September 5, 2005
Gone to the dogs | Entrepreneur Henry Carlton hopes to make a profit, and prevent pet abuse, with his new line of animated products
By Jeff Pike
The mission: Educate the world about how to take care of pets and other animals. An enormous challenge ˆ but that's essentially the goal of Henry Carlton, a German-born American citizen now living in Windham. What's particularly interesting about Carlton's vision is the approach. He hopes to educate children through comic books, CDs, DVDs and television shows based on stories starring Dr. Woof as the head veterinarian at Pet Springs veterinary clinic, where he's ably assisted by Nurse Meow.
Once his company turns a profit, Carlton says, he plans to allocate 50% of DVD sales toward animal shelters and education centers. He took a major step toward that goal when his Windham-based company, Word-Tone-Picture, in July signed a DVD contract with Riverstar Entertainment, a California video production firm. Carlton is now negotiating with a worldwide distributor for the hour-long DVD, called "Dr. Woof & Nurse Meow's Animal Hospital." "The distributor feels we can sell three million DVDs worldwide," Carlton says.
If negotiations with the distributor proceed as planned, Word-Tone-Picture will start selling the DVD, which retails for $19.95, in early 2006. Carlton's company also began publishing a monthly comic book, distributed in veterinarians' offices across the country, this year.
As an entrepreneur in Germany, Carlton owned businesses including a champagne and wine company and a veterinary clinic. It was at the latter that he first witnessed pet abuse, and was prompted to think about a solution. Kids, he says, were an obvious target. "Most pet abuse comes from ignorance, and studies show that children who abuse pets tend to demonstrate similar behavior towards adults later on in life," he says. "If we can reach children early, it will help them cope with social challenges later on."
Shortly after developing his idea for a company like Word-Tone-Picture in 1993, his application for American citizenship was approved, and he moved to Maine. "I knew the United States was the best place to launch a business," Carlton says. "As the U.S. goes, so goes the rest of the world."
To finance his efforts, Carlton says he literally sold everything he owned. "It was similar to an estate sale," Carlton says. "I've invested about $2 million and a lot of time in the company."
To help pay the bills since moving to Maine, Carlton, 49, has relied on income from another business venture, Lipa USA, which sells dog-waste receptacles across Europe and the United States. With the success of that company, Carlton began dedicating himself full-time to Word-Tone-Picture three years ago. He says that private investors are helping him finance the company, but that he retains majority ownership.
Carlton will attend trade shows in Europe this fall to sell Dr. Woof as a half-hour television show. "We feel confident we can sell our idea," Carlton said. "We will pay for all the production costs in return for the guaranteed airtime. This improves our chances greatly, and once we get guaranteed airtime, we should be able to get financing ˆ about $13 million for 26 episodes."
With Noah's Ark, a nonprofit organization he founded, Carlton envisions a pet-education center in every U.S. state. In addition to educating students, the centers will work with existing shelters to provide professional care for animals and adoption services. He plans to fund Noah's Ark through sales of future DVD titles.
Carlton's business plan calls for the company to generate revenues of approximately $7.5 million in 2006. "We have developed our business plan for 12 years, and through the sponsorships we feel we can line up with major, worldwide companies, we're confident we can achieve profitability next year," Carlton said. "But we're ready to keep the company going even if it takes two to three years."
Once his company turns a profit, Carlton says, he plans to allocate 50% of DVD sales toward animal shelters and education centers. He took a major step toward that goal when his Windham-based company, Word-Tone-Picture, in July signed a DVD contract with Riverstar Entertainment, a California video production firm. Carlton is now negotiating with a worldwide distributor for the hour-long DVD, called "Dr. Woof & Nurse Meow's Animal Hospital." "The distributor feels we can sell three million DVDs worldwide," Carlton says.
If negotiations with the distributor proceed as planned, Word-Tone-Picture will start selling the DVD, which retails for $19.95, in early 2006. Carlton's company also began publishing a monthly comic book, distributed in veterinarians' offices across the country, this year.
As an entrepreneur in Germany, Carlton owned businesses including a champagne and wine company and a veterinary clinic. It was at the latter that he first witnessed pet abuse, and was prompted to think about a solution. Kids, he says, were an obvious target. "Most pet abuse comes from ignorance, and studies show that children who abuse pets tend to demonstrate similar behavior towards adults later on in life," he says. "If we can reach children early, it will help them cope with social challenges later on."
Shortly after developing his idea for a company like Word-Tone-Picture in 1993, his application for American citizenship was approved, and he moved to Maine. "I knew the United States was the best place to launch a business," Carlton says. "As the U.S. goes, so goes the rest of the world."
To finance his efforts, Carlton says he literally sold everything he owned. "It was similar to an estate sale," Carlton says. "I've invested about $2 million and a lot of time in the company."
To help pay the bills since moving to Maine, Carlton, 49, has relied on income from another business venture, Lipa USA, which sells dog-waste receptacles across Europe and the United States. With the success of that company, Carlton began dedicating himself full-time to Word-Tone-Picture three years ago. He says that private investors are helping him finance the company, but that he retains majority ownership.
Carlton will attend trade shows in Europe this fall to sell Dr. Woof as a half-hour television show. "We feel confident we can sell our idea," Carlton said. "We will pay for all the production costs in return for the guaranteed airtime. This improves our chances greatly, and once we get guaranteed airtime, we should be able to get financing ˆ about $13 million for 26 episodes."
With Noah's Ark, a nonprofit organization he founded, Carlton envisions a pet-education center in every U.S. state. In addition to educating students, the centers will work with existing shelters to provide professional care for animals and adoption services. He plans to fund Noah's Ark through sales of future DVD titles.
Carlton's business plan calls for the company to generate revenues of approximately $7.5 million in 2006. "We have developed our business plan for 12 years, and through the sponsorships we feel we can line up with major, worldwide companies, we're confident we can achieve profitability next year," Carlton said. "But we're ready to keep the company going even if it takes two to three years."
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