A new London-based IP growth and development company has opened its doors, headed up by two former Moonbug executives.
8 Lions Entertainment has been founded by Jiella Esmat (above right) – who was most recently chief revenue officer at Amuse Animation and Amuse Studios, and previously held senior roles at Moonbug, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and NBCU – and Karine Ahton (above left), who was former general counsel at Moonbug and Envision Racing, and previously worked at Sanrio and ITV.
The company will look to blend traditional entertainment expertise with digital-first creator-led IP strategies, scaling IP globally and across all derivatives, with an emphasis on creative synergies between the East and West.
“We are sourcing and creating diverse, engaging entertainment that reflects the genuine interests of kids and teens,” commented Jiella Esmat, ceo at 8 Lions. “Young people’s consumption habits have changed irreversibly and continue to evolve. We’re ensuring content is available to them in ways that recognise and cater to their expectations.”
8 Lions’ launch team includes Lovely Chavez as vp digital strategy and commercial Ppartnerships, former director of channels international at Moonbug and channel manager at WildBrain; Helen Wong as senior commercial manager, previously market development manager for APAC and senior channel manager at Moonbug; and Fletcher Williams as corporate and strategy executive, former head of acquisitions and strategy at Voldex Entertainment, and ex Moonbug and NBCU.
Jerome Mazandarani, ex-md of Manga Entertainment and Crunchyroll UK is advising on anime and adult animation related projects.
Prior to its official launch, 8 Lions represented YouTube’s Cosmic Kids in negotiations for its first ever TV series, Jaime’s Yoga Adventures, a newly announced Sky Original. The company has also partnered with Acamar Films for its preschool hit Bing for distribution and L&M in the Middle East and North Africa.
8 Lions is also working with Jordan-based YouTube-first studio Pixitoon developing a 360 growth and monetisation strategy.
The company is actively seeking partnerships for IP creation, distribution, co-production and L&M.
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