9 Story Media Group
 Logo used since 2018 | |
| Formerly | 9 Story Entertainment (2002–2014) |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | September 2002 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | 23 Fraser Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Vince Commisso (president, CEO) Cathal Gaffney (COO) Angela C. Santomero (2019–2023) (CCO)[2] Lisa Olfman (executive producer) Neil Court (executive chairman) |
Number of employees | 1,100 (2019) |
| Parent | Scholastic Corporation (2024–present) |
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | 9story |
9 Story Media Group (formerly known as 9 Story Entertainment) is a Canadian media production, animation studio, and distribution company founded in September 2002 by Vince Commisso and Steven Jarosz.
History
[edit]As 9 Story Entertainment
[edit]The company was founded in September 2002 as 9 Story Entertainment by Vince Commisso (an ex-Nelvana producer) and Steven Jarosz so Commisso would be able to work on Peep and the Big Wide World.[4] On September 21, 2006, 9 Story launched an international distribution division headed by former Universal Studios executive, Natalie Osborne, known as 9 Story Enterprises.[5]
9 Story produced its first live-action series, Survive This, from 2008 until 2010, but ran for two years. On September 20, 2011, 9 Story Entertainment became the co-producer and distributor of the animated series Arthur, replacing WildBrain's predecessor. 9 Story would produce the series from seasons 16 to 19.[6][7] On April 8, 2013, 9 Story announced that it would acquire the kids & family distribution library of CCI Entertainment;[8] the acquisition was completed on July 24.[9]
As 9 Story Media Group
[edit]
On October 10, 2014, 9 Story Entertainment changed its name to 9 Story Media Group with Neil Court and Zelnick Media Capital becoming majority owners of the company a few months prior.[10][11] On August 18, 2015, 9 Story Media Group acquired the Dublin-based animation studio Brown Bag Films.[12][13]
On October 6, 2015, 9 Story announced an agreement with U.S.-based toy manufacturer Mattel to relaunch/reboot Barney & Friends and Angelina Ballerina under license from HIT Entertainment for planned releases in 2017, but nothing was heard from them in terms of either production or release since then.[14][15] On May 25, 2016, 9 Story acquired the global distribution rights to Garfield and Friends.[16][17]
On October 21, 2016, 9 Story's distribution arm, 9 Story Enterprises, was rebranded as 9 Story Distribution International and moved operations from Toronto to Dublin.[18] On October 15, 2017, 9 Story rebranded its Toronto 2D animation studio after Brown Bag Films, with the Ireland studio becoming 9 Story's production branch for both 2D and 3D animation across Dublin, Manchester, and Toronto. At the same time, Brown Bag Films became one of 9 Story's main divisions, alongside 9 Story Distribution International.[19][20]
On January 12, 2018, 9 Story announced that they had acquired production company, Out of the Blue Enterprises, for an undisclosed amount and rebranded them to 9 Story USA. 9 Story also acquired the rights to the Colorforms brand.[21][22] On May 13, 2018, 9 Story unveiled an updated logo and announced the launch of 9 Story Brands, a consumer products division.[23]
On July 10, 2018, 9 Story acquired the kids & family distribution catalog and development slate of Breakthrough Entertainment.[24] On February 4, 2019, 9 Story announced that they had acquired Bali-based animation studio BASE for an undisclosed amount, and rebranded it as Brown Bag Films.[25][26] On April 1, 2019, 9 Story signed a deal with Scholastic Corporation to distribute 230 half hours of programming, which would bring 9 Story's overall content library at the time to 4,000 half hours of programming.[27] In 2022, Commisso and John Galway won the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's Board of Directors Tribute Award at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards.[28]
On February 5, 2024, 9 Story acquired Portfolio Entertainment, another company in Toronto, including its distribution catalogue, development slates, and production. Portfolio CEO Lisa Olfman became an executive producer at 9 Story, where she will report to Commisso.[3] On March 12, 2024, Scholastic announced that they would acquire complete economic interest and minority voting rights in 9 Story for $186 million; the transaction closed on June 21, 2024.[29][30][31]
Original productions
[edit]Original series
[edit]| Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Year(s) | Production partner(s) / Co-production(s) | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peep and the Big Wide World | Kaj Pindal | 2004–07, 2010–11 | WGBH Boston Eggbox LLC National Film Board of Canada Discovery Kids Original Productions |
TVOKids (Canada) Discovery Kids/TLC (seasons 1–3) Public television syndication (seasons 4–5) (U.S.) |
Owned by WGBH Educational Foundation |
| If the World Were a Village | 2005 | YTV (Canada) | |||
| Jacob Two-Two (season 5) | 2005–06 | Nelvana | Owned by Nelvana | ||
| Skyland | Emmanuel Gorinstein Alexandre de La Patellière Mathieu Delaporte |
2005–07 | Method Films | France 2 (France) Teletoon (Canada) |
|
| Postcards from Buster (seasons 2–3) | Marc Brown (original characters) Natatcha Estébanez |
2006–12 | Marc Brown Studios WGBH Boston Cookie Jar Entertainment |
PBS Kids Go! | Owned by WGBH Educational Foundation |
| Max & Ruby (seasons 3–5) | Rosemary Wells | 2007–13 | Nelvana | Nick Jr. (U.S.) Treehouse TV (Canada) |
Owned by Nelvana |
| Futz! | Vadim Kapridov | 2007–08 | Teletoon (Canada) | ||
| Best Ed | Rick Marshall (d): J.D. Smith |
2008–09 | Teletoon (Canada) Cartoon Network (Europe) |
||
| Survive This | Les Stroud | 2009–10 | YTV (Canada) | ||
| Wibbly Pig | Wibbly Pig series by Mick Inkpen |
Wish Films | CBeebies (Europe) TVOKids/Knowledge Kids (Canada) |
||
| Spliced |
Simon Racioppa |
Nelvana | Teletoon (Canada) | animation only | |
| Pound Puppies (season 1, episodes 1–7) | David Sacks (d): Wendy Moss Klein Nancy Steingard Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere |
2010 | Hasbro Studios | The Hub/Hub Network | Owned by Hasbro Entertainment |
| Wild Kratts | Chris Kratt Martin Kratt |
2011–present | Kratt Brothers Company | TVOKids/Knowledge Network (Canada) PBS Kids (U.S.) |
|
| Almost Naked Animals | Noah Z. Jones (d): Doug Hadders Adam Rotstein |
2011–13 | YTV (Canada) | ||
| Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood | Angela C. Santomero | 2012–present | 9 Story USA Fred Rogers Productions |
PBS Kids (U.S.) CBC Kids (Canada) |
|
| Fugget About It | Nicholas Tabarrok Willem Wennekers (d): Jeff Abugov |
2012–16 (original) 2024–25 (shorts) |
Darius Films | Teletoon at Night (seasons 1–2) Adult Swim (season 3) YouTube (shorts) |
First adult animated television series produced by the company. |
| Arthur (seasons 16–19) | Marc Brown (original characters) (d): Kathy Waugh Marc Brown |
2012–16 | WGBH Boston | PBS Kids (U.S.) CBC Kids (Canada) |
Owned by WGBH Educational Foundation |
| Cache Craze | 2013–14 | YTV (Canada) | |||
| Creative Galaxy | Angela C. Santomero | 2013–19 | 9 Story USA Amazon Studios |
Amazon Video | |
| Camp Lakebottom | Eric Jacobson Betsy McGowen (d): Meghan Davies Shelley Hoffman Robert Pincombe |
2013–17 | Skywriter Media Jam Filled Entertainment (season 1) |
Teletoon (Canada) Disney XD (U.S.) |
|
| Peg + Cat | Jennifer Oxley Billy Aronson |
2013–18 | 9 Ate 7 Productions Fred Rogers Productions |
PBS Kids (United States) Treehouse TV (Canada) | |
| Numb Chucks | Phil LaFrance Jamie LeClaire |
2014–16 | Jam Filled Entertainment | YTV (Canada) | |
| Get Ace | D.J. McPherson Jack Christian |
2014 | Galaxy Pop Filmology Finance |
Eleven (Australia) | distribution only |
| Nerds and Monsters | Josh Mepham Kathy Antonsen Rocchio Greg Sullivan Vito Viscomi |
2014–16 | Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. | YTV (Canada) | |
| The Stanley Dynamic | Ken Cuperus | 2015–17 | Amaze Film + Television Nelvana |
animation only | |
| Nature Cat (seasons 1–3) | Adam Rudman David Rudman Todd Hannert |
2015–21 | Spiffy Pictures WTTW Chicago |
PBS Kids (U.S.) | |
| 3 Amigonauts | Kyle Marshall (d): Laurie Elliott Terry McGurrin |
2017 | Corus Entertainment | YTV (Canada) | |
| Furze World Wonders | Jeff Copeland Stephen Sloot |
YouTube Red | |||
| The Magic School Bus Rides Again | 2017–20 | Scholastic Media | Netflix | ||
| Top Wing | Matthew Fernandes (d): Scott Kraft |
Industrial Brothers | Treehouse TV (Canada) | ||
| Let's Go Luna! | Joe Murray | 2018–22 | Brown Bag Films | PBS Kids (U.S.) TVOKids (Canada) |
|
| Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum | 2019–present | PBS Kids (U.S.) | |||
| Blue's Clues & You! | Traci Paige Johnson Todd Kessler Angela C. Santomero (d): Traci Paige Johnson Angela C. Santomero |
2019–24 | Brown Bag Films Nickelodeon Animation Studio |
Treehouse TV (Canada) Nickelodeon (U.S.)(seasons 1–4a) Nick Jr. (U.S.)(season 4b) YouTube (season 5) |
Owned by Paramount Skydance |
| Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019) | 2019–21 | 100 Chickens Productions Brown Bag Films Scholastic Media Amazon Studios |
Amazon Prime Video PBS Kids |
||
| Get Rolling with Otis | 2021 | Brown Bag Films | Apple TV+ | ||
| Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show | Jack McBrayer Angela C. Santomero |
2021–22 | Jax Media Brown Bag Films |
||
| Karma's World | Chris Bridges (d): Wendy Harris Rachel Kalban Jennie Stacey |
Karma's World Entertainment Brown Bag Films Netflix Animation Studios |
Netflix | ||
| Rosie's Rules | Jennifer Hamburg (d): Karen Fowler |
2022–present | Brown Bag Films | PBS Kids (U.S.) TVOKids (Canada) |
|
| Lu & the Bally Bunch | Nicky Phelan (d): Sarah Lonsdale Jennie Stacey |
2023 | Brown Bag Films Bhean Productions Limited |
Cartoonito CBC Kids (Canada) |
|
| Open Season: Call of Nature[32] | (d): Jennie Stacey Kent Redecker |
2023–24 | Sony Pictures Animation Brown Bag Films Toronto |
Family Channel (Canada) | Owned by Sony Pictures |
| Dee & Friends in Oz | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (d): Keion Jackson Halcyon Person |
2024 | Brown Bag Films | Netflix | |
| Breaking Bear[33] | Julien Nitzberg | 2026–present | Evoke Entertainment Portfolio Entertainment To The Stars |
Tubi | Second adult animated television series produced by the company; uncredited |
| Upcoming | |||||
| Clifford the Big Red Dog (2027)[34] | 2027 | Scholastic Entertainment Brown Bag Films |
|||
| Dragon Girls[35] | TBA | ||||
Feature films and specials
[edit]| Title | Year | Network(s) / Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars | March 19, 2010 | Movie Central/The Movie Network (Canada) Disney Channel (U.S.) | |
| Angela's Christmas | November 30, 2018 | Netflix | co-production with Brown Bag Films |
| Angela's Christmas Wish | December 1, 2020 | ||
| Blue's Big City Adventure | November 18, 2022 | Paramount+ | co-production with Nickelodeon Movies, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Brown Bag Films, Boxel Animation and Line by Line Media |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Contact". 9 Story. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story Appoints Angela C. Santomero as Chief Creative Officer". 9 Story. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- 1 2 Layton, Mark (February 5, 2024). "9 Story Media acquires Toronto-based producer & distributor Portfolio Entertainment". TBI Vision. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ↑ "About - 9 Story Media Group". Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ↑ "9 Story Launches New Distribution Division Led by Former Universal Studios Executive". September 21, 2006. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story becomes the Co-Producer and Distributor of new season of WGBH children's series ARTHUR®". 9 Story. September 20, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ↑ Wolfe, Jennifer (September 29, 2015). "Oasis Animation Tapped for New Seasons of 'Arthur'". Animation World Network. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ↑ "9 Story Entertainment to acquire CCI Entertainment's extensive Children's and Family Catalogue" (Press release). 9 Story. April 8, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story completes acquisition of CCI Entertainment's Children's and Family Catalogue". 9 Story. July 24, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ↑ "ZM Capital and Neil Court make equity investment in 9 Story Limited". Zelnick Media Capital. July 13, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ↑ Wolfe, Jennifer (October 10, 2014). "9 Story Entertainment Rebrands as 9 Story Media Group". Animation World Network. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Acquires Award-Winning Animation Studio Brown Bag Films" (Press release). 9 Story. August 18, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ↑ "Irish Producer Brown Bag Acquired". The Hollywood Reporter. August 18, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ↑ Vlessing, Etan (October 6, 2015). "MIPCOM: 'Barney & Friends' Set for Relaunch by Mattel, 9 Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ↑ "Mattel Inc Together with 9 Story Announce New Partnership to Relaunch Iconic Pre-School Brands 'Barney & Friends' and 'Angelina Ballerina'" (Press release). 9 Story. October 6, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Acquires Worldwide Rights to Iconic Series Garfield and Friends" (Press release). 9 Story. May 25, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story acquires global rights to Garfield toon". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. May 25, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Launches International Distribution Operation in Dublin, Ireland" (Press release). 9 Story. October 21, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Rebrands Toronto Studio To Brown Bag Films" (Press release). 9 Story. October 15, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ↑ "Mipcom: 9 Story Media Group's Toronto Animation Studio Rebranding as Brown Bag Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. October 15, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Acquires Out of the Blue Enterprises". 9 Story (Press release). Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story bolsters US presence with Out of the Blue buy". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ↑ "9 Story gets a New Look!" (Press release). 9 Story. May 13, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ↑ Dickson, Jeremy (July 10, 2018). "9 Story buys Breakthrough's kids library and slate". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Acquires Asian Animation Studio" (Press release). 9 Story. February 4, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ↑ "9 Story Media Group Acquires BASE Animation Studio in Indonesia". Animation Magazine. February 4, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ↑ Dickson, Jeremy (April 1, 2019). "9 Story to distribute 230 hours of Scholastic content". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ↑ Atad, Corey (January 18, 2022). "Canadian Screen Award Academy Announces 2022 Special Award Honourees And Changemakers". ET Canada. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ↑ "Scholastic to Invest in 9 Story Media Group, Expanding Opportunities for Production and Global Licensing of Scholastic IP". Scholastic, Inc. (Press release). March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Vlessing, Etan (March 12, 2024). "Scholastic to Invest $186M in Animation Studio 9 Story Media". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Scholastic Closes Investment in 9 Story Media Group, Award-Winning Creator, Producer and Distributor of Premium Children's Content". 9 Story Media Group. June 21, 2024.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (August 1, 2023). "New 'Open Season' Series in the Works at 9 Story".
- ↑ Schwarz, John (August 16, 2022). "Tubi Gets Adult Animated Series Breaking Bear". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ↑ Maglio, Tony (May 6, 2026). "'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Is Being Rebooted (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (January 8, 2026). "Brown Bag Films Unveils New Leadership Structure, Innovation Lab & Refreshed Brand". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- Canadian animation studios
- Companies based in Toronto
- Mass media companies established in 2002
- Television production companies of Canada
- 2002 establishments in Ontario
- Canadian companies established in 2002
- 2024 mergers and acquisitions
- Scholastic Corporation
- Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies
- Entertainment companies based in Ontario
- Adult animation studios