Josh Wakely

Josh Wakely is an Australian director, screenwriter, and producer. He created the Netflix original animated series "Beat Bugs."[1][2]

Wakely secured rights to three of the world’s most prestigious music publishing catalogues – The Beatles, Motown, and Bob Dylan – for the purpose of creating film and television projects based off them.[3][4]

Background

Wakely was raised in Newcastle, an industrial town three hours north of Sydney on the East Coast of Australia. He studied acting at Australia’s Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) before transitioning behind the camera and into the world of storytelling.[5]

Wakely is a principal partner at Grace: A Storytelling Company, his film and television production company, based in Sydney and Los Angeles.[6]

Beat Bugs

Wakely is the creator, director and producer of the children’s animated series “Beat Bugs,” which Netflix premiered globally on August 3, 2016.[7][8] Australia’s Yahoo7 premiered the series on July 25, 2016 on 7Two.[9][10][11][12][13] Netflix will premiere Season 2 of the show on November 18, 2016.[14]

Inspired by music by The Beatles, the series tells uplifting and life-affirming stories filled with hope and melody. For the show, Wakely acquired the worldwide rights in a deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to record covers of the entire Lennon/McCartney ‘Northern Songs’ music catalogue.[4][15] He enlisted featured artists to cover songs in the show who include: Pink, Eddie Vedder, Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, Aloe Blacc, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Sia, The Shins, James Bay, Chris Cornell and Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers.[16][17][18]

Wakely’s production company, Grace: A Storytelling Company, produced the series with Beyond Screen Production and Thunderbird. The Beat Bugs soundtrack is a joint release of Wakely’s newly formed label Melodia and Universal Music’s Republic Records.[19]

Beat Bugs' 'Yellow Submarine' episode won the 2016 AWGIE Award in Animation. Awarded by The Australian Writers' Guild, the AWGIE Awards recognize and reward excellence in performance writing.

Other TV Projects

Wakely is currently developing two other television series. Using the rights he secured to the Jobete catalogue of Motown classics, he is developing another animated series for Netflix that’s based off these songs. Smokey Robinson will serve as executive music producer.[20][21]

Wakely has also secured the rights to international music icon Bob Dylan’s entire 600-plus song catalogue and is creating a television series based on that music, tentatively entitled “Time Out of Mind.” Written and directed by Wakely, the series will be based off the characters and themes in Bob Dylan’s music.[22][23]

In 2010, Wakely served as a writer on the acclaimed family series “Lockie Leonard,” which was nominated for a BAFTA and won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Children's Drama.[24]

Film Projects

Wakely wrote and directed “My Mind’s Own Melody,” a cinematic modern musical that came out in 2011 and was accepted into the 2013 New York Film Festival.[25][26] The short film featured original music and lyrics by former Silverchair front-man Daniel Johns and stars Golden Globe Award winner Lisa Gerrard.

Wakely has optioned the rights to the best-selling memoir Half a Life, which tells the haunting story of one man’s 20-year struggle with the accidental death of his high school classmate.[27]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Sisario, Ben (27 July 2016). "Beetles Do Beatles: Music Coup for an Animated Netflix Show". New York Times.
  2. ↑ Frazier, Kevin (24 August 2016). "New children's Netflix series puts new twist on Beatles' music". CBS This Morning.
  3. ↑ Karp, Hannah (28 July 2016). "How Netflix's 'Beat Bugs' Creator Tapped Rights to Beatles Catalog". Wall Street Journal.
  4. 1 2 Lee, Chris (4 August 2016). "TV Projects Tap Into Beatles, Motown and Dylan Music Catalogues". Variety.
  5. ↑ Shedden, Iain (23 July 2016). "Beatles revived for kids TV show Beat Bugs by Daniel Johns, Josh Wakely". The Australian.
  6. ↑ Dickson, Jeremy (28 July 2016). "Netflix brings on the tunes with new Motown and Beatles toons". Kidscreen.
  7. ↑ Rodman, Sarah (3 August 2016). "How Netflix's 'Beat Bugs' creator scored so many Beatles tunes and got Sia and Eddie Vedder to sing". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ↑ Porch, Scott (3 August 2016). "How 'Beat Bugs' Sells the Beatles to a New Generation". Rolling Stone.
  9. ↑ "Animating The Beatles". The Daily Edition. 23 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "World's biggest artists team up for new screen project". Sunrise Australia. 23 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Zuel, Bernard (25 July 2016). "Australian filmmaker turns The Beatles into the perfect children's show soundtrack". Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. ↑ McCabe, Kathy (24 July 2016). "Reinventing the Beatles for kids show Beat Bugs has given Daniel Johns a new lease on life in LA". New Corps Australia.
  13. ↑ Williams, Vanessa (18 July 2016). "Bugs belt out Beatles' tunes". The West Australian.
  14. ↑ Marinucci, Steve (27 July 2016). "Rod Stewart, Jennifer Hudson & More Added to 'Beat Bugs' Beatles Kids Series". Billboard.
  15. ↑ Keaveney, Bill (10 February 2016). "Exclusive: Netflix's 'Beat Bugs' has ticket to ride Beatles tunes". USA Today.
  16. ↑ Ivie, Devon. "Hear Sia, James Corden, and More Cover the Beatles for Netflix's Animated Show Beat Bugs". Vulture. New York Magazine. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  17. ↑ Bacle, Ariana (31 July 2016). "Sia and P!nk cover the Beatles for Netflix's Beat Bugs". Entertainment Weekly.
  18. ↑ Helman, Peter (27 July 2016). "Hear The Shins Cover The Beatles For Netflix's Beat Bugs". Stereogum.
  19. ↑ Applefeld Olson, Cathy (3 August 2016). "Netflix Orders Motown-Themed Animated Series for Kids". Billboard.
  20. ↑ Grant, Sarah (28 July 2016). "Smokey Robinson Producing Motown-Inspired Children's Series". Rolling Stone.
  21. ↑ Karp, Hannah (27 July 2016). "Motown-Inspired Children's Series Heading to Netflix". Speakeasy. Wall Street Journal.
  22. ↑ Sisario, Ben; Koblin, John (15 April 2016). "Bob Dylan-Inspired Drama Is in the Works". New York Times.
  23. ↑ Makela, Bob (12 August 2016). "And the Beat Goes On". Emmy Magazine.
  24. ↑ Shedden, Iain (23 July 2016). "Beatles revived for kids TV show Beat Bugs by Daniel Johns, Josh Wakely". The Australian.
  25. ↑ Yates, Rod (24 August 2016). "'Beat Bugs' Brings the Beatles' Music to Life". Rolling Stone Australia.
  26. ↑ "THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER Announces HBO On Cinema Conversations, NYFF Emerging Artists & NYFF Shorts Selections at the 2013 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL". Indiewood. 8 September 2013.
  27. ↑ Manning, James (19 July 2016). "Beat Bugs: How a young Aussie writer landed rights to 300+ Beatles songs". Mediaweek.
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