Emmy-winning studio to create children's series on Vancouver artist's NFTs
TIME Studios, the Emmy Award-winning TV and film production division of TIME, will be developing an original children’s series based on Wil Lee and Cassandra Chan’s NFT collection, “the littles.”
Lee told Daily Hive that the opportunity to work with TIME Studios feels “completely surreal”.
together we have built an amazing community + one that will continue to take @thelittlesnft to new heights!
we are honored to announce our official partnership with @timestudiosfilm & beyond excited for what’s to come…
catch us on the big screens 🤩📺https://t.co/sgZoHRp8mL pic.twitter.com/Q9neHdALYb
— thelittles (@thelittlesnft) March 10, 2022
“Being able to work with a world-class iconic brand like TIME is never something that I’d even dream of,” said Lee. “What makes me most proud and excited is how we can actually create something impactful inspired by my daughter and now we get to honour that through creating a show on precisely that.”
Lee was inspired to create “the littles” last November by his young daughter Jordyn. According to Chan, the two-and-a-half-year-old constantly reminds them to slow down and enjoy life.
Wil Lee/Submitted
“Wil and I both fell into a deep rabbit hole of NFTs and loved everything about the space,” said Chan. “He was inspired to make ‘the littles’ by our daughter who always appreciates and enjoys the little things in life. This inspired the name and the project, and of course, the characters are also very little.”
There were 10,000 unique “the littles” NFTs available at launch and all were minted within the first two minutes. Lee told Daily Hive that the NFTs have generated over $40 million in secondary market transactions.
“Response to ‘the littles’ has been tremendous as this became a safe haven for so many to escape their mundane day-to-day and the craziness of the real world,” shared Lee. “Project has been very rewarding because I’m doing something that I enjoy so so much and aligned with what I believe in.”
Cassandra Chan/Submitted
TIME Studios is also a big fan of “the littles,” which is why it chose the collection as only their fourth NFT-based property.
“NFTs are allowing us the opportunity to work with diverse creators that cover a broad range of ages and world-views,” said Maria Perez-Brown, Head of Kids & Family, TIME Studios in a release. “Lee reaches into his experience as a young dad, navigating fatherhood while trying to balance a demanding career as an entrepreneur, and provides a wholesome experience through his characters that captures the magical way that young children engage with the world.”
Keith A. Grossman, President, TIME also added that the creativity and built-in audiences of NFTs make for perfect IPs for the screen.
“Wil is an incredible thought-leader and entrepreneur within the web3 space, and the littles is one of the most positive, optimistic communities out there, which aligns perfectly with the values of TIME,” said Grossman.
The success of “the littles” has also allowed Lee and Chan to give back to the community and support causes that are close to their hearts. From the sales of the NFTs, they were able to help fund Canada’s first registry for pediatric thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to create less hemoglobin.
Wil Lee, Cassandra Chan, and Jordyn at BC Children’s Hospital/Submitted
“We are lucky enough to be able to fund this cause and aid in the research for thalassemia through the project sales,” Chan said. “Our daughter has a variant of thalassemia. Through her experience at BC Children’s Hospital, the specialists dedicated to this program have offered so much support, education, and comfort to us as new parents.”
“The littles” are keeping Lee busy, as the artist and angel investor will be a speaker at Gary Vee’s VeeCon, an NFT conference in May that will also feature Snoop Dogg, Deepak Chopra, and Hasan Minhaj. He will also be sharing his experiences at NFT.NYC in June alongside other top Web3 creators.
And Lee and Chan will be hard at work with TIME Studios to bring their NFT universe to screens in the future.
“the littles”/Submitted
“Being of Asian descent, to create something so authentic to me and my family is an honour,” said Lee. “‘The littles’ is a project I’m proud to share with my daughter, as it encompasses an educational, fun and inclusive ideology, which our incredible community has embraced.
“Web3 has enabled me to share my roots globally and has blessed us with the opportunity to work with a cultural pillar-like TIME Magazine. This is a dream come true and we’re just getting started.”
To learn more, head to thelittles.io
Community Partnership Content