Toronto’s Hop To It Productions is hoping cash from the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund will help get kids off the couch through its Pop It! series of shorts. The 26 x 7 show, set for TVO in September, teaches kids hip-hop culture through break-dancing and original songs and was one of 10 titles that drew cash from the spring round of Bell Fund applications.

The Pop It! site, expected to launch in late August, will feature a host of song and dance tools to get kids more engaged in the show.

‘It’s really active,’ says producer Susie Nation. ‘With all the dancing, it’s an excuse to get kids off their couches and moving around. As well, by using hip-hop culture, we’re able to play with a culture that sometimes gets a bad reputation. We’re breaking stereotypes and taking some of Toronto’s most talented hip-hop artists to make songs that are more kid-friendly.’

The site will feature virtual dance lessons based on the episodes, karaoke versions of the show’s original songs, as well as a music-video editing tool which will allow kids to put clips together for themselves. Many of the online applications that will be offered on the site are currently in use on other Hop To It projects.

Other recent Bell recipients include: 100 Mile Challenge, Busytown Mysteries, Croquer la Gaspésie, Dating Guy, Little Mosque on the Prairie, L.O.S.E – The League of Super Evil, Müvmédia and Le Québec vu par Urbania. The fund supports TV shows with interactive components.

The fund is also in the midst of launching a new initiative to help digital content producers pair up with potential buyers. The new service is being hashed out by consultant Rita Carbone Fleury, who has been approaching potential marketing partners since plans were announced back in April.

Fund executive director Andra Sheffer hopes the initiative will help producers maximize the commercial possibilities for their digital endeavors.

‘Right now there are two or three obvious ways people are trying to sell their content, but there are literally hundreds of other ways they’re not exploring,’ Sheffer says. ‘Ideally, we’d like to provide a cross-section of all the potential markets and revenue sources available.’