K3 (l-r) Kristel Verbeke, Karen Damen, Kathleen Aerts in their “Kissing Day” costumes
I’m preparing a lot of audio and video clips for what is turning into a long build-up to a Petula Clark post. One week ago I knew nothing of Studio 100 in Belgium, and now I’m intrigued by the outfit. D.F. Rogers has spotted a video about the history of Studio 100, and it’s at this link. The page is done in Flash, and the player starts automatically. (It misbehaves a tiny bit, so I suggest opening it in a new window.)
I had speculated on K3 being a good prospect for Disney, but now I see that Studio 100 feels they don’t need Disney, although it’s not K3 they’ll be exporting. Dennis also uncovered a detailed proposal by Studio 100 for the expansion of Mega Mindy into the UK. You can read it at this link. (It’s in PDF and it’s big, so it’s probably better to right-click and save it, rather than open in your browser.) Get a load of these talking points I’ve selected.
- We are witnessing ever-increasing age-compression, a fact that is heavily influencing the programming and marketing of both Disney and Nickelodeon. In today’s World, Mega Mindy will appeal to ages 7 through 17 if thoughtfully produced, and well cast.
- The insatiable drive for expansion through excellence has resulted in the decision to globalize Studio 100, using our formula for success, which is deceptively simple, but adhered to strictly in every instance.
- There are distinct forces of attraction which combine to provide an irresistible argument that a well written, well shot United Kingdom Mega Mindy will be a huge success in the English speaking World. Let us note that it is already a hit in Belgium and in the Netherlands, which has only one home grown super heroine to speak of.
- If Hillary Clinton affects the Worldview by becoming ‘leader of the Free World’, in the same way that Margaret Thatcher affected the British view in the 1980’s, Mega Mindy will be in a perfect position to benefit.
How about that last point? They won’t be able to capitalize on the Presidency of Hillary Clinton, but it was an interesting idea. OK, that’s enough for now about Studio 100, K3, and Mega Mindy! Next up… XUXA!
I find the contrast between American pre-fab fluff and K3, the Belgian version, to be fascinating. I’ve had many songs from Disney-spawn acts come and go in my ears without them registering on a single brain cell. (I still don’t understand what Hannah Montana is, other than that’s a stage name for the kid of the awful Billy Ray Cyrus — is that his name?) But for whatever reason — perhaps because I don’t understand the language — K3 really grabbed me from the get-go. After watching Studio 100’s history video, I now see they really are making a go of it and expanding without relying on anybody else. Impressive. It would be a shame if they sold out to Disney.
Hi Doug! I’m glad that Europe has its own musical identity without the U.S. taking over like we do with global business. I used to think it funny when reading Billboard and seeing how different the top songs were on the U.S., U.K., and World charts were, but now I know why-diversity! God knows the U.S. musical climate could use a good shake-up! I was watching the BBC America show “Top Gear” and when they showed the shoreline of London near the Thames, there were all these buildings from American companies there. No wonder some Brits are like “Bloody Hell!”. It’s almost like we’re trying to make England into U.S.A. 2. So the more diversity and less “Disneytizing”, the better!