9 Story Media and Trustbridge Entertainment
9 Story Media Group announced yesterday it has entered into a co-development agreement with Trustbridge Entertainment on two best-selling children’s books from Candlewick Press. 9 Story and Trustbridge plan to co-create new animated programs based on the popular book series Judy Moody by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, and the New York Times best-selling holiday picture book Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever written and illustrated by Matt Tavares.
Under the terms of the deal, 9 Story and Trustbridge will co-develop and co-produce the properties with animation by 9 Story’s Oscar®-nominated studio Brown Bag Films. 9 Story’s distribution division holds worldwide distribution rights (excluding China), and Trustbridge Entertainment maintains global merchandising and licensing rights.
The Judy Moody book series was first published in 2000 and quickly became an international best-seller. Written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, the franchise includes the original Judy Moody series and three spin-off book series: Stink, Judy Moody and Stink, and Judy Moody and Friends, along with a feature film released in 2011. To date, there are more than 43 million Judy Moody books in print worldwide, translated into 26 languages.
Hitting the New York Times Best Seller list from 2019-2022, Dasher is a heartwarming holiday picture book from author/illustrator Matt Tavares about how it came to be that reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. A sequel, Dasher Can’t Wait for Christmas, was released in fall 2023.
“We are so thrilled to be working with Trustbridge on these beloved book properties,” said Natalie Osborne, Chief Strategy Officer for 9 Story Media Group. “Partnering with Trustbridge furthers our strategy of joining forces with best-in-class partners to bring cherished characters and stories to global audiences.”
“Judy Moody and Dasher are two preeminent titles, and we wanted a preeminent partner to help us bring these stories and characters to animated life. And we found that in 9 Story,” said Bob Higgins, President of Trustbridge Entertainment. “From storytelling to visual execution, they’ve proven to be exceptional, and we are lucky to be in such talented hands.”
