Corus Entertainment Inc. has purchased a majority stake production company Aircraft Pictures Limited.“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.”
The deal serves as a significant investment to support Aircraft Pictures’ and Corus’ growth and production strategies for quality kids and family-focused entertainment for the global marketplace. The company, founded in 2005 by Canadian producing team Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, produced the Oscar-nominated animated feature film "The Breadwinner" in 2017, the Emmy Award-nominated live-action series "Holly Hobbie," the trilogy of family-friendly television movies based on the "Gordon Korman Bruno & Boots" novels, which first aired on YTV in 2017, and the animated series "Summer Memories."
Over time, the company has garnered a varied slate of family-friendly scripted projects created to capitalize on market demand for that genre. Corus’ investment will assist Aircraft Pictures in expanding its capacity to develop, finance, and produce premium content, focusing 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.”
This investment is intended to grow Corus’ content business, with Aircraft Pictures joining venerable studio Nelvana, respected publisher Kids Can Press, and Corus Studios, bringing content to popular platforms such as Nickelodeon, Discovery, the CW, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. “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," Andrew Rosen, Co-President of Aircraft Pictures, said.