BACK TO SCHOOL

Showering in Old Faithful, Yellowstone

Is it back to school or back to work for you? We’ve had a wonderful vacation time and had the opportunity to see various parts of the world. Now the mornings are beginning to feel colder and there’s a hint of autumn in the air and it really is time to get our heads down and get back to work. Or should I say Mummy needs to get back to work, while I lay around all day staring at her. Just making sure she is working hard enough while cracking the occasional whip. 

Holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa

There’s lots coming up over the next few months and after my recent re brand and new look there’s new people added to Team Zuma the Dog. We welcome Sarah Camp from Weird Lime who is now our marketing, PR and licensing agent, along with Ruth Leonard from Hello Communication who is also working on Team Zuma. I am personally looking forward to them spending most of their waking hours thinking of me and I’m looking forward to working with them.

This brilliant team have years of experience working with well-known character brands and bringing them to market and their first big mission will be representing Zuma the Dog and Brand Licensing Europe, to be held and London's Olympia on the 9^th to 11^th October 2018. They have some fabulous ideas for licensing going forward that I’m sure all of you in the business will love to see.

My suggestion (and take that as more of a cheeky Zuma nudge (possibly with teeth)) 😉 is to make your appointment to see the team sooner rather than later.  

See you there!

Much Love

Zuma XX

A more serious personal note from Mummy

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary since I was violently attacked for the last time in my own home by the one person who vowed to protect me. It was the last time he would physically attack me, although the mental abuse continued to follow years after we divorced. After surgery to repair the damage he caused to my face, I laid in my hospital bed for days baffled as to how, me, a successful, intelligent woman from a middle class background would find myself in this situation. Every day since, I run the events over in my head trying to figure out a way in which I could have reacted differently to prevent such an attack. It was not the first, though I made sure (as he was so close to ending my life) that it would be the last. I live with the memories of that horrific day and the others that lead up to that final attack everyday and although diagnosed with PTDS, I will never allow what he did to me rule my life and take credit for what I have become. Unfortunately my perpetrator went on to attack others leaving them also with terrible emotional and physical scars and because of the amazing UK justice system, this man is still walking the streets (that's a whole other conversation). 

The point I would like to make is that we all go through difficult times, but it's what you take from those experiences and make them work for you is what counts. Life is a series of lessons and its about owning them and learning from them no matter how terrible and using them for your own personal growth. Yes, I still have nightmares and there are times where to go out of the front door makes me want to vomit, but I will never allow one persons heinous actions depict how I live my life, after all it was him with the problem. My therapy is to keep pushing forward with my business to make it a success. I know seeing my brand on TV and in stores all over the world will be a constant reminder to him of what he did. He will never get away from it and my revenge (for want of a better word) is success within my personal and professional life.  

Domestic violence does not discriminate. The after effects do not disappear. I WILL always speak out about my experience because I have nothing to be ashamed of. It's about education, speaking out and breaking down barriers to stamp out domestic violence and bullying of any kind.This experience lead me to write my books, create my award winning brand  and character everyone loves and take me on an incredible journey. I am proud of that! 

I am proud of me!

 #stopdomesticviolence
#metoo

What's out there?

“Zuma! It’s bed time. Do you want wee wees?”

The front door to our log cabin opened as it did every night, ready to let me out for my evening wee before I snuggled with my family in our beanbag for the night. I was met with the usually deep darkness that comes with living in the middle of nowhere. The winter was tough and the cooling spring air was fresh as a night lay still. The blackened forest opposite was quiet, until…..

“Shhhh. Can you here that?” My human breathed gently.

My senses kicked in as my tails stood to attention, twitching in the dark. I couldn’t see a thing in the black, though my nose picked up a smell as my ears pricked up and turned my head to its side to make sense of what I was hearing. Out of the blackness I could hear it. Behind the felled tress and piled up logs cut down by the woodsman, not 10 meters from our secluded home was the start of the forest and a deep thump of a heavy footstep as it cracked sticks and logs in its wake. Something was out there. Something big. We had seen many deer come close to our home before and we had heard of various creatures living out there in the dark, but this, this was nothing we would expect. It was a deep, booming footstep from something large, something heavy, something unusual, something scary. 

What's out there? 

First snow fall in October made for pretty photo's of our forest

-16 degrees in the Swiss Alps. Everything Froze

Zuma has never known it so cold.

The snow didn't stop him from enjoying his walks. 

President Zuma the Dog refuses to step down!

An important announcement 

I would like to take this moment to address the recent events in which there are rumours of my imminent resignation. So that there is no confusion I would like to confirm I am still the president and muse of the children’s entertainment brand Zuma the Dog and the rumours you hear are in fact, fake news.  

I am still just a dog who lives and plays in the Swiss Alps. Over seeing the work my Mum does that has made me the adorable character you all know and love.  The allegations of corruption are simply untrue, unless you consider my barking profusely as the postman and growling at empty plates until I am given the left overs a violation of my presidency and then, of that I am guilty. 

Merchandise for you

I hope this statement has prevented any confusion. I can confirm I work hard at being cute (and its not always easy) for the benefit of my fans and followers. I demand the best efforts of those around me and give my Mum a hard time if she doesn’t walk me enough and take enough photos of me for you all to keep up with my day to day life. I act to the best of my ability for you all, to be naughty enough to inspire my Mum to create new stories and merchandise for you all to enjoy. I pledge to you all, my beloved fans that I will continue with my outstanding work and with that I refuse to step down from my presidency.

Until next time

Much Love

Zuma xx

Ongoing President of Zuma the Dog

Entertainment character

All Change Ahead for Zuma

It seems like forever since the last time I put paws to keyboard to update you on life as the muse of a kid’s brand, so much has happened, including moving countries. Yes, that’s right, I left the beach of my precious Guincho Beach in Portugal and swapped it for the mountains of Switzerland. Mummy said it was a good move for everyone and I get to meet new doggy friends and learn another language. Language is important for a multi-traveling dog like me, so now I find myself learning to woof German and living on top of a hill with fields and trees all around. The view across to a mountain is breath taking and I have funny four-legged neighbours that eat a lot of grass, who wear these large bells around their necks, ding-donging all day and make a kind of Moo sound. I’ve never seen such a funny looking creature, but they keep themselves to themselves and I’m happy to watch them all do their thing.

I’ve taken my time to settle in. It’s been a big change. I’m enjoying the long walks through the forest and there’s always something that catches my interest. New sounds, new smells and lots of new people. I had a little run in with an electric fence while on a bog walk down a mountain, but I'm ok. Something new to learn about. I think I’m going to like it here.

With all the changes with our home, Mummy seems to have still found time to work and she tells me she now has a sales agent who will be working alongside her and the licensing agent to sell our clothing range into retailers within the UK. She seems to be very happy about that. She’s busy working on the Winter 2018 collection, creating fun styles for you and these items will be in stores and online next winter to buy.

Can you imagine how exciting it is to see your own face on the T-shirt in the front window of a shop?

Until next time

Much Love

Zuma xx

Small Dog in Best 90 List

Award winning brand gets listed

Brand owner Samantha Morgan-Bertish is celebrating today when she discovered her latest book Zuma the Dog: The Dinosaur Guy was listed in The Best Children’s Books of 2017 compiled by Tutora.

Zuma the Dog: The Dinosaur Guy available now to buy on Amazon

The list was compiled by tutora.co.uk to encourage parents and children to explore new opportunities for reading. They reached out to 100s of book reviewers, authors, illustrators and independent book stores for recommendations on what to include.

 “I was stunned to receive the news my book had been nominated.” Says Bertish. “And I am honoured my book is being so well received. It’s amazing to be included on this list with such acclaimed authors such as Julia Donaldson and Philip Pullman.”

While the book continues to sell on Amazon, fans of Zuma the Dog will be happy to know this particular story will soon be available to watch as a part of Zuma the Dog’s animated series on the children’s entertainment platform Kidscast TV. Dates for its release are yet to be confirmed.

Small Dog Requires Kids Clothing Agency

Brand owner Samantha Morgan-Bertish is searching for the perfect children’s clothing agency to work with to grow her brand within the UK. The online brand has had success selling through various online marketplaces and trialled their products in Pop-up shops and are now ready to see their clothing line on the shelves of retailers and independent boutiques in the UK and are looking for experienced agents to make this possible.

 It’s important to the brand owner that Zuma the Dog remains a true “British” brand with is design and manufacturing being in the U.K and focussing its sales growth here too.

“Finding the right agency to represent our unique brand with our fun colourful style is important to us.” Says Samantha. “With the launch of our digital VOD series in the summer, it’s important to partner with the right team to manage the rapid growth we expect from the exposure we will gain from our children’s series and build strong long term business relationships.”

Zuma the Dog kids brand was created in Somerset in 2009, inspired by the family pet and welcomes agencies, wholesalers and distributors to make contact via email at zuma@zumathedog.com or call 07778669680