Efren Ramirez Starring Alongside “Napoleon Dynamite” Cast Mates in Blockchain Animated Series “Cyko KO”

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Efren Ramirez is reporting for cyko duty…

The 50-year-old Salvadoran American actor is reuniting with several of his Napoleon Dynamite cast mates for the blockchain animated series Cyko KO.

The retro-inspired series is notable for being a high-profile pilot powered through blockchain technology.

The pilot stars Jon Heder as Cyko KO, a stunt motorcyclist turned SuperEarth’s greatest hero. Adapted from a web comic, it has recently launched on Rewarded.tv, exclusive for an audience of digital collectible (NFT) holders.

In addition to Ramirez and Heder, the series also stars Tina Majorino, Jon Gries and Haylie Duff. Heder is also executive producer on the pilot through his Verified Labs label.

The show was funded through NFTs on web3 streaming platform Rewarded.tv, and is a production of Replay, THETA Labs, Verified Labs, Rocketship Entertainment, Earworm Media and Simpatico Media.

It’s the first from Rewarded parent Replay to be funded through a digital community who gain access to the show and other perks by investing.

Replay sees the launch as a milestone for production, with tech at the center of everything from funding, through to distribution an engagement.

“With the Replay ecosystem, we’ve been so excited to provide filmmakers with a way not just to fund their movie with their communities, but to actually distribute their productions and continually engage with their fans,” said said Krish Arvapally, CEO of Replay. “And we could not pick a better project to debut than Cyko KO, a fun-loving, family-friendly cartoon that’s really been brought to life by its loyal audience.”

After the pilot’s launch, Replay Digital Collectible holders will be able to access further related web3 content such as missions, badges and collectibles.

Efren Ramirez to Reunite with “Napoleon Dynamite” Cast Mates for Animated Pilot “Cyko KO”

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Efren Ramirez is readying for an iconic reunion…

The 48-year-old Salvadoran American actor and DJ, best known for playing Pedro Sánchez in the 2004 indie film Napoleon Dynamite, will reunite with his old co-workers for a new project.

Ramirez and his fellow stars of the cult classic indie comedy will star in an animated pilot released through blockchain technology.

Ramirez, Jon Heder, Tina Majorino and Jon Gries have all signed on to voice characters in Cyko KO, which is based on Rob Feldman’s Ringo Award-nominated comic book of the same name. Heder, who played a nerdy and lovable high school student title character in 2004 comedy hit Napoleon Dynamite, has been cast in the lead role as the titular Cyko KO.

The character is billed as a “fourth-wall breakin’, pinball-addicted, cereal eatin’, motorcycle-ridin’ hero.” The series will follow him, sidekick Peachy Keen and their pet Meemop, as he protects the colonies of SuperEarth from giant monsters and crazy characters “in this Saturday morning cartoon-inspired, all-ages title.”

A 12-minute pilot will launch exclusively on blockchain tech firm Replay’s Rewarded.TV web3 streaming service, using revenue from an NFT collection from Theta Labs’ ThetaDrop to fund, produce and distribute the project.

The NFTs will unlock the show and other film titles and series, with viewers of Rewarded.TV titles earning Replay’s native RPLAY tokens by watching films, series and live TV through a proprietary watch-to-earn ecosystem. Cyko KO‘s NFTs will also offer additional perks, such as the chance to meet the cast of the show or cameo in the pilot.

The drop date for the Cyko KO Star Cards NFT is 12pm PT Friday (September 30).

Creator Feldman will be showrunner through his Earworm Media operation. Rocketship Entertainment, which he founded in 2019 with Tom Akel, is co-producing alongside Replay and Verified Labs, a Web3 production studio that counts Heder among its founder members.

“The dream has always been to bring Cyko KO to the world of animation, and to do so through bleeding edge technology,” said Feldman. “Between this incredible cast reunion and our partners at Theta, Replay, and Verified Labs, we are going to create something incredibly special for the fans who have supported Cyko and his friends for the past seven years.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Replay and Rob on this drop,” said Kyle Laffey, Head of Partnerships at Theta Network. “Theta continues to build out our video technology and these NFTs are a perfect use case of how we can enable media and entertainment to enter Web 3. It’s only a matter of time before we see more media brands take this route and experiment with entire new business models for funding and distribution. Replay’s platform and Rob’s content are a natural pairing as early pioneers in this space.”

Ramirez to Star in the Untitled Judah Miller Comedy Pilot

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Efren Ramirez may be heading to a television near you…

The 41-year-old Mexican/Salvadoran American actor, who rose to acclaim as Pedro Sánchez in the 2004 indie film Napoleon Dynamite, has been cast in the untitled Judah Miller comedy pilot.

The single-camera project centers on a Tony Award-winning mother (portrayed by Megan Hilty) and a risk-averse, cerebral father who are blessed with a son who is a natural-born competitive athlete. They are forced outside their parental comfort zones and into the high-octane world of youth sports.

Ramirez will play Jose Luis, one of “The Three Bears” — three large men (of varying sizes) who are Irene’s gay Greek chorus. They are the one thing in the suburbs that remind Irene of her days living in Manhattan.

Ramirez’s credits include television appearances on Constantine, Eastbound & Down, Scrubs and George Lopez.

Gonzalez Added to Voice Cast of Fox’s Animated Series “Bordertown”

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Nicholas Gonzalez has booked a ticket to Bordertown…

Fox has announced that the 38-year-old Mexican American actor will voice the character of Ernesto Gonzalez on the network’s new animated series Bordertown.

From Family Guy’s Mark Hentemann and Seth MacFarlane, the series will explore family, politics and everything in between. It centers on two very different families living in a fictional Southwest desert town on the U.S. – Mexico border.

Gonzalez’s character is described as an ambitious immigrant and family man, who has been in the country less than 10 years, but is already doing better than his neighbor Bud Buckwald (voiced by Hank Azaria), which, it turns out, is a bit of an issue for the less-industrious native.

Azaria’s character is a married father of three and a Border Patrol agent who is just a tad behind the times and feels slightly threatened by the cultural changes transforming his neighborhood.

In addition to Gonzalez and Azaria, the voice cast members include Alex Borstein, Missi Pyle, Judah Friedlander and guest voice Efren Ramirez.

Parrilla to Receive NHMC Impact Award

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She may portray the Evil Queen on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, but Lana Parrilla is still a force to be reckoned with… And now she’s being recognized for her impact…

The 35-year-old half Puerto Rican actress will be one of this year’s honorees at the 16th annual Impact Awards ceremony on February 22, 2013 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Sponsored by the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), the Impact Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the positive portrayal of Latinos in media.

Along with recognizing Parrilla, the NHMC will honor Suits’ Gina Torres and Homeland’s Morena Baccarin at the ceremony on February 22, 2013 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Last year’s honorees included the Dog Whisper Cesar Millan, A Beautiful Life’s Chris Weitz, Private Practice’s Benjamin Bratt, Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza, Napoleon Dynamite’s Efren Ramirez, and Fast & Furious’ Michelle Rodriguez.

The NHMC is a non-partisan, non-profit media advocacy and civil rights organization that has been the leader in the mission to educate and influence media corporations on the importance of including U.S. Latinos at all levels of employment; professional development programs; and challenges media that carelessly exploit negative Latino stereotypes.

Ramirez Returning to His Napoleon Dynamite Roots

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He stole the show as the sidekick in the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite… And, now Efren Ramirez is bringing his lovable Pedro Sanchez character back to life…

The 38-year-old Salvadoran and Spanish-American actor will be providing the voice for Pedro, as well as other characters, on Fox’s upcoming Napoleon Dynamite cartoon series.

“It’s awesome, working with the whole gang again,” Ramirez told Access Hollywood. “The minute I got the call, I knew this was going to be good. This is a movie that has appealed to a large audience of all ages.”

Since Ramirez first donned his Pedro garb in Napoleon Dynamite some eight years ago, he’s kept busy with a series of acting roles. He’s appeared in films like Employee of the Month and Nacho Libre, as well as television shows like The George Lopez Show and Eastbound & Down.

In addition to his voice work on the Napoleon animated series, Ramirez will also appear in Will Ferrell’s the upcoming comedy Casa De Mi Padre.

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