It's A Wrap

Certainly, DIC's Andy Heyward listened to his gut instinct when it told him that a show about mummies would be a kid-pleaser. Nonetheless, making a show and making a hit show are two entirely different things. There is no shortage of entertainment options for the 6- to 12-year-olds that "Mummies Alive" is targeting.

"Today, you've got six networks instead of three--ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Warner Bros. and UPN--and all the cable [channels]," Heyward says. "Plus, you've got a very active first-run syndication business. And you've got the Internet, video games, VCRs--all this is cannibalizing and fractionalizing the broadcast audience."

What's a group of mummies to do to get noticed in such an overgrown media jungle? To promote the show, Heyward is purchasing a "tremendous amount" of advertising time on stations such as Nickelodeon. In addition, a live-action TV special is being built around the fictionalized opening of an ancient Egyptian tomb housing one of the characters from "Mummies Alive." "It's a very big event, and it's going to be very visible," promises Heyward.

Additionally, there are fast-food restaurant and cereal tie-ins that need to be factored into the equation. " `Mummies Alive' has been presented to all the major quick-service restaurant companies as well as to the various packaged goods companies," says Tashjian. "We don't usually finalize these deals until after information [is available] regarding the ratings."

This article was originally published in the September 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: It's A Wrap.