Making sports fans of
the diaper set
By LORENZA MUNOZ
Los Angeles Times,
6/26/06
LOS ANGELES
- Former
Walt Disney Co. Chief
Executive Michael
Eisner knows a thing
or two about
captivating children
with cartoon
characters. Now he is
hoping to hook kids on
college sports -- even
before they walk or
talk.
Eisner's new
entertainment
business, The Tornante
Company, announced the
purchase of Team Baby
Entertainment, a
start-up company that
makes college-sports
booster videos aimed
at children ages six
months to 5 years.
The 30-minute
videos, each featuring
a different
university, shows
children in football
jerseys and
cheerleading outfits
running, dancing and
playing to the
school's fight song.
Among the 20 produced
so far, there is
''Baby Irish'' for
Notre Dame, ''Baby
Aggie'' for Texas A&M
and ''Baby Cowboy''
for Oklahoma State.
While there are
scores of
child-friendly
educational videos,
ranging from the Baby
Einstein series to
Sesame Street,
apparently not much
was available for
parents eager to get
their kids excited
about their alma
maters.
Team Baby's
32-year-old founder
Greg Scheinman, was
one of those parents.
He wanted to share his
love of the University
of Michigan's football
and basketball
traditions with his
then 1-year-old son
Auden.
Finding nothing
(and living in Texas),
Scheinman decided to
make one 30-minute
video, called Baby
Longhorn, which stars
Auden and introduces
young viewers to the
University of Texas'
sports teams, mascot
and campus.
One year later, dad
says Auden recognizes
the Michigan
Wolverines and can do
the Texas ''hook-em
horns'' sign.
In addition to the
dressed-up toddlers,
each video gives a
child-friendly glimpse
of that particular
school's campus,
mascot, and marching
band antics.
In one year, the
company has sold
35,000 units at $19.95
retail, said Scheinman.
They are sold through
the company's Web site
as well as stores such
as Learning Express, a
children's toy store.
The terms of the
deal were not
disclosed but Eisner
holds full ownership
and Scheinman will
remain chief
executive.
The Team Baby
acquisition is part of
a broader effort by
Eisner's new company
to acquire media and
entertainment content.
In April, Tornante,
together with Spark
Capital, Shelter
Capital Partners and
Time Warner Inc.,
announced a $12.5
million investment in
Veoh Networks, Inc., a
San Diego based
company that delivers
video and television
programming over the
Internet. Eisner is on
the board of
directors.
Eisner also began
hosting his own talk
show on CNBC's
''Conversations with
Michael Eisner'' in
March.
Eisner's decision
to purchase Team Baby,
surprised even
Scheinman who lives in
Houston and started
his company with a
$200,000 investment in
April of last year.
Scheinman said he
and Eisner bonded over
their New York roots,
their fondness for
camp, (Eisner
published a memoir
about his camp
experiences) and their
bicycle tours through
the French Bordeaux
region.
''We hit it off
right away,'' said
Scheinman, noting that
Eisner drove his own
rental car and arrived
without an entourage.
''He is very gifted at
making you feel
comfortable.''
As the company's
owner, Eisner will
give Team Baby the
access to cash and
entertainment industry
contacts to help it
grow, said Scheinman.
Eisner, who retired
from the Walt Disney
Co. last fall,
presided over Disney's
transformation from a
struggling company
worth $1.6 billion
into a nearly
$32-billion global
empire with 10 theme
parks, the ABC
television network,
cable channels such as
ESPN.
The former
executive has been
circumspect about his
new ventures -- other
than to name his
company Tornante,
which he picked up on
a bicycle tour of
Italy and means a
change in direction.
Scheinman said he
is optimistic Team
Baby will strike a
chord with today's
parents. ''At the end
of the day it's a
really good
business,'' he said.
''We want to put out
really fun,
heartwarming,
educational
interactive product.''
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