Universal Uclick Named Syndication Management Company for United Feature Syndicate
Kansas City, MO (February 24, 2011) “ The Universal Uclick division of Andrews McMeel Universal has announced an agreement with The E. W. Scripps Company to become the full-service syndication partner of Scripps' United Feature Syndicate properties. This agreement includes distribution in both print and digital, effective June 1, 2011. Universal Uclick will manage all aspects of syndication for the Scripps' subsidiary including sales, editorial, distribution, billing, collections, reporting and licensing fulfillment/management.
Under the agreement, United Feature Syndicate properties, including Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy, Marmaduke, Frank & Ernest, The Born Loser, Big Nate and Miss Manners, join the world's largest independently owned print and online syndicate. Universal Uclick has represented iconic strips such as Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and Cathy; currently distributes comic heavyweights including Doonesbury, Garfield, Non Sequitur, For Better or For Worse and Ziggy; and recently announced agreements to syndicate Peanuts and Dilbert. The agreement includes features in the Newspaper Enterprise Association package.
"We could not be more pleased to welcome the inspired creators represented by these features," said John McMeel, co-founder, chairman, and president of Andrews McMeel Universal. "Cultivating and distributing remarkable talent, and nurturing and maintaining relationships, have been the foundation of our business; this association affirms our commitment to both."
"When we began this venture in 1970, and our office was on the 5th floor of a Manhattan walk-up, we would never have believed AMU would be in this position today. However, our goal has always been to represent the best. The addition of these features and creators to our outstanding lineup moves us further toward that goal, and establishes an extraordinary roster that is unmatched in the industry."
"The result of this partnership is formidable," said Hugh Andrews, executive vice president of AMU and president and chief executive officer of Andrews McMeel Publishing. "This agreement with Scripps, as with our recently announced agreements to syndicate Peanuts and Dilbert, confirms that AMU provides the most wide-ranging opportunities for creators and will benefit all with enhanced potential in a variety of areas. We are uniquely qualified to provide distribution in mobile, print, and online through Universal Uclick, and publishing opportunities in books and calendars, both print and electronic, through Andrews McMeel Publishing."
The comic strips and political cartoons featured on Comics.com and GoComics.com will be combined to create the largest daily comic destination site on the web. The website and all related widgets and mobile applications will be available to consumers in June.
Andrews McMeel Publishing has a long-standing relationship with United Feature Syndicate, publishing the New York Times bestselling collections of Dilbert, Get Fuzzy, and the current New York Times bestseller, Big Nate, as well as Pearls Before Swine collections and calendars. Recent and upcoming collections include I'm Tempted to Stop Acting Randomly (Dilbert), Get Fuzzy, Big Nate Out Loud and Pearls Blows Up; and 2011 and 2012 calendars (electronic, wall, and day-to-day varieties) for Dilbert, Brevity, Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, and Peanuts.
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About Universal Uclick
Universal Uclick, a division of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU), is the largest independent syndicate in the world and a leading digital entertainment provider of humor, comic strips, political cartoons, and other content for print, web and mobile devices. Universal Uclick provides editorial development, licensing and other distribution services for iconic brands like Doonesbury, Dear Abby and some of the most significant comics in history including Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Garfield, Peanuts, Dilbert, For Better or For Worse, Cathy, and Ziggy as well as recent hits Lio, Cul de Sac and The Argyle Sweater. It distributes the most popular puzzles and daily word games available, as well as the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists and commentators, including Pat Oliphant and Roger Ebert. AMU's Andrews McMeel Publishing subsidiary is the leading publisher of humor books and calendars in North America. For more information, visit www.UniversalUclick.com.
About Scripps (NYSE: SSP)
The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse, 132-year-old media enterprise with interests in television stations, newspapers, local news and information Web sites, and syndication of news features and comics. The company's portfolio of locally focused media properties includes: 10 TV stations (six ABC affiliates, three NBC affiliates and one independent); daily and community newspapers in 13 markets; the Washington, D.C.-based Scripps Media Center, home of the Scripps Howard News Service; and United Media, the syndicator of news features and comics. For a full listing of Scripps media companies and their associated Web sites, visit http://www.scripps.com/.
Under the agreement, United Feature Syndicate properties, including Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy, Marmaduke, Frank & Ernest, The Born Loser, Big Nate and Miss Manners, join the world's largest independently owned print and online syndicate. Universal Uclick has represented iconic strips such as Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and Cathy; currently distributes comic heavyweights including Doonesbury, Garfield, Non Sequitur, For Better or For Worse and Ziggy; and recently announced agreements to syndicate Peanuts and Dilbert. The agreement includes features in the Newspaper Enterprise Association package.
"We could not be more pleased to welcome the inspired creators represented by these features," said John McMeel, co-founder, chairman, and president of Andrews McMeel Universal. "Cultivating and distributing remarkable talent, and nurturing and maintaining relationships, have been the foundation of our business; this association affirms our commitment to both."
"When we began this venture in 1970, and our office was on the 5th floor of a Manhattan walk-up, we would never have believed AMU would be in this position today. However, our goal has always been to represent the best. The addition of these features and creators to our outstanding lineup moves us further toward that goal, and establishes an extraordinary roster that is unmatched in the industry."
"The result of this partnership is formidable," said Hugh Andrews, executive vice president of AMU and president and chief executive officer of Andrews McMeel Publishing. "This agreement with Scripps, as with our recently announced agreements to syndicate Peanuts and Dilbert, confirms that AMU provides the most wide-ranging opportunities for creators and will benefit all with enhanced potential in a variety of areas. We are uniquely qualified to provide distribution in mobile, print, and online through Universal Uclick, and publishing opportunities in books and calendars, both print and electronic, through Andrews McMeel Publishing."
The comic strips and political cartoons featured on Comics.com and GoComics.com will be combined to create the largest daily comic destination site on the web. The website and all related widgets and mobile applications will be available to consumers in June.
Andrews McMeel Publishing has a long-standing relationship with United Feature Syndicate, publishing the New York Times bestselling collections of Dilbert, Get Fuzzy, and the current New York Times bestseller, Big Nate, as well as Pearls Before Swine collections and calendars. Recent and upcoming collections include I'm Tempted to Stop Acting Randomly (Dilbert), Get Fuzzy, Big Nate Out Loud and Pearls Blows Up; and 2011 and 2012 calendars (electronic, wall, and day-to-day varieties) for Dilbert, Brevity, Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, and Peanuts.
###
About Universal Uclick
Universal Uclick, a division of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU), is the largest independent syndicate in the world and a leading digital entertainment provider of humor, comic strips, political cartoons, and other content for print, web and mobile devices. Universal Uclick provides editorial development, licensing and other distribution services for iconic brands like Doonesbury, Dear Abby and some of the most significant comics in history including Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Garfield, Peanuts, Dilbert, For Better or For Worse, Cathy, and Ziggy as well as recent hits Lio, Cul de Sac and The Argyle Sweater. It distributes the most popular puzzles and daily word games available, as well as the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists and commentators, including Pat Oliphant and Roger Ebert. AMU's Andrews McMeel Publishing subsidiary is the leading publisher of humor books and calendars in North America. For more information, visit www.UniversalUclick.com.
About Scripps (NYSE: SSP)
The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse, 132-year-old media enterprise with interests in television stations, newspapers, local news and information Web sites, and syndication of news features and comics. The company's portfolio of locally focused media properties includes: 10 TV stations (six ABC affiliates, three NBC affiliates and one independent); daily and community newspapers in 13 markets; the Washington, D.C.-based Scripps Media Center, home of the Scripps Howard News Service; and United Media, the syndicator of news features and comics. For a full listing of Scripps media companies and their associated Web sites, visit http://www.scripps.com/.
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