Technicolor Animation, previously Paprikaas Animation based in India, has welcomed veteran producers Jean MacCurdy and Fonda Snyder on board to develop their new property, Pete & Pickles, based on the work of Opus cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. A press release may be read here:

Addressing the demand for children’s animated content, and the rapid growth and success of its Bangalore, India-based animation studio, Technicolor today announced the formation of a new team to develop and produce animated broadcast content. Tim Sarnoff, president of Technicolor’s Digital Productions division, also announced the hiring of animation industry veterans Jean MacCurdy and Fonda Snyder who will team with Technicolor’s vice president of Digital Productions, Steven Wendland, to lead the development and production efforts. The company’s first acquisition is the literary property, Pete & Pickles, the story of an unlikely friendship between deeply mismatched individuals, by Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. This marks Technicolor’s first foray into producing its own original content.

“We are honored,” stated Sarnoff, “that Technicolor’s initial entry into content development is Pete & Pickles, and we are thrilled and humbled by Berkeley Breathed’s trust in partnering with Technicolor to produce a series that will be true to his creation.”

“I told the folks at Technicolor,” recounts Breathed, “that the only way I could get lured to the world of small screen pixels is if a company were to declare their intent to make the coolest, most unique animated show for children’s television — one that shakes up the art-form like my son shakes the grocery bag full of eggs just because its fun. The sneaky schemers agreed.”

“We are equally thrilled to welcome Jean and Fonda to Technicolor,” said Sarnoff. “They are both recognized stars in the world of children’s animated content and they share our vision for developing world-class programming and fully utilizing our talented team at Paprikaas.”

Ms. MacCurdy was the former president of Warner Bros. Animation, and Ms. Snyder was the co-founder and former president of Storyopolis Productions and former vice president of original movies with Disney Channel. Steven Wendland joined Technicolor in 2008 as the vice president of animation after working in animation at Mainframe Entertainment for 10 years.

“The opportunity to once again play in the animation world with both familiar and new talents, and to engage with a company whose name is synonymous with quality, was simply too good to pass up,” stated Ms. MacCurdy. “Tim has assembled an amazing team and I am honored to be part of it.”

“To be able to bring in some of my favorite authors and illustrators, and to invest in new talent to create compelling CG animated TV series with Technicolor, is a thrilling opportunity,” offered Ms. Snyder. “I am so excited to have been hired to work with Tim, Jean and the entire Technicolor team whose rich history is inspiring.”

“It’s thrilling to watch Technicolor make its own history in the world of creative content development,” stated Wendland, “and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”

About Technicolor
With more than 95 years of experience in entertainment innovation, Technicolor serves an international base of entertainment, software, and gaming customers. The company is a leading provider of production, postproduction, and distribution services to content creators and distributors. Technicolor is one of the world’s largest film processors; the largest independent manufacturer and distributor of DVDs (including Blu-ray Disc); and a leading global supplier of set-top boxes and gateways. The company also operates an Intellectual Property and Licensing business unit. For more information visit Technicolor.com.