Fans of animated TV have a reason to celebrate. Fox is putting together a new late-night animation block, creating a new group to shepherd the development and production of “alternative animated series, shorts and user-adapted material” for the new programming block.
Nick Weidenfeld, a guy who knows his way around the world of animated TV as the former head of program development for Adult Swim, will be in charge of the new unit. Hend Baghdady (Warren The Ape, The Andy Milonakis Show) was named the executive in charge of production for the new division.
Weidenfeld and Baghdady will be overseeing the development and production of original animated shorts and series to run both on-air and online. According to Fox, this new late-night animated programming block will air Saturdays (11:00 PM-12:30 AM ET/PT) and will include four new animated series per season starting in January 2013.
Kevin Reilly, FOX President of Entertainment, made the announcement, stating, “This may be the first time a network is building a clear bridge for talent to develop and grow ideas in the digital/alternative arena and organically move them into the mainstream. These new late-night series will be assets in their own right – but the clear possibility exists for a breakout digital success to graduate to primetime.”
“Nick had an incredible track record at Adult Swim and is a dynamic guy with the instincts to cultivate and produce inventive and irreverent series that animation fans love. Together with Hend, they are the perfect partners for us in this exciting new venture,” Reilly continued.
Source: Fox
