Academy Award-winning ‘Hair Love’ studio gives Nick dibs on its original kids and family IP across animated series, features, short-form, and digital content.
Lion Forge Entertainment and Nickelodeon Animation announced a new first-look deal for animated series and features. Under the deal, Nickelodeon will have a first look at all Lion Forge Entertainment kid’s and family IP across animated series, features, short-form, and digital content and may bring select Nickelodeon and Paramount IP to Lion Forge to develop and produce.
The deal also includes the option for Lion Forge Entertainment to co-finance specific projects the company brings to Nickelodeon and to serve as the animation studio on select Nickelodeon projects. The agreement underscores the companies’ commitment to create content featuring diverse voices in front of and behind the camera. Lion Forge Entertainment is one of North America's few Black-owned animation studios.
Lion Forge Entertainment develops and produces animated and live-action content targeting kids and family, YA, and adult audiences, building on the success of its earlier projects, including the Academy Award-winning Hair Love, the upcoming Iyanu animated series for MAX based on Yoruban mythology.
Projects already been identified for potential development under the new deal include Born Driven, a story based on the life of Wendell Scott, the first Black NASCAR driver; a comedy adventure of warrior Iron’s story Iron Dragon - original IP created by Jay Kim at Mostapes studio in South Korea and Lion Forge; and Marley and the Family Band - an animated series based on Cedella Marley’s picture book of the same title, co-produced by Polygram Entertainment, a film production and development division of Universal Music Group, and Tuff Gong Collective.
Lion Forge Entertainment CEO David Steward II and President and Chief Content Officer Stephanie Sperber oversaw the deal, brokered by Activist Artists Management’s Greg Suess and Jon Kanak. Sperber oversaw creative IP development and production of the Annie Award-winning The Tiny Chef Show and Bossy Bear and served as executive producer of Nickelodeon’s live-action series The Astronauts during her time at Imagine Kids+Family Entertainment.
“I am thrilled to work with Ramsey and her world-class teams at Nickelodeon Animation,” said Steward. “Nickelodeon has always been a creative north star, and the opportunity to partner in creating new content that features diverse characters and builds a path for diverse talent in the animation industry is incredibly exciting.”
Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation president Ramsey Naito commented, “Lion Forge Entertainment is on the vanguard of so many exciting and new stories being told in animation, and we are so incredibly happy to be entering into this deal to create new content together for our global audience.”
“I look forward to continuing the wonderful creative partnership with the Nickelodeon team,” added Sperber. “Together, we have a fantastic opportunity to impact kids and families around the world by showing diversity on screen as well as creating a pipeline for young diverse talent within the animation industry. Plus, Nickelodeon is one of the best franchise-builders in the business and will be an amazing partner as we together launch into other extensions.”
Source: Lion Forge Entertainment
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
