Re: How Pony is Formed: Production and Business Thread
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1685782 ... e_readmore
I also attached a .doc version, for those who have troubles with the website.
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ilcane87
~ So Many Wonders
- Joined: Dec 03, 2012
Moderators: Perrydotto, Dexanth, Venusy, Wayoshi
You may quote up to 400 words of any transcript on the condition that you attribute the transcript to Seeking Alpha and either link to the original transcript or to http://www.SeekingAlpha.com. All other use is prohibited.
Now we are just beginning this process with My Little Pony. We increased revenues 65% from 2010 to 2012, turning around a brand that was on the decline. And our TV entertainment strategy that we implemented in 2010 is the key driver of this turnaround. Through the first half of the year, Pony revenues are up 50%.
Most importantly, this launched an all-new IP for Hasbro which is driving incremental merchandise revenues. In the end, we anticipate our total return to be 16x our initial investment in 2013.
We continue to deliver break-frame marketing and PR programs, such as the My Little Pony themed window display at the fashionable Selfridges department stores in the U.K. this spring. And at Colette, one of the most credible fashion boutiques in the world, and My Little Pony will be there with a signature line of clothing in Paris this September.
And since the heart of our brand is all about friendship, we continue to spread the word and ponify fans one friend at a time. Our ponification stations, where fans get ponified with colored hair, nails and even My Little Pony cutie marks have become prominent in events at places like our pop-up shops, comic cons, L.A. Film Festival and even at trade events like toy fair and licensing show.
[...]
As part of our fourth season, TWILIGHT SPARKLE becomes a princess and grows wings. Let's take a look at a spot from our fall TV campaign and our product line that ties directly into the Crystal Princess Celebrations Fantasy.
Part of [reinventing the brand] has really been building out the layers of the IP with hundreds of characters in lore that has really been embraced by the fans. And in that, you find all sorts of characters. There are plenty of male of ponies in the lore. If you're interested you can read Elements of Harmony. It's a book that has all other different characters listed out and it goes up episode by episode. It's actually a great fan read. And even last year, just kind of reinforced our male pony heritage, we've had a big royal wedding celebration and offered that both male and female ponies as part of that storyline and also in product and did really well for us.
Crystal Princess Celebrations Fantasy.
The development of the film was a small investment captured within our existing program development budget.
Kate wrote:there are as many female characters in the base game as there are Cole McGraths
Orange Fluffy Sheep wrote:i am not ready for the transhumanist revolution to begin with my butt
The Outlander wrote:Deborah M. Thomas, Hasbro Representative, speaking of EqG:
So we had 13 episodes in Season 3 because EqG literally cut into the yearly program development budget, which they hadn't changed?
Guess everyone saying the movie hurt the show regardless of how much people enjoyed it were right all along.
Pocket wrote:In hindsight, I doubt there was ever any chance of them producing more than 13 episodes. They probably would have rolled the money over into the next season's budget once they decided there would be another season, and proudly claimed "Look, we only used half our budget this year!"
ilcane87 wrote:
S3 was going to be 13 episodes long regardless, reaching the 65 eps benchmark for syndication by the end of the third season seems to be Hasbro's policy for animation; that is also the case for Pound Puppies, Littlest Pet Shop, etc...
ilcane87 wrote:S3 was going to be 13 episodes long regardless, reaching the 65 eps benchmark for syndication by the end of the third season seems to be Hasbro's policy for animation; that is also the case for Pound Puppies, Littlest Pet Shop, etc...
Mordja wrote:So a question to those more in the know...
Do we know who's doing the actual animation on Season 4? Because Top Draw's site has nothing.
Mr. Big wrote:Nope. Could be Top Draw (but they're keeping it quiet), could be some other studio.
Mr. Big wrote:Going back to shows using multiple studios, this exact thing happened in season 1 of FiM. Half of the episodes were animated at Top Draw, while the other half was done in-house at Studio B (now known as DHX Vancouver).
Can anyone tell the difference?
Mr. Big wrote:Going back to shows using multiple studios, this exact thing happened in season 1 of FiM. Half of the episodes were animated at Top Draw, while the other half was done in-house at Studio B (now known as DHX Vancouver).
Can anyone tell the difference?
Mr. Big wrote:"Swarm" was animated at Studio B.
Here's a list of episodes that Studio B-DHX did:
Friendship is Magic, Part 2
Applebuck Season
Dragonshy
Swarm of the Century
Fall Weather Friends
Sonic Rainboom
A Dog and Pony Show
Over a Barrel
A Bird in the Hoof
Owl's Well That Ends Well
Party of One
The Best Night Ever
The Return of Harmony, Part 1
The Return of Harmony, Part 2
Every other episode is Top Draw.
The company is also putting more stock into girls' brands, which saw a 29% jump in sales in the third quarter. After the success of TV show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," (which at one point had a substantial male following) Hasbro decided to extend the brand for older girls. That resulted in "Equestria Girls," a show and doll line that leans into what Mr. Frascotti calls "more advanced topics for girls. That's what you do in a market that doesn't have huge growth," he said.
Hasbro also extended its Nerf brand into girls' territory by creating Nerf Rebelle -- the same shooters and projectiles it markets to boys, but in prettier packaging. "[Nerf Rebelle] is an example of identifying an underserved or white-space opportunity in a market like the U.S., which is low growth," said Mr. Frascotti. "We noticed that while there were a lot of active-play opportunities for boys, there weren't as many for girls. And girls today are different than girls 20 years ago."
AppleCobbler44 wrote:I'll never get business talk![]()
No one speaks like that in real life and it just makes you look like you have your head up in the clouds, totally unaware of the customers and their possible concerns.
Dave Polsky @DavePolsky wrote:Doubt it. S3 schedule was extremely compressed. S4 way less so. @Pixel_Grip94 "Were any episodes for #MLPseason4 originally for season 3?"