Announcing The Red Harlequin, one of BIC’s newest titles!

Check out the latest press release featuring one of our newest titles, The Red Harlequin!
THE RED HARLEQUIN Signs Audio Publishing, Graphic Novel and TV Development Deals
(London, United Kingdom) – Pantomimus Media has announced a trio of new deals for its multimedia YA fantasy brand The Red Harlequin: an audiobook publishing agreement with media development firm Dreamscape Media LLC; a graphic novel publishing deal with Broken Icon Comics; and a TV development partnership with Canadian content company Omnifilm Entertainment.
Media development company Dreamscape Media has acquired worldwide English audiobook rights to the original five novels in The Red Harlequinseries. Dreamscape Media offers distribution, marketing, and production services for audiobooks, eBooks, film, and documentaries, providing content both physically and digitally to customers, partners, and platforms around the world.
Releasing in May 2020, all five books will be available everywhere audiobooks are sold including Amazon, Audible, Recorded Books, iTunes, Google, Overdrive, and dozens of other digital audiobook resellers. The Red Harlequin audiobook collection will be also available on hoopla digital to over 5 million registered library patrons, Midwest Tape’s mobile and online service for public libraries. The YA Fantasy novels will join hoopla digital’s collection of more than 750,000 eBooks, audiobooks, albums, movies and television shows. The titles will also be available in the retail marketplace in MP3 CD and CD formats.
Catherine Zappa, Executive Director of Content & Strategy, Dreamscape Media, commented, “Dreamscape is thrilled to be bringing to life for audiobook listeners the adventures of The Red Harlequin. Ricci’s dynamic and epic storytelling of the mysterious Harlequins are precisely what we search for in creating an exhilarating audio experience that will have listeners wanting more.”
In graphic novel news, Broken Icon Comics, one of the fastest growing independent comic companies in the industry, have acquired US print rights. The first two volumes will make up BIC’s tentpole summer releases with media blitzes leading up to their launch at San Diego Comic Con, the largest comic convention in the world. The books will be available for bookstores to order through BIC’s partner printer and the wholesale book registry, and to comic stores through their direct distribution channels.
“The Red Harlequin Volume I sets up a world riven with war, and the political and religious elites that control the fates of all men and women. Fast paced and driven by the struggles of society, identity, and what it takes to survive, The Red Harlequin is a tale so powerful, one cannot help but be drawn into the world from the very first page. A perfect blend of fantasy world-building, religion and magic, political intrigue, and character driven stories, The Red Harlequin is a must read for anyone who loves unique and dramatic graphic novels.”
–Nick Wentland, Creative Coordinator, Broken Icon Comics
“The Red Harlequin presents an incredible opportunity for Broken Icon Comics to help bring these amazing graphic novels to the North American audience. Premiering at San Diego Comic Con, this graphic novel will be the pinnacle of our summer releases, and pave the way for building an entirely new audience hungry for poignant, relevant, and exciting stories such as this one. We are extremely excited to be one small part of the greater success the franchise is enjoying as a whole.”
–Eric Watkins, Co-Founder, Broken Icon Comics
And finally, the development agreement with Omnifilm will work towards creating a high-end action adventure fantasy series. Based in Vancouver, OmnifilmEntertainmentis the production power behind The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco,a spin-off of the hit ITV period mystery series airing on Britbox, ITV, Citytv, and Netflix; Disney XD’s Mech-X4; the Disney Channel series Gabby Duran& The Unsittablesand Fast Layne; and Disney Channel’sOriginal Movie,Kim Possible. Scriptwriter and showrunner Robert Butler, recent BAFTA winner for Creeped Out, and Rick Porras (co-producer of The Lord of the Rings)are attached to the project.
Brian Hamilton, Principal and Executive Producer, Omnifilm, stated, “Audiences are hungry for stories which connect epic fantasy and escapism with the issues of today. The Red Harlequin book series was made for television and has serious international potential. Omnifilm is honoured to be working with such a talented team.’
Roberto Ricci,Creator and Director,Pantomimus Media, comments, “I am very excited to partner with companies that not only excel in their field, but also share our creative vision for developing The Red Harlequin as a global entertainment property. With its established track record, Omnifilm is perfectly positioned to forge a solid TV platform for the series. And Dreamscape is on the cutting edge of audio/video storytelling which – together with Broken Icon’s comic readers – opens up new avenues to reach new fans: a truly multiplatform approach.”
The announcement comes as three new foreign language editions of The Red Harlequin books were launched byFoliant Publishingin Russian, Kazakh and Turkish. The books are also published in English by Pantomimus Media.
The Red Harlequin is an epic saga that features Asheva, an aspirational teenager living in a complex world divided among Chrome Nations, where everyone lives hidden behind a mask. Development of the property is backed by Finnish Media Fund, IPR. For more information visit:
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About Pantomimus Media
Founded in 2018 Pantomimus Media is an entertainment company founded by content creator Roberto Ricci and media executive Lisa Hryniewicz. The UK-based company holds the rights to Ricci’s YA fantasy IP The Red Harlequin, and is backed by Finnish Fund IPR.VC, a venture capital fund which works exclusively in the media & entertainment industry.
About Omnifilm Entertainment
Omnifilm Entertainment recently completed THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE: SAN FRANCISCO, a spin-off of the hit ITV period mystery series, which can be found on Netflix, BritBox, ITV and Citytv. Additionally, in the live-action kids space in 2018/2019, the company completed Season 2 of MECH-X4 for Disney XD, the Disney Channel Original Movie KIM POSSIBLE, the Disney Channel series FAST LAYNE, and Season 1 of Disney Channel series GABBY DURAN & THE UNSITTABLES. Season 2 of GABBY DURAN started production in January 2020.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Omnifilm is a vertically-integrated content company handling development, production and post-production, delivery, and distribution of brands on both traditional television and digital/VOD platforms.
About Dreamscape Media LLC
Dreamscape Media (dreamscapeab.com) is a privately held media development firm focusing on production, distribution and licensing in publishing and video channels, with an emphasis on the library/educational market. The company produces fiction and non-fiction audiobooks, book-based children’s read-along video programs, and offers video distribution services. Titles are available to both library and retail channels in physical and digital formats. Dreamscape is the publishing arm of Midwest Tape – a trusted partner to public libraries for nearly 30 years.
Dreamscape Media has received hundreds of awards and accolades for high quality audio productions, dozens of starred reviews, and many “Best of the Year” lists, 13 Parents’ Choice Awards, eleven ALSC Children’s Notable recognitions, a Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video, a dozen Audie Award nominations and awarded the 2019 Audie Award, and more than seventy AudioFile Earphones Awards.
About Broken Icon Comics
Founded in 2009 by Eric Watkins and James Maddox, Broken Icon Comics started with a simple goal: To make great, original comics.Since its auspicious origins in a taco joint, BIC has become one of the fastest growing independent comic companies in the industry. Focusing on horror as a mainstay, BIC has branched out into sci-fi, westerns, fantasy and supernatural thrillers, always looking for the best stories and artists to make the pages come alive.