Foundation Media Sets First Look Deal For Film & TV Projects With Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Foundation Media Partners, the brand management company responsible for recent adaptations of literary IP to animation such as Aaron Blabey’s Bad Guys with Dreamworks Animation and Thelma the Unicorn for Netflix, have signed a deal with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

The first look deal will allow Foundation Media to identify and develop titles from Simon & Schuster’s Little Simon Chapter Books & Graphic Novels imprint. The books will adapted as animated or live-action properties for both film and television.

Foundation Media Partners founder and CEO Patrick Hughes, who is currently executive producing Dreamworks Animation’s Bad Guys 2, said in a statement:

The creative team at Simon & Schuster are as passionate about storytelling and franchise building as we are at Foundation, and together we’re looking to create a new standard for how stories are told and experienced by young audiences. Having access and first look rights to one of the most prominent and voluminous libraries on the planet is a rare opportunity with endless possibilities.

Outside of the new Simon & Schuster deal, Foundation Media worked with Build-A-Bear on last year’s animated feature Glisten and the Merry Mission, which was released in Cinemark Theatres. The company is currently in production on the animated series Kabu with animation partner Laughing Dragon.