SPECIAL DELIVERY!
NICKELODEON PICKS UP ALL-NEW ANIMATED SERIES
MIDDLEMOST POST, FEATURING CAST OF ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
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BURBANK, Calif.—June 16, 2020—Nickelodeon has ordered a new original animated series, Middlemost Post (working title), which combines quirky characters with hilarious adventures and unwavering friendship. Created and co-executive produced by John Trabbic III (SpongeBob SquarePants, storyboard director), the 20-episode 2D-animated series follows a former rain cloud, a brawny mailman and their magical pet walrus as they deliver packages to the unusual inhabitants of Mount Middlemost. Middlemost Post is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, with Dave Johnson serving as co-executive producer and story editor. Additional casting news and premiere date will be announced in the coming months.
“Middlemost Post captures everything we look for in a new series--an imaginative and truly unique world, lovable characters who care deeply about each other and big comedic moments to drive the story,” said Ramsey Naito, Executive Vice President, Nickelodeon Animation. “The series is created by our very own John Trabbic, with writing partner Dave Johnson, and we can’t wait to bring to life the characters and places in this artist-driven series for our global audience.”
In Middlemost Post, Parker J. Cloud, an exuberant raincloud, lives and works in the Middlemost Post Office with Angus, a burly, rule-abiding mailman who cherishes his solitude and values efficiency, and Russell, their magical pet walrus whose stomach is so big that it doubles as a storage room. Together they journey through Mount Middlemost and the six territories of Somewhere to deliver the mail, while meeting some exceptionally quirky and peculiar people along the way. But as this loving and unconventional trio grows closer, they remain blissfully unaware that they have been brought together by one fateful stormy event.
Today’s Middlemost Post greenlight comes on the heels of recent announcements for Big Nate, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, and a second season of The Casagrandes. The original series exemplifies Nickelodeon’s commitment to bringing fresh innovative content to kids and families around the world.
Nickelodeon, now in its 41st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC).
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Updates:
10/15 - To Trabbic, a recovering addict, the story about a “reformed rain cloud, who doesn’t want to rain on people any more, he just wants to brighten people’s days,” is also about his own evolution. Besides the animation, “it leans into humor and I am incorporating stop-motion sets.” Trabbic is also working on getting the show ready to premiere on Nickelodeon in 2021.
9/7 - Chris Battle is doing character designs for Middlemost Post!
Happy to share the news that I’m doing character design on the new @Nickelodeon show MIDDLEMOST POST! Been lucky to have been working on this since earlier this summer, and it’s been a blast drawing these crazy guys from the mind of @JohnTrabbic! #middlemostpost pic.twitter.com/23cXtI7aMi
— Chris Battle (@chrisbattleart) August 31, 2020
6/27 - Gracie Pryor will be doing freelance character design for Middlemost Post.
From Variety:
Nickelodeon’s ‘Middlemost Post’ Gets Greenlight, Starts Production as Studio’s Artists Work From Home Due to Pandemic
Former “SpongeBob SquarePants” storyboard artist John Trabbic III had just gotten a greenlight from Nickelodeon for his own animated series, “Middlemost Post,” about a rain cloud that just wants to make everyone happy, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, forcing Nick to close the studio’s doors and send all its artists home.
But instead of putting production on “Middlemost Post,” or most of its other animated shows, on hold, Nick brass outfitted the staffs with the tools they’d need to keep working.
“The leadership at the studio and on the shows really took the bull by the horns and pivoted very quickly, giving everyone the support they needed to work from home pretty effectively,” says Ramsey Naito, Nick’s exec VP of production and development. “There’s no question that there have been challenges, but the resilience, the determination, the passion for what everybody does really shows, because we’re 100% working from home.”
Naito says things started out with a lot of trial and error, logistically, “but we really pulled it together within a couple of weeks. We got computers out the door to everyone who needed them,” making sure everyone had VPN connections, troubleshooting internet problems and ensuring teams could stay in contact.
It seems to be working. Between 17 and 25 shows are currently in production remotely. Not only that, but Nick is adding workers. “We’ve hired 60-plus people over the last nine weeks, all remotely,” Naito says. Some of those folks are working on “Middlemost Post.”
Creator John Trabbic III, left, and writer and co-executive producer Dave Johnson work from home on their new Nickelodeon show “Middlemost Post,” which was recently greenlit for 20 episodes just before the coronavirus quarantine order. Courtesy of John Trabbic III and Dave Johnson/Nickelodeon
It was just Trabbic and writer and co-executive producer Dave Johnson at first. “I think our actual start date was about a week before quarantine,” Trabbic recalls. “Then we started hiring people, and the show was birthed in quarantine.” Adds Johnson: “I have a staff of writers that literally haven’t met each other in real life, and we’re two months in.”
They may not have met in person, but the writers and artists are getting a good start on the show’s first episodes. Nickelodeon has ordered 20 half-hour installments, which it hopes to air sometime next year.
Along with Parker J. Cloud, an exuberant rain cloud that helps deliver mail for the Middlemost Post Office, the show features rule-abiding mailman Angus and their pet walrus, Russell. “It’s a chance for us to just let our imaginations go wild,” Trabbic says.
“This show, when [Trabbic] first pitched it to us, just was so unique,” Naito says. “It had all the qualities we look for. It was character driven. It had an ensemble that illustrated a really comedic relationship, with a backdrop that was fun and exciting. [And] it really feels original.”
Adds Johnson: “Parker is just a kid who’s learning life, but he [wears his] emotions on his sleeve, and because he’s a cloud, he’s pliable and can transform.”
The animators at Nick know exactly how Parker feels.
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More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 17:39 BST.
Additional sources: Anime Superhero Forum /@ToonJay723, @SweetShop209; Twitter /@NickSchedules.
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