CORUS ENTERTAINMENT MAKES MILESTONE INVESTMENT IN AIRCRAFT PICTURES
February 1, 2022
CORUS ENTERTAINMENT MAKES MILESTONE INVESTMENT IN AIRCRAFT PICTURES
Investment Secures Majority Interest for Corus in Academy Award® and Emmy Award® Nominated Production Company Founded by Anthony Leo & Andrew Rosen
Deal Contributes Significant Boost to Aircraft Pictures’ Creative Output
For immediate release
TORONTO, February 1, 2022 – 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.
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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
For further information, please contact:
Ashley Applebaum
Director, Publicity
Corus Entertainment Inc.
ashley.applebaum@corusent.com
Melissa Eckersley
Director, Corporate Communications
Corus Entertainment Inc.
melissa.eckersley@corusent.com
Andrew Stewart
42West
andrew.stewart@42West.net
Amanda Jaeger
42West
amanda.jaeger@42West.net
