Jan 10, 2007

HHK MOVIE HIP-HOPS INTO FOOTHILL

US indie Foothill Entertainment has acquired worldwide television and international home entertainment distribution rights to a hip-hop dance movie from HHK Entertainment. Hip-Hop Kidz: It's a Beautiful Thing is the first in a series of movies for DVD based on real-life dance troupe Hip-Hop Kidz. Exec-produced by Mark Bacino and Jim Green, who are behind the Olsen twins' movies, the new film revolves around the Kidz's efforts to land a record deal through a hip-hop video competition. Jo Kavanagh-Payne, Foothill's president, said: "Everything about this production is first-rate - from the story line, to the hip-hop soundtrack and the choreography. We believe that this film and the characters it introduces are the perfect foundation for a wide array of tween-through-teen entertainment vehicles." Originally released in the US in October by Genius Products, the DVD is packaged with a bonus CD featuring music performed by the Hip-Hop Kidz recording group. Publisher Penguin Young Readers has launched the first two titles in a series of books, and future plans for the brand include TV, touring shows and additional merchandising. -Antony Reeve-Crook