TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Corus Entertainment
Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) has purchased a majority stake in Academy
Award® and Emmy Award® nominated
production company Aircraft Pictures Limited, founded in 2005 by
Canadian producing team Anthony Leo
and Andrew Rosen. The deal marks an
important investment in supporting Aircraft Pictures' and Corus'
growth ambitions in producing quality kids and family-focused
entertainment for the global marketplace.
"Bringing Aircraft Pictures' demonstrated creative capabilities
and entrepreneurial talents into the Corus orbit will help to
accelerate our strategy of expanding our global content business,"
said Colin Bohm, EVP of Content
& Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment. "We are thrilled to
be in business with two of the most respected producers in the
industry."
Aircraft Pictures produced the Oscar® nominated animated feature
film The Breadwinner in 2017; the Emmy Award® nominated
live-action series Holly Hobbie; the
hit trilogy of family-friendly television movies based on the
Gordon Korman Bruno & Boots novels, which first aired on
YTV in 2017; and the recently announced animated series Summer
Memories. Aircraft Pictures has a robust slate of
family-friendly scripted projects that are poised to capitalize on
market demand for that genre, and Corus' investment will assist
Aircraft Pictures in expanding its capacity for developing,
financing and producing premium content, with a focus on
international co-productions.
"Andrew and I are truly fortunate to work with outstanding
creative talent, exceptional co-producing partners and distributors
and world-class broadcast and streaming platforms," said
Anthony Leo, Co-President of
Aircraft Pictures. "As we plan to grow the company in new and
exciting ways, the additional resources that this landmark step
provides will increase the value Aircraft Pictures can extend to
our partners exponentially."
Andrew Rosen, Co-President of
Aircraft Pictures, adds: "Having worked with Corus for many years
achieving tremendous success with the Bruno & Boots
films, we're looking forward to turning this exciting partnership
into a legacy of family-friendly content that resonates with
audiences around the world."
This investment builds on Corus' growing content business, with
Aircraft Pictures joining venerable studio Nelvana, respected
publisher Kids Can Press, and Corus Studios, each of which brings
best-in-class content to leading platforms such as Nickelodeon,
Discovery, the CW, Netflix, hulu, and Amazon.
About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc.
(TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops
and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for
audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the
company's portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty
television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television
stations, a suite of digital and streaming assets, animation
software, technology and media services. Corus is an
internationally-renowned content creator and distributor through
Nelvana, a world class animation studio expert in all formats and
Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and
unscripted content. The company also owns innovative full-service
social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin
Canada, leading 2D animation software supplier Toon Boom and
children's book publishing house, Kids Can Press. Corus' roster of
premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada,
Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, Adult Swim, National
Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca,
Q107, Country 105, and CFOX, along with broadly distributed
Canadian streaming platforms STACKTV, Nick+, the Global TV App and
Curiouscast. For more information visit www.corusent.com.
About Aircraft Pictures
Based in Toronto with an office in Los Angeles, Aircraft Pictures was founded by
Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen to create high quality, scripted
content for kids, families and young adults. Recent projects
include the Hulu Original series Holly
Hobbie; the multi-award winning animated feature film
The Breadwinner; three television movies based on the
Bruno & Boots book series by Canadian young adult
fiction icon Gordon Korman; the supernatural comedy series Todd
& The Book of Pure Evil and the Kidscreen Award-winning
single-camera comedy Raising Expectations created by
Tom Saunders (Arrested
Development) and starring Jason
Priestley and Molly Ringwald.
Aircraft also collaborated on C.S.I. creator Anthony E. Zuiker's internet motion picture
Cybergeddon and the NBC Universal web series Heroes
Reborn: Dark Matters. For more information, visit
www.aircraftpictures.com
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SOURCE Aircraft Pictures; Corus Entertainment