After a busy 2022 that saw the company establish a Film & TV division and unveil several projects adapted from their own IP library, Toronto-based Titan1Studios announced it is spinning off its animation projects into a separate division, dubbed Missing Socks Entertainment. This new Calgary-based studio will be overseen by Titan1Studios Founder & CEO Rathan Moorthy and recently named VP, Content Wes Ambrecht.
“As we began taking projects to market last year, it became clear that there was a real appetite for all types of animation, from buyers and consumers alike” said Ambrecht. “Naturally, this made us ask ourselves what a Titan1Studios animated series might look like, and quickly it became clear that the projects we were developing represented a brand onto themselves. I’m ecstatic we’re finally at a place where we can introduce the world to Missing Socks!”
Luke Azevedo, VP Creative Industries, Operations & Film Commissioner at Calgary Economic Development, commented, “We are pleased to welcome Titan1Studios’ Missing Socks Entertainment to the Calgary ecosystem. Their vast knowledge of entertainment technology, Original IP development, and the commercial market globally will be a definite asset as we grow and develop the Digital Media & Entertainment industry in Calgary.”
Moorthy added, “We are thrilled to bring our real-time technology toolkit and slate of animated intellectual property to our new Calgary home. For the last six months we have explored multiple regions of Canada, and Calgary consistently ranked at the top of the list for quality of life, affordability of housing and a passionate growing tech ecosystem. We couldn’t be happier to be part of the energy that is Calgary.”
The first projects in the works at the new studio have been announced, representing a trio of adult animation projects spanning different genres and styles:
Modern Rogues: Call to Action
An animated fish out of water action-comedy following real-life oddball YouTubers (Brian Brushwood and Jason Murphy) as they venture into the dangerous world of international espionage at the behest of a secret government agency… because sometimes the person you least expect turns out to be the right rogue for the job. The series will be written by Merrill Barr, with Andy Sipes and Matt Mariska (Dallas & Robo, Code Monkeys) as showrunners.
The project represents the evolution of The Modern Rogue brand, an independent scripted reality series with more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube, created by Brushwood and Murphy (Hacking the System). Brushwood and Murphy will executive produce and voice star in the new series, which also features actor Greg Grunberg (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Trek Beyond, Heroes, Duster) as a producer and the voice of the pair’s government handler.
Dragons & Warts
Written by Daniel Callaghan & Luke Watson (Medical Marijuana Man), Dragons & Warts is a half-hour adult animated workplace comedy set in a medieval fantasy world.
In the walled city of Bevnae, Lord and Lady Lesterson rule over a fiefdom of misfits and malcontents. As lesser royalty, they’re middle management in the Queen’s greater realm. To maintain their station, they must hold the Queen’s favor, which means relying on their management skills and the collective effort of their people — a congregation of colorful characters just trying to get by in a world without running water, labor laws, and insurance against acts of wizards or dragon fire.
WTF! Wrestling the Federation
Created by puppeteer & writer Kanja Chen (Fraggle Rock) and to be showrun by Atul Rao (Deepa & Anoop, Press Start!, Apollo’s Pad), a rollicking animated half-hour workplace comedy set against Calgary’s most middling wrestling promotion circa 1980-something.
The series follows the adventures of Jay Champion, a small town, Amish grappler, and his group of friends, as they deal with the cutthroat world of professional wrestling. Body slamming bears, accidentally flashing the neighbors, getting into neighborhood “turf wars” and trying to wrestle with a teammate that would sooner piledrive you than actually help you, is all in a regular day for the wrestlers of the WTF!
All three of the projects will include interactive components — in the case of WTF, an arcade action brawler was recently approved for Canada Media Fund support.
