UPenn kidvid coin to Unapix

By VARIETY STAFF

The U of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center has awarded a $200,000 grant to Unapix Entertainment and the Entertainment Group to fund the development of an educational children's TV series called "Young Heroes."

The think tank's ultimate goal is to study the behind-the-scenes creative process that influences the development of a children's TV series. Kidvid advocates involved with the center's Children's Television Programming Project aim to document "the issues and challenges confronting producers ... seeking to obtain clearances for quality children's programming."

Unapix's docudrama series will showcase "ordinary children from around the world confronting extraordinary circumstances." The Annenberg grant is co-funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.