Top Story: Despite A Large Number Of Detractors, Animation Guild Members Ratify New Contract


Cuppa Coffee Studios is taking a big leap into the world of interactive entertainment with Lemon Squeezy Interactive, a branch focused solely on mobile and online content. The new studio kicks off its first offering with an App for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch based on the popular Cuppa Coffee property Bruno and the Banana Bunch, launching this spring.

For Cuppa Coffee President and Executive Producer Adam Shaheen, this move is a formal step towards embracing the future of entertainment in the digital age. “It’s an exciting time for content producers, with distribution systems such as the App Store offering direct access to the end user,” he explains. “While our business model is still grounded in television animation, we are keen to apply our creative expertise towards new ways of reaching the consumer. With twenty years producing series content, commercials and broadcast design, we’re in a good position to develop unique properties for the digital space.”

Creative Producer Brendan Russell, who has been developing original series’ and specials at Cuppa Coffee Studios for over ten years, will be the driving force behind the newly hatched department, working with top programmers to exploit current Cuppa Coffee IP and develop new properties for the digital space. “While the digital space is becoming increasingly competitive, we’re seeing a lot of great content that looks beautiful but doesn’t engage in any meaningful way,” commented Russell. “We’re looking to expand the Cuppa Coffee brand with compelling interactive content that champions great design and intuitive functionality.”

While the team is tight-lipped about future offerings, Shaheen let slip that they are currently developing an app with a stop-motion aesthetic, a style that the studio is well known for. “We have yet to see anything available that utilizes stop-motion animation in a meaningful way,” he explains, “there’s nobody better qualified to meet that challenge, than us!”

Chris Arrant