MULTI-AWARD WINNING
PRODUCER LAWRENCE
CUMBO
JOINS PIXELDUST
STUDIOS TO EXPAND ITS ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION:
PIXELDUST TO CREATE
ORIGINAL SPECIALS AND SERIES FOR
NETWORKS, SVOD’S
AND SPONSORED CONTENT,
AND WILL BOLSTER
ITS VR-360, AR,
AND LIVE STREAM
PROGRAMMING CONTENT
Bethesda, Maryland, November 21, 2016 -
Award-winning producer Lawrence Cumbo has joined
Pixeldust Studios, a multi Emmy Award-winning, digital
animation and broadcast production studio helmed by
Ricardo Andrade, to expand its Entertainment Division.
Cumbo brings to Pixeldust an active development slate
comprised of over 30 projects. The announcement was made
by Ricardo Andrade, President & Creative Director,
Pixeldust Studios, and by Lawrence Cumbo, whose new
title is Senior Vice President of Development &
Content, Pixeldust Studios.
Over the past twenty-five years, Andrade
and Cumbo have forged a close friendship, which began
when they first worked together producing indie films,
live events and studio based programming. Having
steadily collaborated throughout
the years, Cumbo's new addition to the Pixeldust team
positions the company to now grow its original
production capabilities. Pixeldust’s goal is to produce
original TV series and specials for broadcast, SVOD’s,
and sponsored content, as well as continue creating
original VR-360 and AR content, and live stream
programming.
Cumbo brings a decade of experience as an
Executive Producer and Show Runner to Pixeldust, which
enjoys a rich history of producing short form content
and award winning animation and motion graphics for high
profile broadcast, cable and streaming television
properties airing around the world.
Andrade said, “Lawrence and I have
enjoyed a remarkably successful relationship for more
than 25 years now. He is the ideal executive to be
joining our company as we seek to expand our original
productions and our Entertainment Division. During the
past two years, we have become extremely excited about
the success of this division, which has produced
original, high-end content for high profile and rather
intricate television series. Now with Lawrence
joining us, we are positioned for huge growth in the
development and production of original television
specials and series especially designed for SVOD
streaming outlets. Right now, we are actively on the
lookout for new material, and we believe our unique,
full-service production capabilities will continue to
shine as we work to evolve our Entertainment Division.”
Adds Cumbo, “Pixeldust has long been an
industry leader in animation, innovation and
entertainment. By joining the Pixeldust team, I envision
leveraging over a decade of success into a
multi-vertical media content provider in the global
marketplace. Fortunately for me, the company already
garners tremendous success with its client base and hive
of talent in its studios in DC and New York. Ricardo
and I embrace the changing landscape of original content
and distribution. We’ve been doing it our whole careers,
and now is the perfect time for us to join forces during
this exciting evolution in our industry.”
In addition to its established position
as a top animation and production studio for hire by top
broadcast and cable TV networks, educational
institutions, and charitable foundations, Pixeldust’s
Entertainment Division has successfully developed and
produced three streaming TV series for client
CuriosityStream. Launched in 2015 by Discovery founder
John Hendricks as a non-fiction SVOD
service, CuriosityStream is the world's first, ad-free,
on-demand subscription streaming service for nonfiction
programming. See: www.curiositystream.com
Pixeldust’s work for CuriousityStream
to date has included providing live action footage,
high-end animation, and all production content for that
SVOD’s new series “Ancient Earth,” for the series “A
Curious World,” now in its third season, and for the
first season of the series “The Bronze Age.”
ABOUT LAWRENCE CUMBO:
Lawrence Cumbo is a multi-award winning
Executive Producer. He has delivered over 200 hours of
programming for Smithsonian Channel, National Geographic
Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC, A&E. and BIO
Channel, and recently joined forces with Smithsonian
Channel to create “Rocking the Opera House: Dr. John,” a
new music series. Cumbo has also served as an Executive
Producer for overseas giants like Tiger Aspect
Productions and Natural History New Zealand.
Some of the titles Cumbo has overseen
during his career include, “I Survived,” “Orangutan
Island,” “Jurassic CSI,” “Celebrating the American
Woman,” “Dark Days in Monkey City,” “Ms. Adventure,”
“Rookies,” “Expedition Antarctica” and “Tornado
Chasers.”
In 2000, Cumbo started his network
television career at National Geographic Television and
Film, and by 2005, had been appointed Senior Producer
with National Geographic Specials and Events Production.
His films for National Geographic have taken him many
places around the world, including war-torn Afghanistan, the rim of
an active volcano in Guatemala,
inside a tornado in Texas,
and the world’s largest prison in India.
He hiked with two eye surgeons from Maoist Rebel
controlled territory in Nepal to
the Himalayan Kingdom of
Mustang in the Tibetan Plateau for his award-winning
film, “Miracle Doctors.”
In 2004, Cumbo joined National Geographic
Channel. There, he served as Executive Producer and
oversaw over 60 hours of original programming, including
such hits as “Inside the Mafia,” “In the Womb,” “Dark
Side of Chimps” and “Megastructures.”
In 2002, Cumbo filmed, wrote, and
produced “Search for the Afghan Girl,” the
headline-making story of Afghan refugee Sharbat Gula,
whose photograph first appeared on the cover of the
National Geographic magazine in 1985. The film received
a worldwide simulcast in over 120 countries, garnering
over 150 million viewers during the premiere. The film
was nominated for a 2003 Emmy Award and has won several
additional industry honors. Earlier in his career, Cumbo
produced independent documentaries for Cumbo Media.
ABOUT
PIXELDUST STUDIOS:
Founded in 2006, Pixeldust Studios is an
award-winning, digital animation and broadcast
production studio with expertise in creative
intelligence and a focus on delivering exceptional
client service. Located in Metro Washington, D.C., with
a satellite office in New York City,
Pixeldust Studios employs a world-class roster of
editorial and design talent, and commands the latest
technological tools to visualize and execute any
project.
The winner of 13 National Emmy Awards,
Pixeldust is also the recent winner of a 2016 Regional
Emmy Award for its animation work on the PBS special:
“The National Mall: America’s Front Yard.”
Pixeldust Founders Ricardo and Elizabeth
Andrade oversee the studio’s global client portfolio,
which ranges from broadcast television and entertainment
networks and production companies, to corporate and
retail clients, as well as museums, non-profits,
academic organizations, and scientific research
institutions and organizations.
To view the Pixeldust Studios website,
please see: www.pixeldust.tv
And follow the company on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pixelduststudios
And on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pixelduststudio
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