Los Angeles – June 15, 2016 – Satellite of Love LLC, in partnership with Shout! Factory and Joel Hodgson, has enlisted industry veteran Elie Dekel, former President of Saban Brands, as strategic brand advisor and worldwide consumer products licensing agent for the iconic entertainment brand MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (MST3K).  As strategic brand advisor and master licensing agent, Dekel will guide the branding, licensing and expansion of the long-lasting fan favorite television series. The announcement was made today by Satellite of Love principals Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, Garson Foos and Joel Hodgson.

Dekel says: “Mystery Science Theater 3000 is one of those rare entertainment brands that has consistently grown its audience over more than twenty-five years through smart comedy, creative innovation, and a sincerely devoted fan community.  Now, that legion of passionate ‘MSTies’ has banded together to bring MST3K back to life, with the largest film and television crowdfunding campaign ever.  The result is an all-new eleventh season coming soon to a massive and highly devoted audience.”

Satellite of Love and Dekel have been working closely on the development of global licensing programs for MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. They will be meeting potential partners, licensees and retailers at Licensing Expo 2016 in Las Vegas (June 21-23) to discuss MST3K brand extension opportunities across all categories, including publishing, digital gaming, apparel and accessories, collector products, art, and room décor.

The relaunch of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 and its new consumer products licensing program are an integral part of Satellite of Love’s long-term strategy to support this evergreen pop culture brand. The highly successful MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER Kickstarter campaign (December, 2015), spearheaded by Shout! Factory and Hodgson, surpassed the goal of fully funding the production of 14 new episodes and set a new world record as the highest-funded Film and TV crowdfunding campaign of all time!

Beloved by a strong legion of fans worldwide and ranked by top media culture critics as one of the best cult television shows of all times, Mystery Science Theater 3000 follows the motley crew of a human host and his two robot sidekicks aboard the Satellite of Love. The hapless host, trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space, is forced to watch some of the most outrageously unfortunate B movies ever created. To keep sane, he’s built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery.

Created by Joel Hodgson, Mystery Science Theater 3000’s national broadcast life began in 1989 on the Comedy Channel. The format proved to be popular, and during its eleven years and 198 episodes (including three seasons on the Sci-Fi Channel and one feature film), Mystery Science Theater 3000 attained a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. The series won a Peabody Award in 1993, and was nominated for writing Emmys® in 1994 and 1995.  In late 2015, Shout! Factory acquired the global IP rights to this long-running cult comedy series and entered into an agreement with creator Joel Hodgson to produce new episodes.

About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Factory Productions, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.