Hartman will also create and produce three new animated series with pocket.watch Chief Content Officer and former Nickelodeon Entertainment president Albie Hecht. The veteran animator and creator will also provide input into pocket.watch’s digital channels, premium content and creator partnerships.
Those new shows include one based on Hartman’s own creation, another adapted directly from an original idea from pocket.watch’s existing development slate, and the third featuring the kids from popular YouTube network HobbyKidsTV, which was pocket.watch’s first content partner. Hecht said to stay tuned for more Hartman projects, as well.
“You should expect to see original Butch Hartman creations,” Hecht told TheWrap. “He is truly a cartoon genius. We also expect Butch to have an impact on the creative look and feel and brand essence of pocket.watch.”
In August, pocket.watch announced its first original series, a sketch comedy show about a virtual digital assistant starring “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kenan Thompson. The multi-platform network, which has three YouTube channels and pages on Instagram, Musical.ly and Facebook, achieved 1 billion views in the pocket.watch ecosystem this month.
“Our goal is to be everywhere kids are,” Hecht said. “We have to go to them.”
Hecht said it’s imperative for any new company in media to have a mix of digital natives and established media operators, and pocket.watch has a stable of veteran entertainment investors, such as CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves and Jukin Media CEO Jon Skogmo.