Ryan Carassi Omnimedia Europe (RCO EUROPE) has taken on the broadcast rights of The Red Harlequin, the YA fantasy book-based property created by Roberto Ricci.
RCO will present the multi-platform IP to international broadcast and production market at Mipcom for the first time.
Founded in 2008 by multi-talented artist Ryan Carrassi, RCO EUROPE is part of The Happy Team Group (HTG), an omnimedia enterprise dedicated to theatrical, digital and broadcast distribution, home entertainment, and music publishing activities worldwide.
RCO EUROPE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of both Omnimedia and third-party content in Europe to digital and television platforms including online, mobile devices, and emerging technologies. Additionally, RCO manages the global licensing of its portfolio content.
“We are so proud to represent The Red Harlequin project,” commented Nicola Ryan Carrassi, founder and President of HTG. “Following the worldwide explosion of Wattpad in the last two years, we have been scouting thousands of potential new phenomenon to develop in 2018/19 – and The Red Harlequin is absolutely top of the list. We are teaming up with select companies that will work together with RCO to build an exciting and powerful new franchise out of the unique fantasy world created by Roberto Ricci,” he added.
Author Roberto Ricci added, “We are delighted that RCO Europe will be representing The Red Harlequin at Mipcom. Thanks to the agency’s vast experience in the industry, and their unbridled enthusiasm and belief in the project, I am confident that they will be able to secure the right TV partner for the property.”
The Red Harlequin is the brainchild of author, journalist and former kids media executive, Roberto Ricci. The property and its ancillary spin-offs are based on Ricci’s YA fantasy book series featuring the saga of Asheva, an aspirational teenager living in a complex world divided among Chrome Nations, where everyone lives hidden behind a mask. Drawing inspiration from events such as the Arab Spring, Indignados and Occupy Wall Street, The Red Harlequin is a visually stunning and highly engaging allegory on society, religion, politics, morality and revolution.
Since the publication of the first novel on WATTPAD, where it shot to #12 on their Adventure/Fantasy list in two weeks and received 10,000 reads a month, the franchise has developed across several different platforms, including publishing, graphic novels, music and licensing.
In publishing, five of ten planned books are sold on Amazon where they have topped several best-seller lists; worldwide French rights are held by Editions Ada, a specialist in Youth, Young Adult and Adult fiction, and French co-publisher of the Divergent trilogy; and the graphic novel, produced by Ricci with artist and graphic illustrator Alessandro Tarabelli, is represented by graphic novel specialist VIP Brands.
