| Type | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Genre | Children's television, wildlife shows |
| Founder(s) | Mary Carole McDonnell |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Key people | Mary McDonnell (Founder and President) Boyd McDonnell (Vice President and Executive Producer) Peter McDonnell (Head of Business Development and Producer) |
| Products | Television production, television programs |
| Subsidiaries | Midori Entertainment, LLC |
| Website | www.longneedleentertainment.com |
LongNeedle Entertainment is a Los Angeles, California-based television production company that specializes in producing animal, pet and nature television programs for children and families, including the children’s wildlife shows Animal Atlas[1] and Safari Tracks[2] and special programs featuring pets. LongNeedle uses its extensive high definition footage library to create multiple-season shows for domestic and international distribution.
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Animal Atlas is produced by Midori Entertainment, LLC, a subsidiary of LongNeedle Entertainment Corporation. In the fall of 2008, the fifth season of Animal Atlas began airing in nationwide syndication. As of February 2009, LongNeedle will have produced over 190 episodes of Animal Atlas, comprising almost 8 seasons. Animal Atlas is produced in high definition, but is currently syndicated in standard definition.
Animal Atlas is a 30-minute educational wildlife show that "takes children on a tour of discovery, uncovering the secrets of how animals live and thrive. Young viewers meet animals from the familiar to the astounding, and the domesticated to the wild, including the diverse creatures of the African savanna, the finned and flippered of the big deep, and the colorful cast of the equatorial rainforest".[3]
Safari Tracks is a 30-minute educational wildlife show focusing on African wildlife, comprising 52 episodes and produced in standard definition.
LongNeedle's programs Animal Atlas and Safari Tracks are syndicated nationally in the United States and air in all top 25 distribution markets. In 2008, Animal Atlas was broadcast to over 85% of US households. Animal Atlas also airs in high definition on the VOOM HD Network, in Spanish on Telefutura, and in many languages internationally.
In September 2008, LongNeedle partnered with home entertainment distributor NCircle Entertainment to release Animal Atlas on DVD and distribute the show online. The first DVD, Animal Passport, was released on December 23, 2008. Two additional DVDs were released in April of 2009.
In December 2008, LongNeedle and educational digital content distributor kidthing teamed up to offer select episodes of Animal Atlas in kidthing's store for download.[3]