M arblemedia’s Distribution360 (D360) has locked up the rights to Lady Ada’s Secret Society, a new live-action comedy series created by Shannon Fewster and directed by Samantha Wan (Second Jen). The Toronto-based distributor plans to launch the series on the CAVCO-certified YouTube channel marbleKIDS on Friday (April 15) and then shop it internationally in two formats: a collection of nine x nine-minute shorts and an 80-minute film.

The story is set in a strictly anti-tech boarding school and follows four students who plan a rebellion using their advanced skills in coding, hacking and inventing. The show targets tweens and early teens (nine to 15), particularly girls with an interest in STEM subjects.

The marbleKIDS channel is already home to digital originals such as Happy House of Frightenstein and Smashalot. The pickup of Lady Ada’s Secret Society filled both a gap in D360s portfolio and in the international market, Diane Rankin, D360′s SVP of rights and executive producer, tells Playback sister publication Kidscreen.

Funded by Ontario Creates and Canada’s Shaw Rocket Fund, Lady Ada’s Secret Society was coproduced by Fewster, Joshua Demers and Andrew Hunter. It joins comedy series Overlord and the Underwoods (20 x 30 minutes) and interconnected sitcoms The Parker Andersons (10 x 30 minutes) and Amelia Parker (10 x 30 minutes) in D360′s scripted live-action catalogue.

Crave

Crave has secured a deal with Sesame Workshop to bring programming from the time-honoured Sesame Street brand to the platform, beginning Friday (April 15). The deal makes Crave the Canadian streaming home for the Sesame Street series (pictured), starting with season 51, alongside a special collection of 20 classic episodes of the show.

Additional Sesame Workshop programming will hit Crave later this year, including Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck, Elmo’s World, Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas, and the upcoming CGI-animated Mecha Builders spinoff series.

“With classic characters and educational storylines, the iconic Sesame Street brand continues to resonate with Canadians across all generations,” said Justin Stockman, VP of content development and programming at Bell Media. “We’re thrilled to bolster our kids collection with Sesame Street programming, and ultimately increase the value of Crave with content for all ages.”

Sinking Ship Entertainment

Alibaba Group’s Youku streaming service will air Toronto-based Sinking Ship Entertainment’s live-action/CG hybrid series Dino Dana in China later this year, as set out in a new deal brokered by Singapore-based distributor Bomanbridge Media.

The 52 x 22-minute Canadian paleo-adventure series created by J.J. Johnson (Endlings, This is Daniel Cook) is already airing in global markets such as Australia (ABC TV) and LatAm (Nat Geo). Based in Beijing, Youku has picked up seasons one and two of the Emmy-winning show. In a release, Bomanbridge CEO Sonia Fleck said the streaming platform was interested in Dino Dana as a means to diversify its kids and family catalogue.

Dino Dana is a follow-up to Sinking Ship’s flagship Dino Dan series, about an adventurous 10-year-old paleontologist-in-training who imagines dinosaurs into reality with the help of a Dino Field Guide book. The show has spawned a feature film and a new consumer products line that includes an audiobook and AR dino figures.

With files from Kidscreen