Cartoon Livestream App Toonstar Launches out of Beta with Seed Funding from Science Inc. and New Shows from Skybound Entertainment
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 12, 2017 -- Toonstar, the app that lets anyone livestream their own cartoon shows, today launches out of beta and announces seed funding led by startup studio Science Inc. with participation from Jon Goldman’s GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, Manta Ray and Social Starts. For its public launch, Toonstar is rolling out new app features and hosting new exclusive shows from popular livestreaming stars and Skybound Entertainment, the multiplatform entertainment company behind The Walking Dead.
Founded by former Warner Bros. and Disney digital media and strategy executives John Attanasio and Luisa Huang, Toonstar enables users to become a cartoon character via facial recognition technology and then livestream and create videos for their fans from anywhere. Fans can interact with characters in real time, and creators can leverage that data to help more effectively and efficiently develop compelling characters and story.
Toonstar has pioneered a new format of animated entertainment and created the simplest way to produce your own cartoon show. During three months in beta, the app organically attracted more than 20,000 users who consumed more than 500,000 hours of livestreamed content. Toonstar cartoons have been viewed more than 50 million times, and the animation app is behind some of the top shows on livestreaming video, including PoppyTV which is a Top 10 show on Live.ly.
With the launch out of beta, Toonstar users will now be able to livestream right in the Toonstar app and can continue to connect with popular video and live streaming platforms including Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Musical.ly, Live.ly and more. The Toonstar feed will feature top show broadcasts and episodic content for viewers to tune in and engage with. And in true cartoon fashion, users can buy everything from sticks of dynamite to falling anvils to interact with their favorite characters and engage with the narrative in a way that's never been possible before.
“With Toonstar, we’re making it easy for anyone to star in their own cartoon shows, and share them with the world,” said John Attanasio, co-founder & CEO of Toonstar. “We’re honored to be working with startup studio Science Inc., which brings deep expertise in scaling early stage ventures and is the force behind multiple Top 10 apps. We are also thrilled to be hosting exclusive shows from Skybound Entertainment, which has created some of the best television shows, graphic novels and games of all time.”
Following the launch out of beta, Toonstar will host exclusive shows from Skybound, which will be turning several of its comic book properties into Toonstar shows, and will feature cartoons created by livestreaming stars with a combined audience reach in the millions.
“We’re excited to partner with Toonstar because we believe cartoon livestreaming has many unique advantages from both a consumer and production perspective,” said Catherine Winder, CEO of Skybound North Entertainment and producer of The Angry Birds Movie and Star Wars; The Clone Wars. “Realtime interaction allows fans to connect directly with their favorite characters in a ground-breaking way. The immediate feedback received from these interactions has the ability to influence the development of characters and worlds in a nimble manner typically unheard of in this medium.”
“Toonstar has created an entirely new format of entertainment for the livestreaming age,” said Michael Jones, co-founder & CEO of Science Inc. “We see the potential for it to turn into a next-generation Cartoon Network for Generation Z and beyond, and we’re thrilled to be working closely with the team as they build and grow this new medium.”
"Toonstar is at the forefront of making facial recognition technology accessible to everyone, from kids to professional influencers. The app offers users an opportunity to star in their own show without leaving their home," said Jon Goldman, founder of GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund. "They have created a gateway for the next generation, and we’re excited to partner with such an innovative company.”
Toonstar can be downloaded for free in the App Store. For more information visit toonstar.com.
About Toonstar
Toonstar has pioneered a new format of animated entertainment and created the simplest way to produce your own cartoon show. Founded by former Warner Bros. and Disney digital media and strategy executives John Attanasio and Luisa Huang, Toonstar enables users to become a cartoon character via facial recognition technology and then livestream and record videos to their fans from anywhere. Fans can interact with characters in real time, and creators can leverage that data to help more effectively and efficiently develop compelling characters and story. Toonstar’s investors include Science Inc., Jon Goldman’s GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, Manta Ray and Social Starts, and it’s headquartered in downtown Los Angeles. For more information visit http://www.toonstar.com.
About Skybound Entertainment
Founded in 2010, Skybound Entertainment is a multiplatform entertainment company that houses projects ranging from television, film, digital content, comics, interactive gaming, and live events. Skybound Entertainment is responsible for such television hits including The Walking Dead , Fear the Walking Dead and Outcast . Moving into the digital content space, Skybound produced the first ever narrative VR series, Gone, for Samsung’s Milk VR platform and in 2017 will produce VR horror series Lies Within, which is the first project out of Skybound’s partnership with interactive theatrical company Delusion. Skybound recently announced the film adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s second longest running comic series Invincible, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg attached to direct, write, and produce the movie for Universal. Additional newly announced Skybound projects include Five Year , Mastermind and Heroes and Villains: The History of Comics, and My Singing Monsters in the animated space.
About Science Inc.
Science Inc. is the disruptive media, marketing and brand building company that creates, invests, acquires and scales successful digital businesses. Science brings together the best ideas, talent, resources and financing through a centralized platform. The platform is leveraged to develop new businesses, provide emerging startups with operational strategy and capital and transform later-stage Internet ventures with new talent and innovation. The company has co-founded and invested in more than 70 companies, including Dollar Shave Club, DogVacay, HelloSociety, FameBit, Earny, Pray and Mammoth, the media company that reaches 30% of U.S. teens every month through social broadcasting and App Store top 100 apps like Wishbone and Yarn. For more information, visit http://www.science-inc.com.
About GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, LP (Tracker)
Tracker is a vertically focused investment fund dedicated to supporting seed stage companies across the VR, AR, video game and e-sports sectors. The fund is managed by Jon Goldman, a Greycroft Venture Partner, and leverages his network and Greycroft’s early-stage investment expertise and infrastructure to offer value to early-stage companies innovating in these spaces. Tracker is independent of Greycroft’s family of core funds but counts Greycroft, a leading venture capital firm focused on investments in the Internet and mobile markets, as an LP and close business partner.
Maggie Squires, Moxie Communications Group, 901-230-6514, [email protected]
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