WATERSIDE STUDIOS SIGNS TWO LIVE ACTION DEVELOPMENT DEALS WITH LATIN AUTHOR MARCELA CITTERIO

 The Girl who Didn’t Want to be a Princess and Uma Ghost To Be Developed for TV Internationally

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For Immediate Release

TORONTO, October 11, 2023 – Corus Entertainment’s Waterside Studios, an IP and production venture focused on bringing premium scripted Canadian content for youth and primetime audiences internationally, announced today two new development deals. The studio is set to produce live-action television adaptations of Marcela Citterio’s The Girl who Didn’t Want to be a Princess and Uma Ghost for young adults around the globe.

“Waterside Studios is honoured to bring to life two great stories from a fantastic storyteller who connects with global audiences and has a proven track record of successful shows in the Latin, North American and European markets,” said Jeff Norton, Head of Waterside Studios. “The stories are complementary yet completely different, but audiences can expect premium, family entertainment with comedic elements and unsuspecting plot twists.”

The Girl who Didn’t Want to be a Princess follows 18-year-old Aurora who is a Formula 1-obsessed girl with albinism who plans every detail of her life in Buenos Aires. She has no time for love, thinks the monarchy is overrated and accidentally goes viral for saying princes are boring puppets. Aurora’s life takes a dramatic turn when she falls in love with poor Tiziano, who is actually a prince from a neighbouring island in disguise.

In Uma Ghost, Emmeline is a millionaire, rebel, and an orphan. She gets caught vandalizing her school and is sent to live with a new family, where she is forced to sleep in the room of their late daughter Uma. The adventures unfold one night when Emmeline discovers her mission is to help the family heal and to help her new friend Uma transition to life and love in The Ghost World via the closet in their bedroom.

“The Girl who Didn’t Want to Be a Princess and Uma Fantasma are two of the most important books of my life, as they truly embody my thirty years of storytelling experience.” said Marcela Citterio. “Being able to work hand-in-hand with Waterside Studios and Corus Entertainment to develop these characters and their stories into a TV series that gives them an innovative audiovisual narrative, a dimension that would not have been possible otherwise, is beyond any of my dreams. I’m grateful and excited that these industry giants trust me and my publisher, The Orlando Books, to support and co-create my visions, I know that together we will take the art of storytelling to new heights and I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve created.”

Following the success of her last book adaptation Lady Voyeur on Netflix Brazil, along with her past successes for young audiences with Chica Vampiro and Yo Soy Frankie, The Girl who Didn’t Want to be a Princess and Uma Ghost are the latest titles added to her growing list of adaptations for streaming platforms and Latino TV channels.

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About Corus Entertainment Inc. 
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company’s portfolio of multimedia  offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital and streaming platforms, and technology and media services. Corus is an internationally-renowned content creator and distributor through Nelvana, a world class animation studio expert in all formats and Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and unscripted content. The company also owns full-service social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada, and children’s book publishing house, Kids Can Press. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Magnolia Network Canada, The HISTORY® Channel, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX, along with streaming platforms STACKTV, TELETOON+, the Global TV App and Curiouscast. Corus is the domestic advertising representative and an original content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, which is the leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service. For more information visit www.corusent.com.

About Waterside Studios
Waterside Studios is an IP and production venture focused on bringing premium scripted Canadian content for youth and primetime audiences to the Canadian and international marketplace. Waterside Studios collaborates with independent producers as well as joining forces with Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content. Together with Nelvana, Waterside Studios brings a slate of live-action programming into Corus Entertainment’s overall content offering for global audiences. Waterside Studios is headed up by executive producer Jeff Norton, known for his work in bringing best-selling books to the screen.

About Marcelo Citterio
Writer, screenwriter, and founder of The Orlando Books. In 2020, she was named “Outstanding Personality of Culture” by the Government of Buenos Aires City, thanks to her international career. Among her most successful stories are currently, “Olhar Indiscreto” which, one week after its premiere on Netflix, achieved 34,370,000 hours viewed, ranking in the top 10 within 57 ountries, and at number 4 in the global ranking of Spanish-speaking series. “De corazón”, 1997 (Martín Fierro Best Novel, Telefe); “Los buscas de siempre”, 2000 (Canal Nueve); “Amor en custodia”, 2005 (Martín Fierro Best Novel, Telefe); “Patito feo”, 2007 (Canal 13); “Corazón valiente”, 2012 (Telemundo, USA); “Chica Vampiro”, 2013 (RCN-Televideo-Netflix); “Yo soy Franky”, 2015 (Nickelodeon-Televideo); “Noobees” 2018 (Nickelodeon); “Heidi, welcome home”, 2017 (Nickelodeon-Netflix); “Heidi, welcome to the show”, 2020 (Prime Video). In addition to writing, Marcela enjoys horseback riding and spending time with her daughter, son, and seven dogs.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Brittany Bell, Associate Publicist
Corus Entertainment
416.479.3384
brittany.bell@corusent.com

Stacey Grimshaw, Senior Publicity Manager
Corus Entertainment
416.479.6082
stacey.grimshaw@corusent.com