It’s the IP that grows!
The media rights behind the Chia Pet brand have been acquired by writer and producer Adam Jay Epstein and producers Ari Daniel Pinchot and Jonathan Rubenstein via their IP holding company, Rakia Media, and their film and TV production banner, Crystal City Entertainment. With the acquisition, the trio is planning “a vision of building an animated feature film or animated series.”
“The Rakia Media and Crystal City team is actively exploring strategic partnerships and collaborators to fully realize the commercial and storytelling potential of the Chia Pet franchise,” the press release for the acquisition says.
For the uninitiated, Chia Pets are terracotta figures on which chia sprouts are applied and grow to resemble hair or fur. Debuting in 1977, they became a pop culture sensation in the ’80s, thanks in part to their ubiquitous TV commercials and indelible theme song. Over 30 million have been sold, and they’re still creating new figures based on modern IP and celebrities, like Netflix’s “Wednesday,” “Rick and Morty” and rapper Ice Spice.
“Chia Pets have been featured on our shelves since childhood and we’re thrilled to help grow the brand to new heights,” Epstein said in a statement. “We can’t wait for audiences to check out the world of Chia in theaters and screens across the world.”
“For over 40 years, Chia Pet has remained one of the most recognizable brand icons in pop culture history,” Joel Weinshanker, CEO of Chia Pet® brand owner Ad Populum, said in a statement. “I’m excited to work with a team that understands both its legacy and its potential for the future.”
This is Rakia Media’s second IP acquisition, following the “Backyard Sports” video game franchise, which is getting relaunched alongside Playground Productions.
As producers, Pinchot and Rubenstein have previously worked on “Everything Must Go,” “He Wanted the Moon,” “The Ides of March,” “The God Committee” and “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” They are currently adapting the Lisa Jewell bestseller “Then She Was Gone.”
Epstein is the author of “Snared” and Have You Seen Gordon?,” as well as the co-author of “The Familiars.” He has written, directed and produced projects for Paramount, SYFY, Amblin, WB, Netflix, Fox, MGM, Sony Animation, Spyglass, Disney+, Lionsgate, Riot Games and MTV. He co-created horror series “The Unsettling” for AwesomenessTV, and co-wrote the 2001 comedy “Not Another Teen Movie.”
Crystal City is repped by UTA. Adam Jay Epstein is repped by UTA, Fourth Wall Management and Lichter, Grossman.
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