuguese rights (as well as non-exclusive MENA rights), to develop "Back to School" stationery and gift products based on Teshkeel's major character franchise, THE 99. The first releases will appear during the "Back to School" season in 2008 and will be part of a broad-based, worldwide media and merchandising campaign in support of the characters.
THE 99 brand has been one of the world's best-received action brands since its debut in early 2006. Global media attention has included feature coverage in THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, TIME MAGAZINE, LE MONDE and LA REPUBBLICA. The property has enjoyed a successful launch throughout the Middle East and North Africa and the company is set to announce further licensing deals in a wide range of categories, from toys to publishing to apparel, in the near future. Teshkeel is currently gearing up to begin rollout of an ambitious worldwide marketing and merchandising featuring the characters to coincide with the property's North American and European release.
"We are thrilled to work with Montichelvo to bring the exciting THE 99 brand to the gift and stationery category and to introduce millions of European consumers to our heroes," said Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, CEO of Teshkeel Media Group. "As a leading developer of kids' products, Montichelvo shares our passion and sees the full potential of THE 99 story line. We know their world-class design team will highlight THE 99 characters in new and exciting ways, helping us expose a broad audience to our region's culture and a brand that is rapidly turning into a pop-culture phenomenon."
"THE 99 has all of the elements necessary to translate into exciting gift and stationery products," said Vicente Perona, General Manager of Montichelvo. "We look forward to sharing these terrific characters and our unique designs with young consumers around the world."
The announcement of Montichelvo as the first licensing partner for THE 99 brand marks the beginning of Teshkeel's commitment to bring its flagship property further into the character entertainment space. While Montichelvo will hold exclusive rights for Spain and Portugal, product will be available throughout the European Union and the MENA region.
"Licensing is the natural next step for THE 99 property as children and adults alike seek to enjoy their favorite characters in every aspect of their lives," said Al-Mutawa. "We see Montichelvo's products as a great complement to the lifestyle experiences that we're providing to consumers in a variety of categories."
In addition to "Back to School" gift and stationery products, Teshkeel plans to expand THE 99 brand's reach through apparel, soft goods and a host of other products for superhero fans of all ages.
"There have always been strong cultural ties between Spain and the Middle East and we reflect that in the story of THE 99," noted Al-Mutawa. "In our publications, the 99 gemstones started in Andalusia and were spread around the world for the benefit of people everywhere. It's our hope that our licensed products will enjoy a similar success and once more fiction will mirror reality!"
About MONTICHELVO INDUSTRIAL, S.A.
Headquartered in Valencia, Spain, Montichelvo is one of the European leaders of "Back to School" stationery and gift products focused on the child and teenager market. Since more than 50 years, this company develops its own products, based on design, high quality and international brands (http://www.montichelvo.com). Nowadays its design team is working on the new THE 99 collection, which will be launched in January 2008.
About TESHKEEL MEDIA GROUP, KSC
Teshkeel Media Group, KSC (http://www.teshkeel.com) is one of the Middle East's leading developers of comic books, magazines and other forms of children's entertainment. Based in Kuwait, and with offices in New York, the Company's mission is to fill a significant void in positive, high-quality children's content in the region, including in print and electronic media, film and television. In addition to working with global publishers, Teshkeel also develops its own original character properties, including THE 99 (http://www.the99.org), a superhero property based on Islamic culture and history, which debuted in June 2006.
For MONTICHELVO INDUSTRIAL, S.A.
CONTACT:
Ms. Sonia Folgado
Marketing Manager
+34 96 273 7252
Email
For TESHKEEL MEDIA GROUP, KSC
CONTACT:
Press Relations Officer – Email
Or Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, CEO – +965 961 8666
Email
Photo (Noora):
http://www.pressreleaseheadlines.com/2006-Teshkeel.jpg
For additional full-color graphics featuring THE 99 characters, please contact Email.