Toronto-based animation producer Nelvana has set up a corporate sponsorship division which company representatives say marks a unique approach to financing productions.

Under Nelvana’s model, revenue will be generated by selling airtime directly to advertisers and by offering networks entire blocks of programming with underwriters and sponsors already in place.

Nelvana anticipates the Los Angeles-based division will secure us$10-million ($14.8 million) worth of sponsorship by the end of December, says Jill Newhouse Calcaterra, Nelvana’s vp of marketing. This, she says, creates a new dynamic to the traditional formula which sees producers sell programming to networks which in turn sell airtime to advertisers.

‘Because of the all the production we are doing, it’s a very unique way for us to get some funding in a non-traditional manner,’ Newhouse Calcaterra says.

Newhouse Calcaterra and Irene Weibel, who share the post of vp marketing, have already launched Nelvana’s first corporate underwriting program for the three-hour Ready To Learn This Weekend block on pbs. Aimed at preschool children and their parents, the block is comprised of six book-based programs: George Shrinks, Timothy Goes To School, Junior Kroll, Elliot Moose, Corduroy Bear and Seven Little Monsters. The shows are due to premier next fall.

Beyond selling airtime, Nelvana will also look to create outreach events and tie-ins with sponsors and networks. Newhouse Calcaterra says the animation house should have a full slate of sponsors signed up for the pbs block by December and will begin implementing sponsorship events to coincide with the fall 2000 season.

‘It’s all based on what the sponsor is looking for and how we can use our positive programming to help them get their message across,’ she says.

At present, Nelvana is focusing only on the u.s. market, with plans to enter the Canadian and international markets looming only on the distant horizon. ‘A lot of these advertisers are major global advertisers,’ says Newhouse Calcaterra. ‘Once we get something put together in the [u.s.] markets, it’s more of a turnkey operation for their other markets. [We can] then filter the programs out internationally.’

While generating sponsors for publicly financed networks such as pbs – which lacks an aggressive, profit-driven sales force – is an obvious target, Newhouse Calcaterra maintains her division’s efforts will not end there. She says Nelvana is also looking for ways to enhance sales efforts for the company’s other broadcast partners such as cbs. Nelvana-produced programs currently fill the CBS Kidshow block on the network’s Saturday morning schedule aimed at children two to 11.

The corporate sponsorship division is also looking to create partnerships outside the broadcast arena using programs in Nelvana’s library or in development. These could include direct-to-video productions which a sponsor could use in event giveaways or to be sold as a Web-based animation series.

‘We’re looking at anything,’ says Newhouse Calcaterra. ‘We’re producers of programming, so how can we produce more programming and get it out there?’