Anderson Entertainment, the company founded by Gerry Anderson – the man behind such iconic shows as Thunderbirds and Space:1999 as well as modern hits like Space Precinct and the 2005 reimagining of Captain Scarlet, has announced its plans for 2021 – and it’s going to be a busy and exciting year.

An expanded direct-to-consumer and retail merchandising offering, supported by more broadcast and streaming partners for existing television shows and more new content development, will be at the heart of the company’s strategy for 2021.

This strategy will be led by the company’s highly successful e-commerce site, the Gerry Anderson Store, which boasts an expanding list both of licensee-supplied product and new items developed and created by Anderson Entertainment .

With 2020 sales from the Official Gerry Anderson Store having already eclipsed the 2019 figure, Anderson Entertainment is now building on the strength of its direct-to-consumer business and working with new partners. This year will also see many more products – and product categories – launching on the store’s site and through other online and physical retail outlets.

This expansion will be enabled by a new cross-category licence that Anderson Entertainment recently signed with ITV Studios, the underlying rightsholder for many classic Gerry Anderson properties. This licence allows Anderson Entertainment to build on the global recognition of the Gerry Anderson portfolio with expanded product ranges and to build sales opportunities with other retail partners.

On the content side, already-high awareness of the Anderson name will be boosted in 2021 by the arrival of classic shows across even more streaming platforms as well as linear TV, DVD and Blu-Ray. New productions will also be a strong focus. The popular audio drama hit First Action Bureau – developed and produced during the spring lockdown – is now on CD and a new series is planned. Firestorm and the imminent reboot of Terrahawks lead a growing slate of series under development or in production, many of which will be announced later this year.

Supporting all of these exciting plans is a new corporate website. Recently launched, www.anderson-entertainment.co.uk has been redesigned for easier navigation, highlighting the company’s classic and new content,

along with its ongoing IP development, consumer products and services. Investment and partnership opportunities are also a strong focus of the redesigned site.

Jamie Anderson, MD of Anderson Entertainment, says: “We’ve spent a number of years establishing a strong merchandise offering, expanding into new platforms and developing new IP. Anderson Entertainment is now perfectly placed to build on the success of this coordinated strategy. It’s going to be a very exciting 2021!”

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek Magazine) and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War and “Dan Dare”. He’s the writer of "Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies" for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: Animation, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Licensing, Merchandise, Other Worlds

Tags: Anderson Entertainment, downthetubes News, First Action Bureau, Gerry Anderson, Jamie Anderson, Thunderbirds