The Company is expanding its kids and
family division by opening a third animation studio this week; its
first to be based in the U.S.
The Vancouver-based multiplatform content producer
continues scaling-up to meet global demand for premium
content
First project at the L.A. studio is in
production
VANCOUVER, Feb. 5, 2020 /CNW/ - Thunderbird Entertainment
Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC - THBRF) (Thunderbird or
the Company), today announced the expansion of its kids
and family division, Atomic Cartoons, with the opening of its
Los Angeles animation studio. The
new studio's first project is already in production for a major
global broadcaster.
The L.A. studio will be led by Matthew
Berkowitz, Chief Creative Officer of Thunderbird and Atomic
Cartoons. Aaron Behl and
Kristin Cummings, Co-Vice
Presidents, Atomic Originals, will also hold senior leadership
roles.
"We are thrilled to expand our L.A. footprint with the opening
of an animation studio to house our local showrunners, directors,
writers, designers, storyboard artists and editorial teams. Similar
to our studios in Vancouver and
Ottawa, we plan to provide a
supportive and creative environment for these tremendously talented
individuals to achieve the best work of their careers," says
Berkowitz. "With the ever-increasing industry demand for premium
original content, the new studio is a stellar opportunity to work
with the amazing animation talent base in L.A., and partner up with
our award-winning creative teams in Canada."
With established partnerships that include key players like
Netflix, Disney, NBCUniversal, PBS, Lego and Spin Master, Atomic
Cartoons is well-positioned to continue growing to meet the demand
for high-quality animated content. The L.A. animation studio will
house the Atomic Originals team and primarily focus on pre-and-post
production – including writing, directing, storyboarding, design,
casting and recording, and editorial.
The L.A. Atomic Originals team, which formed in October 2016 with the hiring of Berkowitz, has
developed and produced recent high-profile projects in
collaboration with the Vancouver
studio including The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier and Hello Ninja by N.D.
Wilson, both now streaming on Netflix. Its upcoming slate includes
an adaptation of the #1 New York Times
bestselling Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim, Eerie Elementary by
Max Brallier, and a series in
collaboration with global lifestyle brand tokidoki, as well as
other projects yet to be announced.
By operating three studios across North America, Thunderbird is scaling-up to
expand both its owned-IP slate and its capacity to provide
heightened service to trusted media partners around the world.
Thunderbird's second animation studio, Atomic Ottawa, opened its
doors 15 months ago. The expansion into Ottawa, initially housed 14 animators and has
experienced incredible success. Today it houses 90 animators and
has become a household name for top industry talent.
Atomic's roots began with the Vancouver studio which was established in 1999
by a small group of talented artists, including Trevor Bentley, who remains with the company
today as an Executive Vice President.
"The opening of our third animation studio is another major
milestone for Thunderbird and Atomic, allowing greater access to
incredible talent and the ability to continue to create premium
content across the industry," says Jennifer
Twiner McCarron, Chief Executive Officer of Thunderbird and
Atomic Cartoons. "I am so proud of Matt
Berkowitz and the entire L.A. Atomic team! Our new L.A.
studio will continue to build on the success of our last three
years in L.A. and I am beyond thrilled about what is ahead for
Thunderbird, not only at our new L.A. hub, but across the entire
Company."
With the studio now open at Suite 100 – 2233 North Ontario
Street in Burbank, California,
Atomic has capacity for 880 crew members across its three
facilities. The existing offices for Atomic Cartoons in L.A. will
also be integrated into the new facility to create a full-fledged
production hub.
About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.
Thunderbird
Entertainment Group is a Vancouver-based global multiplatform
entertainment company with offices in Vancouver, Los
Angeles, Toronto,
Ottawa and London. Thunderbird creates
award-winning scripted, unscripted and animated programming
for the world's leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian
and International broadcasters. Thunderbird's vision is to produce
high quality, socially responsible content that makes the
world a better place. The Company develops, produces and
distributes animated, factual and scripted content through its
various divisions, including Thunderbird kids and family (Atomic
Cartoons), Thunderbird factual (Great Pacific Media) and
Thunderbird Productions. Thunderbird also has a division based in
the United Kingdom dedicated to establishing partnerships
with production companies to develop the Company's intellectual
property (IP) and growth in key international territories.
Thunderbird is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @tbirdent.
For information on Thunderbird and to subscribe to the Company's
investor list for news updates, go to www.thunderbird.tv.
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SOURCE Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.