Orlando, Florida-based ITEC Entertainment is no stranger to show business-in a big way. The 15-year-old company designs and develops location-based entertainment, like amusement park services and attractions, family entertainment centers and themed retail outlets worldwide. Now the company is heading into TV production with Desktop Warriors and The Singing Castle.

ITEC’s VP of business development Daniel West explains that ITEC will put its own money and staff into the projects, farming out animation but handling the writing and art direction in-house. West says he is looking for co-pro partners for both series, which both carry per-episode price tags of between US$200,000 and US$300,000.

Desktop Warriors is about a boy who just can’t stop himself from daydreaming in school. ‘Mitchell is your average grade-school kid,’ West explains. ‘In class, he becomes Gold Leader, so in the first episode his (daydreamed) jet plane crashes into a wall and he is thrown back to the reality of his first day of school.’ The series will be a mix of 2-D animation and live action. Pitched to ages seven to 14, the 13 x half-hour series (which West says could go to 26 eps) is scheduled to go into production in Q1 2000, with a projected delivery of Q1 2001.

The Singing Castle is geared to a younger crowd, the two to six set. An enchanted carousel transports children into the magical world of The Singing Castle, where 2-D animated wildlife jam with the kids. West says ITEC is considering turning the series into a ‘talking head’ for a location-based entertainment site, as well as going ahead with the 26 x half-hour TV series. ITEC is shooting for the same production schedule and delivery date as Desktop Warriors.

ITEC will retain all non-broadcast-related rights to both properties, but is looking for partners to pick up some of the distribution rights.

For news on ITEC’s in-store programming, see ‘ITEC unveils store programming

for the Internet Age,’ page 70.