International media company Blue Ant Media and award-winning production and distribution company marblemedia have announced today the merger of the two companies’ production and distribution operations into one unified studio and rights business. Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg will take the helm of this business, serving as co-Presidents and reporting into Michael MacMillan, CEO and co-founder, Blue Ant Media.
With hubs in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London, the merger of these operations sees Blue Ant Media acquiring marblemedia and international sales operation Distribution360, effective today. Bishop and Hornburg will operate from Blue Ant Media’s Toronto office.
The combined businesses include production companies marblemedia, Blue Ant Studios, Saloon Media and animation studio Look Mom! Productions (Doomlands, Bigfoot, Gary and His Demons), in addition to distributors Distribution360 and Blue Ant International.
“marblemedia has long been regarded as one of the most respected production and distribution companies in the unscripted and scripted space, having created huge hits for the biggest streamers and broadcasters in the industry. With Mark and Matt leading our combined studios and rights business, Blue Ant Media is well positioned in its growth as an international media company with production, rights and an established global channels division all operating at scale,” said Blue Ant’s MacMillan.
marblemedia co-CEOs Bishop and Hornburg commented, “We are excited to join forces with Michael MacMillan, a trailblazer in our industry known for scaling industry-leading companies. Building this new merged production and distribution studio will bring together our talented teams who have a shared vision and belief that original content and rich IP are the greatest differentiator. The appetite for premium content remains strong in the global market, and we can better serve this demand with high-quality content and by working with best-in-class collaborators.”
marblemedia is known for delivering premium original unscripted and scripted content including Top 10 Netflix series Blown Away and Drink Masters. Blue Ant Media’s recent hits include award-winning Canada’s Drag Race (produced with World of Wonder for Bell Media/Crave), Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks (Prime Video) and adult animated comedy Gary and His Demons (Prime Video, FreeVee).
The development is part of a long term growth strategy at Blue Ant Media that includes the recent scaling up of the company’s global channels business, including wildlife and nature brand Love Nature’s expansion into 145+ countries with its streaming and cable TV offerings; the launch of eight new FAST channels internationally; and an extensive lineup of premium cable TV offerings in Canada.
Sam Sniderman will serve as Blue Ant Media’s Chief Commercial Officer, working closely with MacMillan and CFO Robb Chase on business development, partnerships and M&A. Laura Michalchyshyn will continue her duties as Chief Creative Officer. Beach House Pictures will continue to operate independently out of Singapore.
