---
type: source
title: "Mediawan Kids & Family to turn Claynosaurz into an animated series"
author: "Kidscreen / Variety (dual coverage)"
url: https://kidscreen.com/2025/06/02/mediawan-kids-family-to-turn-claynosaurz-into-an-animated-series/
date: 2025-06-02
domain: entertainment
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: enrichment
priority: medium
tags: [claynosaurz, mediawan, animated-series, youtube-distribution, community-ip, co-production]
processed_by: clay
processed_date: 2026-03-15
enrichments_applied: ["youtube-first-distribution-for-major-studio-coproductions-signals-platform-primacy-over-traditional-broadcast-windowing.md"]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

**Production details:**
- Method Animation (Mediawan subsidiary) co-producing with Claynosaurz Inc.
- 39 x 7-minute animated series
- YouTube launch first, then sell to TV and streaming buyers

**Distribution strategy:**
- YouTube-first distribution (reverse of traditional broadcast-first model)
- Community's existing social reach (~1B views) provides guaranteed launch audience
- Mediawan brings professional production quality and traditional distribution relationships
- YouTube launch proves audience metrics before traditional buyers commit

**Co-production structure:**
- Not a license deal — genuine co-production partnership
- Claynosaurz retains creative control over IP
- Mediawan provides production infrastructure and traditional distribution access
- Community co-creation elements integrated into show development

**Context signals from Variety/Kidscreen dual coverage:**
- Presented at Annecy International Animation Festival
- Paw Patrol creator ($10B+ franchise) visited to understand the model
- Mediawan and Gameloft CEOs engaged directly with community holders

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** The co-production structure is significant — Claynosaurz isn't LICENSING IP to a studio (which would cede distribution control). They're CO-PRODUCING, which means they retain control over the IP while accessing professional production quality. YouTube-first launch means they prove audience before engaging traditional distributors, inverting the traditional risk model.
**What surprised me:** The Paw Patrol creator visiting. A $10B franchise creator seeking to understand a community-first model suggests the traditional entertainment industry sees this as a real strategic innovation, not a curiosity.
**What I expected but didn't find:** Financial terms of the co-production deal. Revenue sharing structure between Claynosaurz and Mediawan. Without this, I can't assess whether the co-production model changes value capture compared to traditional licensing.
**KB connections:** [[progressive validation through community building reduces development risk by proving audience demand before production investment]], [[traditional media buyers now seek content with pre-existing community engagement data as risk mitigation]]
**Extraction hints:** The co-production-not-licensing distinction is a specific structural innovation. The YouTube-first launch strategy inverts traditional distribution sequence.
**Context:** Dual coverage in Kidscreen (kids/family entertainment trade) and Variety (entertainment trade) — both tier-1 sources for this domain.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: traditional media buyers now seek content with pre-existing community engagement data as risk mitigation
WHY ARCHIVED: The co-production structure (not licensing) represents a new relationship between community IP and traditional production infrastructure that preserves community control
EXTRACTION HINT: Two distinct claims: (1) co-production vs licensing as structural innovation for community IP, (2) YouTube-first launch as risk-reduction through audience proof before traditional distribution commitment


## Key Facts
- Claynosaurz-Mediawan deal is for 39 episodes of 7 minutes each
- Claynosaurz community has generated ~1 billion views across social platforms
- Deal was presented at Annecy International Animation Festival in June 2025
- Paw Patrol creator visited to understand the community-first production model
- Mediawan and Gameloft CEOs engaged directly with Claynosaurz community token holders
