The proposed animated television show "The Tollman Trio" follows the lives of three high school girls - Madison, Courtney, and Erica. Each episode will focus on overcoming a challenge they face related to their interests, identities, or empowerment. Examples include Madison dealing with sexism in STEM fields and performing in the school musical despite stage fright. The show aims to normalize diverse interests for girls ages 11-15 through humor and small musical elements. It will air on networks like Nickelodeon and be marketed through magazines and organizations supporting strong female characters.

1. Jennifer Principe
COM 410
Prof. Hobbs
October 11, 2012
Assignment #4: Proposal
TITLE: The Tollman Trio
CONCEPT: A best friend girl trio, with interests in science, animals and band, trying to
get through normal high school challenges and celebrations.
CONTENT: There are three main girl characters: Madison, a red haired and energetic
girl who thinks Biology and Geometry are absolutely fascinating; Courtney, a Korean girl
who loves animals and has a passion for community service; and Erica, a Black girl who
plays snare drum and enjoys friendly competition in the musical field. The three girls
have grown up together, and even though they have varying interests, they find lessons
they can learn from one another. They all attend Tollman High School, in the town of
Tollman, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.
In addition to science and math, Madison enjoys singing pop songs, but she is too
shy to ever sing in front of an audience. Courtney struggles with being a bit overweight,
and she often puts herself down about not being ‘pretty enough’. Erica loves competing,
especially in music, but sometimes her ego can get the best of her.
Episode Ideas:
Madison is teased by boys in her classes for being a girl and having interests in
the science and math fields. She has to stand up to them and prove that girls can
excel in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field,
just as well as boys do.

2. Madison wants to audition for the annual spring musical but she is too shy to
audition, nevertheless sing in a production on stage. She learns to get over her
stage fright, finds the courage to sing and allows herself to be criticized by others.
Courtney enjoys community service and she plays a huge part in the school’s
Habitat for Humanity chapter. However, she has a hard time finding others who
care about service, because they’re just involved to fulfill community service
hours.
Courtney is a bit overweight and she does not consider herself pretty or
attractive. When she goes shopping for a dress for the Homecoming Dance, she
struggles to be happy with the way she looks.
Erica is an assertive female on the school’s drum line, but she doesn’t get respect
from her male peers. She wants to be treated equally but when she lands a solo
in the show, they just give her grief about it.
Erica lives for band and drum line and more than anything, she loves winning
first place in the competitions against other high schools. When the band falls
apart and they land in last place at a competition, she is upset and has to learn
that marching band is all about being a team, in good times and bad.
GENRE & FORMAT: The show would be an animated television show airing in half hour
segments on Nickelodeon or similar children’s network. Each show will feature a
different story line and teach a new lesson. The episodes are each their own separate
story, however, they will follow a normal school year in order. The episodes will focus
around: high school events (school musical, SATs, preparation for college, dances,
homecoming, football games, pep rallies, etc.), acceptance of being different from the

3. norm, encouragement for girls to do what they love, female empowerment. The
episodes will be more focused on humor than drama. The show will also contain a small
musical element to it. The show will have small parts of Madison singing by herself and
in the school musical. There will also be segments of band and drum line, featuring
Erica and the Tollman Band.
AUDIENCE and DISTRIBUTION: Aimed towards girls, ages 11-15, various
demographics. The show features girls who may have interests that are not as popular,
but it normalizes those interests, no matter what gender or ethnicity. It may also appeal
to the mothers of these girls because of the good nature of the show’s lessons.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: Other television shows that feature high school aged girls,
such as: As Told by Ginger (animated), Wizards of Waverly Place (live action).
APPEAL: It features girls who are normal and enjoy hobbies that are not as popular as
others. They are relatable characters in real life situations.
DISTRIBUTION: The show can be viewed both on television when it airs, or on the
internet, on the network’s website.
MARKETING/PROMOTION/LICENSING/MERCHANDISING: The network that has
the show can run commercials leading up to the premier. The show can be advertised in
magazines for teen girls (YM, Teen Vogue, Seventeen) and magazines for mothers
(Better Homes, Vogue, People). We would contact Amy Jussel, founder of Shaping
Youth, who would probably support the show on her website. We would also get in
touch with the organization Miss Representation, because they would enjoy seeing a
show with strong, realistic female characters. Finally, we would contact Spark a

4. Movement, who also would be a fan of the characters on the show. All three of the
groups/ people just mentioned would hopefully be able to promote the show and want
to invest in it because of the values and lessons within it.