Universal Music Israel to collaborate with Ananey Studios’ on Pisces Lanz a new live-action teen series
Universal Music Israel (UMI), a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, announced that it will be collaborating with Israel-based ‘Ananey Studios‘ on its forthcoming Pisces Lane (40×30) project, a new live-action teen series produced by Ananey Studios in partnership with ‘The Co-Production Company’. UMG Israel will produce and release all the music for the series.
This is the first time that UMG, the world’s leading music company and home to the most iconic and influential labels & brands in music, has partnered to deliver musical production for a scripted series in Israel.
Pisces Lane has been commissioned to air on Nickelodeon Israel, exclusively for Hot Cable Network. The Co-Production Company will seek to secure financing and global distribution for all territories outside of Israel. Pisces Lane centers on sixteen-year-old best friends Dalina, Ella and Yasmin, who grew up together in a mixed neighborhood in Jaffa where Jews (Ella), Arabs (Yasmin), and refugees from Africa (Dalina) live side by side. Though they each come from a different culture, their friendship is stronger than any language or religion. In the series, the girls start a multi-lingual band called Talatha, whose original music will be a featured part of the series.
The series is created by Michal Cooper Keren and Lior Yaron, with Cooper Keren serving as showrunner. The writing duo have collaborated on some of the most beloved and successful teen shows in Israel: Spyders for Nickelodeon International, which aired in 5 continents on over 100 Nickelodeon channels; Spell Keepers (Original title: Kadabra), winner of the Israeli Academy Award for Best Teen Show of 2017, which was accompanied by two best-selling books based on the show, and was sold to HBO Europe and other European broadcasters; North Star, which was adapted into the American show The Lodge and aired on Disney channels in 100 countries; and Summer Days, which aired in dubbed versions on dozens of Disney channels in Western Europe and South America. Michal Cooper Keren is also the screenwriter of the bi-national comedy Two Minutes from Paradise (2001), the winner of several international awards in Banff, Zurich and Geneva.
Yoram Mokady, Managing Director of Universal Music Israel, said: “Given that this collaboration among these leading international leaders occurs in this exciting teen tv series means that it will significantly enhance the discovery, nurturing and exposure of Israeli talent’s next wave. This partnership with Ananey Studios is one of several major projects that UMG Israel will launch in the coming months as we look to expand the profile of Israeli music around the world”.
Orly Atlas-Katz, CEO Ananey, EVP ViacomCBS Israel, said, “Pisces Lane is a truly unique teen series in so many ways, and the music in it is no different. We are excited to be collaborating with UMG Israel and to bring to viewers everywhere not only a riveting story and characters but also up and coming music talents”.
