Keith Vincent Chapman (born 1 December 1958) is a British television writer and producer, best known as the creator of children's television programmes Bob the Builder,[1] Mighty Express, Fifi and the Flowertots and Paw Patrol.[2][3]
Keith Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Keith Vincent Chapman 1 December 1958 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England |
| Occupation(s) | Television writer, producer |
| Known for | Paw Patrol Bob the Builder Mighty Express Fifi and the Flowertots Roary the Racing Car (executive producer) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life
editChapman originates from Norfolk, East Anglia, though some of his formative years were spent in Basildon, Essex where he went to Nicholas Comprehensive School.[4] He attended art college at Great Yarmouth College of Art and Design in Great Yarmouth.[5]
Career
editHe worked for Jim Henson International, designing characters related to the Muppets, before leaving to pursue a career in advertising.
While freelancing as an agency art director in the early 1990s, Chapman worked on his own creations, one of them being Bob the Builder, who was created after he spotted a JCB backhoe loader on a work site and thought they could bring it to life with cartoon eyes, which became the character Scoop (then named "Digger"), followed by other machines, and then thought the machines needed a human operator, which led to the creation of Bob, eventually showing it and his other creations to Peter Orton, executive chairman of HIT Entertainment,[1] and Orton, sensing potential in Bob the Builder, acquired the intellectual property rights and created a television show based on the property. The deal saw Chapman retain a share of the copyright and also a contractual clause which sees his name appear on all merchandise related to the character including an appearance on the blockbuster film Elf.[1]
Bob the Builder was produced at Manchester's HOT Animation studio, with Curtis Jobling's character and set designs. As of 2005[update] the show had generated around £1 billion in international retail sales. Chapman invested his share of the profits to set up his own television production and rights ownership company, Chapman Entertainment, stating his belief that "the closer involvement of creative talent can get more out of a property over the longer term".[1]
In 2005, Chapman created Fifi and the Flowertots.
In 2007, Chapman produced Roary the Racing Car.
In 2013, Chapman created Spin Master's Paw Patrol.
In 2020, a new show from Chapman named Mighty Express was announced,[6] premiering on Netflix in September of the same year.
In 2022, Chapman partnered with MXT[7] to create an NFT project called Moonie Moo.[8]
Personal life
editChapman resides in Monaco. His son William is the co-founder of kid's clothing brand Roarsome.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Carter, Meg (28 April 2005). "Bob the Builder's gaffer prepares to unleash Fifi on world's tots". The Guardian.
- ^ "How do you create a hit kids' TV show? - BBC News". BBC. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Paw Patrol - the last kids' show to dominate TV screens?". The Straits Times. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Creator of Bob the Builder speaks at school". Echo. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Fisher, Alice (17 September 2023). "'The buildings were a sign of civic pride': anger as art colleges around the UK close their doors". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Netflix Announces CG-Animated 'Mighty Express' Series from 'PAW Patrol' Creative Team".
- ^ "MXT".
- ^ "Moonie Moo".
- ^ "'I'm totally anonymous': the man who has made millions from your children's favourite TV shows". Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.