W!LDBRAIN Animation Studios News

UPDATE: Watch W!LDBRAIN's 30-second TV spot with a CG Erin Esurance on (page three).

Production company W!LDBRAIN has it in mind to think big. The creative group behind fancily animated commercial work, television animation, and other creative entertainment projects, W!LDBRAIN recently announced their expansion to include an animation production unit based Los Angeles, California area. In related news, W!LDBRAIN Animation Studios has partnered once again with noted quote-buy-print escort Esurance to bring company spokeswoman Erin Esurance to life -- only this time in CG.

Expanding their animation production functions to include a satellite office in Sherman Oaks, California, W!LDBRAIN Animation Studios is eager to make good on their plans to create a sustainable pipeline of work-for-hire as well as original intellectual property projects. More than just an animation boutique, W!LDBRAIN has been growing for some time now, and with various theatrical and television titles currently under development, the company isn't waiting for the market to finish cooling down before heating right back up.

"The accelerated growth of our own intellectual property production slate and our work-for-hire business led to our decision to expand the animation studios to Los Angeles," Marge Dean, GM, W!LDBRAIN Animation Studios, commented. "[CG animation] is an area of the entertainment business that continues to show tremendous growth, both domestically and internationally. There are a number of studios that are looking to produce CG television series' based on their respective 3D animated box office hits. This creates a great opportunity for us to expand our future work-for-hire business as one of the few studios that has an experienced and tested CG pipeline for television."

Marge Dean

The studios' previous experience in computer animation ranges from the preschool animated series Higglytown Heroes and assorted commercial work for Lamisil and Oceanland. According to W!LDBRAIN, the company's San Francisco-based animation operations will remain the central location for their commercial, television, motion picture, and game work. Guiding W!LDBRAIN Animation Studios are Dean and Josh Book, a computer animation supervisor credited with helping assemble Nickelodeon's CG production unit. Dean served as producer for Roughnecks: Starship Trooper Chronicles and the first season of Back at the Barnyard.

On the topic of computer animation from W!LDBRAIN, the company has also announced the release of one of their latest creative ventures: a CG version of Erin Esurance. In anticipation of the science fiction feature film release Star Trek (05/08/2009), Esurance has partnered to cross-promote the action-oriented franchise. As such, W!LDBRAIN's animation group, a bread-and-butter partner for Esurance TV spots, has been called into action to produce a next-generation version of the ever-prepared insurance saleswoman.

"Esurance's partnership on the new Star Trek movie is the perfect opportunity to create a fresh new look for Erin, while showcasing the innovative work of our animation partner, W!LDBRAIN," Melissa Chapman, Brand Manager for Esurance, stated. 2009 marks the fifth year of W!LDBRAIN's collaboration with Esurance. Having produced roughly forty television commercials and other promotional elements featuring this special agent of sorts, the transition to computer animation is perhaps as natural as ever. A sample of Erin's new look is available on the following page of this AnimationInsider.net news article.

on W!LDBRAIN: Founded in 1994, W!LDBRAIN (www.wildbrain.com) is an award-winning entertainment company that develops and produces unique and compelling content across the media spectrum, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. W!LDBRAIN also creates and distributes collectible merchandise through its subsidiary Kidrobot, planet Earth's premier creator and retailer of limited edition toys, clothing, mini-figures, artwork and books.