Starz And FremantleMedia To Bring Hit Children's Adventure Series "Bindi's Bootcamp" To Starz Kids & Family BRANDORA Editorial Staff - April 2013

 

FremantleMedia and Starz announced today that STARZ KIDS & FAMILY will become the U.S. wildlife refuge for the original live action kids’ entertainment series from FremantleMedia, “Bindi’s Bootcamp.” Hosted by advocate and enthusiastic “Wildlife Warrior,” Bindi Irwin, the series will take children on exhilarating adventures to get up close and personal with exotic animals of all types. “Bindi’s Bootcamp” is set to premiere on STARZ KIDS & FAMILY on Wednesday, May 1st at 6pm ET/PT.

The daughter of Steve and Terri Irwin, Bindi has been surrounded by animals her whole life. She began traveling at a young age in conjunction with her father’s famed “Crocodile Hunter” documentaries and inherited his passion for wildlife and conservation. Bindi received critical acclaim, along with a Daytime Emmy®, in 2008 for her show “Bindi: The Jungle Girl.” In 2010, she starred in her first movie, Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove. Most recently, she starred in “Return to Nim’s Island” on Hallmark Channel, which premiered earlier this month. Shot on location at the iconic Australia Zoo, “Bindi’s Bootcamp” is an exciting wildlife based game show where three teams comprised of two children each compete to win the prize of a lifetime – a trip with Bindi to participate in an Irwin Family conservation program. Journeying across zoo, jungle, safari and savannah locations, teams will become “Wildlife Warriors” in this adrenaline pumping adventure. Each episode opens with a dramatic race through the Australia Zoo, followed by a mental challenge and then concludes with an obstacle course. Teams will compete in these daring, often messy, and always exciting challenges, while encountering the Australia Zoo’s amazing collection of indigenous and other exotic animals.

“With ‘Bindi’s Bootcamp,’ we wanted to create a show that would test kids’ mental prowess, endurance and inner strength, all while inspiring them to respect nature and conservation,” said Sander Schwartz, President, FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment. “STARZ KIDS & FAMILY is dedicated to bringing unique and rich shows to families across America, and they will be the perfect home for this incredible wildlife adventure.”

“STARZ KIDS & FAMILY is excited to bring such a unique and adventure filled series to our afternoon block of programming specially designed for young audiences,” says Brett Marottoli, Executive Director Programming Acquisitions for Starz.

“Bindi’s Bootcamp” is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and Sticky Pictures. FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment manages global brand licensing and distribution rights for the show. “Bindi’s Bootcamp” premiered in July 2012 on Network ABC3 in Australia. The show was rated up to 122% above the broadcaster’s average for the key target demo of children aged 5-12, and did exceptionally well among girls, winning shares of 25% for girls 0-15, performing 108% over the broadcaster’s average.

In addition to the upcoming premiere on STARZ KIDS & FAMILY on May 1st in the U.S., “Bindi’s Bootcamp” is currently on air in more than 15 territories across Asia on Discovery Kids, and is expected to begin airing later this year in Italy on Rai. FremantleMedia has been the global multi-platform entertainment partner of Australia Zoo and Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin since 2010, with a focus on developing new opportunities in television and licensing. For more information on FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment, please visit www.fremantlemedia.com/enterprises/kids.