Hasta La Motion!

Kanchan Parikh

Award-winning animation and new media technology company, Post Office Studios, has strengthened its production capabilities with the appointment of Kanchan Parikh as the company’s executive producer.

Bringing with her nearly a decade of industry experience, Parikh will be instrumental in expanding Post Office’s offerings in the new media space, and help scale business by furthering the efficiencies within the company.

Speaking on the appointment, Post Office Studios head Aditya Tawde said, “We are excited to have Parikh as part of our family. Having worked with multinational production houses in the past, her expertise will help us scale and bring in operational efficiencies within our company. Her role will also help us drive sales and fulfill the diverse video content needs of our clientele, since Post Office Studios is now entering new avenues of work, specifically in the CG, AR and VR spaces. With nearly a decade of industry experience and a passion for innovation, we are certain that she will be a great value add, helping us continue to create path-breaking video content within India, as well as globally.”

Prior to joining Post Office Studios, Parkh was a producer at Viacom18 Media, where she was responsible for creating campaigns for television shows on Comedy Central and VH1. Her work has also been the recipient of several Promax awards. In the past, she has also worked as post producer at Only Much Louder, as well as in content creation for Cartoon Network and POGO TV, while at the Hong Kong and India offices of Turner Broadcasting.

“It feels wonderful to be a part of Post Office Studios! To be working with a team that is constantly innovating and pushing its limits to create clutter-breaking design driven content is very exciting. I am really looking forward to creating some amazing content and to bring our collective creative vision to life,” Parikh added, on joining Post Office Studios.

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TurboPlay Corporation, the world’s most rewarding, personalised video games marketplace, is thrilled to announce the additions of David Eddings and Kristen Beane to the leadership team ahead of the company’s highly anticipated market debut.

David is amongst a generation of game industry veterans who started in the 1990s and continues to make an indelible impact on the industry today. He has been involved in the development and publishing of more than 30 games that have collectively earned more than $2 billion in revenue. He is formerly the Gearbox Software’s VP of business development and Rooster Teeth head of game publishing, yet his lore is derived from the legendary “Claptrap,” video gaming’s most obnoxious, yet most loved robot he developed for the Borderlands franchise, which has sold over 45 million copies worldwide. David has brought over his trusted marketing team, led by none other than Kristen Beane, well-known to gamers by her gamertag “Pink.”

Kristen is a prolific problem solver with a penchant for mischief of the highest order. She brings to TurboPlay a complete working knowledge of IP development and a strong track record of transforming concepts into material commercial successes. After working with David on the Borderlands franchise under Elizabeth Tobey at 2K Games, she executed flawlessly as the director of Bendy and the Ink Machine at Rooster Teeth (“BATIM”). BATIM sold out retail in under 20 days, on its way to becoming a multi-million dollar indie franchise, spawning merchandising opportunities, mobile spinoffs and sequels. Prior to her work on BATIM, Kristen was the VR marketing and alliances producer for the $6.8 billion AMD Studios team.

“We are honoured and humbled to welcome David, Kristen and their team to TurboPlay’s leadership and family,” said Vince McMullin, Co-Founder and CEO of TurboPlay. “Seriously, gamers are headed towards a revolution here. And who better to help start a revolution than the icon David Eddings, the man behind the voice of Borderland’s Claptrap. David is beloved by millions of fans across the world. His executive experience in AAA videogames contributes tremendously to TurboPlay’s overall mission of reaching gamers everywhere. His support and insights are invaluable to us, and we truly thank him for his support,” said TurboPlay co-founder and CEO Vince McMullin.

“Furthermore, I’m pumped to have a firecracker like Kristen join our team. Kristen is poised of great leadership, creativity and sheer will to support developers and gamers everywhere. Her out-of-the-box solutions are proven to deliver results. We could not be happier with the impact she is having in creating the foundation for our marketplace as we prepare for launch. With David and Kristen’s talent, our A.I./machine learning-powered video games marketplace now has the proper voice to deliver it to the masses. TurboPlay delivers an unparalleled videogames marketplace through a rewarding, personalized consumer experience,” continued McMullin. ”

David Eddings is the second high-profile executive to join TurboPlay’s Board of Advisors. This comes after the Company recently announced the addition of Steve Krueger, an e-commerce and digital marketplace veteran whose company, JIBE, helped develop and build platforms such as Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce.

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Acamar Films has signed a new significant content deal with the BBC for a new series of its award-winning preschool property – Bing. 

A further 26 x 7’ episodes are set to air on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer from 31 October following the launch of the new episodes on Acamar’s new app Bing: Watch, Play, Learn. BBC has also relicensed the original 78 episodes, bringing the total number of episodes to 104.

Adapted for television from the much-loved original books by author Ted Dewan, Bing celebrates the joyful, messy reality of preschool life and the everyday micro-dramas that all young children and the grown-ups in their lives will recognise.

Produced by Acamar Films in association with Dublin-based partner Brown Bag Films, Bing has seen extraordinary success since it launched in 2014. A ratings hit on CBeebies in the UK and the top rated preschool show on BBC iPlayer, the series also won an International Emmy Award in the Kids preschool category in 2016, a Writer’s Guild Award and a BAFTA nomination for best preschool series.

Commenting on this deal, Acamar Films CEO Mikael Shields said: “We are delighted to continue our long partnership with the BBC; it has been a treat to get back into Bing world with our writing-team, as well as with our amazing ensemble cast. We’re all excited to show these new episodes to our highly discerning audience.” 

 The new series of Bing boasts an extraordinary new voice cast: new-comer Rafferty Railton as Bing, award-winning actor David Threlfall as Flop and Noah Hicks as Pando along with original cast members; Akiya Henry as Amma, Eve Bentley as Sula, Jocelyn McNabb as Coco and Briony Hannah as Padget. Two new key characters join Bing and his friends in this series: Dr. Molly voiced by Tamsin Greig and Sula’s young cousin Nicky voiced by Xavi Nixon.

This new series will find Bing celebrating his birthday, and the entire cast celebrating Christmas and Halloween. New episodes also include stories about face painting, finding a fossil, a visit from the Fire Engine and camping in the garden.

In addition to the UK, Bing airs in 116 markets including: ABC and Nick Jr in Australia, Rai Yoyo and DeA Junior in Italy, Carousel and O! in Russia, Disney Junior in South East Asia, KiKa in Germany, NPO Zappelin in the Netherlands, VRT in Belgium, TVO and TFO Canada, Okto Singapore, S4C in Wales, Irish broadcaster RTE, SVT in Sweden, Clan TV in Spain, MiniMini and Puls TV in Poland, CBeebies in Africa, Norwegian broadcaster NRK, LTV Latvia, HOP in Israel, Czech TV in Czech Republic, M2 in Hungary, RSI in Switzerland and AMC in CEE.

 Bing is also available on 3 airlines: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates. Its phenomenal success continues off-screen with a fantastic reaction from retailers across Europe to the toy launch from master toy partner Golden Bear, an already hugely successful and comprehensive licensing programme in Italy and expansion into new markets including Russia. 

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HTC VIVE, announced features and functionality of the new VIVE COSMOS including upcoming pricing and availability, and pre-order bonuses. Vive Cosmos is the latest premium PC-based virtual reality (VR) system created with a new level of accessibility and ease of use, designed to grow with users over time through a modular faceplate design that can change the functionality of the headset, such as the newly announced Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod. Cosmos will launch in India in October during the festive season.

“Since Vive began our VR journey, we’ve continued to refine and improve on what a premium VR experience can and should be.Cosmos offers an unmatched experience and is also our most versatile headset yet—with inside-out tracking, options in the future for different faceplates, unlimited content in the box, and the new user interface, we see limitless possibilities for XR customers,” said  HTC Vive senior VP of product and strategy Raymond Pao.

Technical Features
Vive Cosmos was built to adapt to the needs of VR customers with ease, versatility, and performance at the forefront. The all-new Vive tracking system offers a simplified setup that makes getting into VR faster and easier than ever before, with six camera sensors for wide and accurate inside-out tracking. Cosmos features a 2880 x 1700 combined pixel resolution—an 88% increase over the original Vive—delivering crystal-clear text and graphics. All-new LCD panels reduce the distance between pixels and combined with real RGB displays minimize screen-door effect.

A unique flip-up design allows users to jump between reality and virtual reality in seconds—all without disrupting VR journeys. Superior ergonomics and comfort allow for longer VR experiences and integrated on-ear headphones provide fully immersive sound. Cosmos also features completely redesigned controllers that maximize functionality within VR and offer extended comfort during long play sessions. Cosmos is also compatible with the Vive Wireless Adapter for those who want to enjoy moving in VR without being tethered.

First ‘Mod’ Announced
With a modular faceplate design, Vive Cosmos is the most versatile premium VR headset yet, designed with upcoming accessories to change the functionality of the headset and offer customers the ability for their headset to grow with them over time. The first official “mod”, announced today, is the Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod for customers that want to continue to use their existing Lighthouse base stations for tracking scenarios, but also take advantage of the superior performance of Vive Cosmos. This first base station-compatible mod supports Vive’s ecosystem of peripherals including the Vive Tracker, delivering unprecedented input freedom for VR controls. This new mod will be available in Q1 of next year.

Included Content
Vive Cosmos is the VR headset that packs a powerful content punch right out of the gate. Viveport Infinity subscription gives unlimited access to hundreds of top-rated VR apps, games, and videos like A Fisherman’s Tale, Fujii, and Ninja Legends, as well as premium videos from top brands like GoPro, Discovery channel, and Animal Planet. In tandem with the Vive Cosmos launch, Viveport Infinity will be adding new titles such as Doctor Who: The Edge of Time by Maze Theory, Playstack, and BBC; Eleven Eleven by Syfy; Battlewake by Survios; Gloomy Eyes by Atlas V and 3dar; and Swords of Gargantua by Yomuneco and Gumi; and MLB Home Run Derby by MLB.

Vive Reality System
Cosmos offers an out-of-box experience that is easy to set-up and launch into virtual worlds using the new Vive Reality System. Vive Cosmos is the first headset to offer the Vive Reality System, a reimagined core software experience for Vive. The Vive Reality System is an entirely new design philosophy for VR, offering an extension of life to make VR feel less like launching apps and more like stepping between worlds. Cosmos will feature a redesigned user interface called Lens to easily navigate XR and Viveport Infinity applications, and a new, dynamic home space called Origin. The Origin space is the launchpad for VR applications and interactive experiences that will grow over time.

Vive Cosmos Specs

Screen: Dual 3.4″ LCD diagonal

Resolution: 1440 x 1700 pixels per eye (2880 x 1700 pixels combined)

Refresh rate: 90 Hz

Field of view: 110 degrees

Audio: Built-in stereo headphones

Required PC connectivity: USB 3.0, DisplayPort 1.2

Peripheral Ports: USB-C 3.0, proprietary connection to mods

Tracking: no minimum space requirements for standing/seated, minimum 2m x 1.5m for room-scale mode

Module Faceplates: Vive Motion Mod (ships with Cosmos) and Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod (sold separately)

Vive Wireless Adapter support: Yes, sold separately with attach kit. Available PCIe slot required

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Live-action, animated signs, superb compositing, and great percussion… yes, please!