Who we are?
Founded in 2008 by Marina Nicholas, Formula Fun Entertainment Ltd is the rights holder and producer of the children’s television show, Franco and Formula Fun. Formula Fun Entertainment Ltd creates, develops, produces and distributes the children’s IP, Franco and Formula Fun, to the global market. The Bafta and Emmy award winning team have over 75 years experience in bringing globally appealing children’s brands to market.
The CGI animated television series Franco and Formula Fun was launched at MIP Junior, October 2009. The team enjoyed great success and were declared the winners of the prestigious License! Global ‘Licensing Challenge’ award. FFE Ltd is exploiting all rights, including TV, DVD, Licensing and Merchandising and has already gained numerous licensees including TV4 (Sweden), TV2 (Norway), MTV OY (Finland), Media 365 (Iceland), Hop! TV (Israel) and SF Films (Nordic).
Franco and Formula Fun has been brought to life by a team of motorsport and entertainment experts:
Production team:
Sigvaldi J. Karason - TV Producer and Director- Between 2004 - 2009, Sigvaldi served as Producer, Director and Editor for the globally successful Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning children’s television show, Lazytown. He was the Producer of ‘Dead Mans Cards’ (2005) and ‘I against I’ (2009) as well as Producer for 5 documentaries and over 50 commercials.
Mark Valenti - Head Writer - A Hollywood scriptwriter who has created content for family entertainment brands, including the international kids favourite, Lazytown, Rugrats, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, Barney, Rugrats, Totallt Spies, Back to the Future as well as film projects for Nickelodeon Films, Dreamworks, Twentieth Century Fox, Showtime and NBC.
Adam Shaw - Animation Director - Adam Shaw heads up the the Bafta award winning animation house that brought you Those Scurvy Rascals (Nickelodeon), Kerwhizz (BBC), Stitch Up Showdown (Nickelodeon), Basil Brush and Blue Cow (BBC), including work for Sky, Cartoon Network and Disney. Adam recently won a Bafta (2009) for ‘Best Breakthrough Talent’.
Management team:
Marina Nicholas - Creator and Executive Producer - a successful management consultant who has worked for financial and commercial companies for the last 20 years including Lloyds Bank Insurance Services and MBNA Europe. Marina is also an author and fertility consultant to couples around the world. The fertility book, ‘3 Steps to Fertility - A Couple’s Guide to Maximising their Ability to Conceive’, is available in 6 languages and sold in 42 countries (http://www.3stepstofertility.com). In 2008, inspired by her son’s desire to follow his fathers passion for motor racing, she founded Formula Fun Entertainment Ltd.
Jim Bamber - Head of Concept and Development - Jim has successfully managed the efforts of research and development, design and engineering and product management for motorsport’s favourite collectable gift brand, The Jim Bamber Collection. He is also a well known cartoonist and illustrator who is a legend in Formula One thanks to his wickedly humerous weekly contributions to Haymarket Publishing’s Autosport magazine over the last 20 years.
Haukur Gislason - Head of TV Sales and Media- Haukur worked for six years as Head of TV Distribution and Media at Lazytown, responsible for selling the television, DVD and music righhts directly to buyers and programmers in 129 countries and managing territory agents and licensees. He was a key element in the success story of Lazytown selling the show into 90 countries in 9 months.
Formula Fun Entertainment Ltd is a UK registered company and is the copyright holder to the ‘Franco and Formula Fun’ concept.