9 Story Media Group Inc. (formerly known as 9 Story Entertainment) is a Canadian children's media production company and international distributor founded by Vincent "Vince" Commisso, Steve Jarosz, and Blake Tohana on September 1, 2002, and headquartered in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

History

As 9 Story Entertainment (2002–2014)

The company was founded on September 1, 2002, as 9 Story Entertainment by Vincent "Vince" Commisso and Steven Jarosz. On September 21, 2006, 9 Story launched an international distribution division headed by former

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

executive, Natalie Osborne, known as 9 Story Enterprises. 9 Story produced its first live-action series, '' Survive This'', from 2008 to 2010. On September 20, 2011, 9 Story Entertainment became the co-producer and distributor of

WGBH WGBH may refer to: * WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States ** WGBH (FM), a public radio station at Boston, Massachusetts on 89.7 MHz owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation ** WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), ...

children's series '' Arthur''. 9 Story would produce the series from seasons 16 to 19. On April 8, 2013, 9 Story announced that it would acquire the children's and family distribution library of CCI Entertainment (formerly Cambium Productions and Catalyst Entertainment); the acquisition was completed on July 24.

As 9 Story Media Group (2014–present)

On October 10, 2014, 9 Story Entertainment rebranded as 9 Story Media Group, following Neil Court and Zelnick Media Capital becoming majority owners a few months prior. On August 18, 2015, 9 Story Media Group acquired the

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

-based animation studio

Brown Bag Films Brown Bag Films (BBF) is an Irish television CGI and computer animation production studio owned by Canadian production studio 9 Story Media Group and based in Dublin with 2D and 3D animation facilities based in Bali, Toronto and formerly Man ...

. On October 6, 2015, 9 Story announced an agreement with American toy manufacturer

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in mor ...

to relaunch/reboot '' Barney & Friends'' and '' Angelina Ballerina'' under license from HIT Entertainment for planned releases in 2017, but nothing was heard from them in terms of either production or release since then. On May 25, 2016, 9 Story acquired the global distribution rights to '' Garfield and Friends''. Following the acquisition of Paws, Inc. by Viacom in 2019, 9 Story's distribution license was terminated. The series is now distributed through

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

. On October 21, 2016, 9 Story's distribution arm, 9 Story Enterprises, was rebranded as 9 Story Distribution International and relocated operations from

to Dublin. On October 15, 2017, 9 Story rebranded its Toronto 2D animation studio after Brown Bag Films, with the Irish studio becoming 9 Story's production arm for both 2D and 3D animation across Dublin,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, and Toronto. At the same time, Brown Bag Films became one of 9 Story's main divisions, alongside 9 Story Distribution International. On January 12, 2018, 9 Story announced that they had acquired ''

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American live-action/animated children's television series, created by Angela C. Santomero, Todd Kessler, and Traci Paige Johnson, that premiered on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block on September 8, 1996, and ...

'' production company,

Out of the Blue Enterprises 9 Story USA (formerly Out of the Blue Enterprises) is an American children's television company based in New York City, founded by the co-creator of the Nickelodeon preschool live action/animated series ''Blue's Clues'' (hence the company's na ...

, for an undisclosed amount and rebranded them to 9 Story USA. 9 Story would also acquire the rights to the Colorforms brand. On May 13, 2018, 9 Story unveiled an updated logo and announced the launch of 9 Story Brands, a consumer products division. On July 10, 2018, 9 Story acquired the children's and family distribution catalog and development slate of Breakthrough Entertainment. On February 4, 2019, 9 Story announced that they had acquired

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...

-based animation studio BASE for an undisclosed amount, and rebranded it after Brown Bag Films. On April 1, 2019, 9 Story signed a deal with

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

to distribute 230 half hours of programming, which would bring 9 Story's overall content library at the time to 4,000 half hours of programming. In 2022, Vincent Commisso was named alongside John Galway as a winner of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's Board of Directors Tribute Award at the

10th Canadian Screen Awards The 10th Canadian Screen Awards were held on April 10, 2022, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2021.Etan Vlessing"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to Receive Canadian Screen Awards Special Honor" ''The Holly ...

Programming and co-productions

Current

*''

Blue's Clues & You! ''Blue's Clues & You!'' is a live-action/computer-animated interactive educational children's television series developed by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela C. Santomero for Nickelodeon. It is a revival of the 1996–2006 ''Blue's Clues'' tele ...

'' (2019–present) *'' Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'' (2012–present) *''Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show'' (2022–present) *'' Karma's World'' (2021–present) *''

Luo Bao Bei ''Luo Bao Bei'' () is a British-Chinese animated television series, produced by "Magic Mall Entertainment" in Beijing and Cloth Cat Animation, and was distributed by 9 Story Media Group. The show follows Luo Bao Bei, a bright and spirited seven-ye ...

'' (2018) *'' Nature Cat'' (2015–2021; seasons 1–3) *'' Rosie's Rules'' (2022–present) *'' Wild Kratts'' (2011–present) *''

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum ''Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum'' is an animated children's television series that premiered on November 11, 2019, on PBS Kids. The series is based on the children's book series written by Brad Meltzer, named ''Ordinary People Change the ...

'' (2019–present) *''

Becca's Bunch ''Becca's Bunch'' is a preschool television series featuring handmade puppet characters that premiered in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Nick Jr. on 2 July 2018 and ended on 13 December 2018. The series premiered in the United States on t ...

'' (2018)

Former/Other

*'' 3 Amigonauts'' (2017) *'' Almost Naked Animals'' (2011–2013) *'' Arthur'' (2006–2022; seasons 10–25) *'' Best Ed'' (2008–2009) *'' Cache Craze'' (2013–2014) *'' Caillou'' (2006-2008; season 4) *''

Camp Lakebottom ''Camp Lakebottom'' is a Canadian animated television series produced by 9 Story Media Group that premiered on Teletoon in Canada on July 4, 2013 and on Disney XD in the United States on July 13, 2013. The series airs on Disney Channels worldwi ...

'' (2013–2017) *'' Clifford the Big Red Dog'' (2019–2021) *''

Creative Galaxy ''Creative Galaxy'' is a children's animated science-fiction web television series that premiered on Amazon Video on April 19, 2013 and ended on June 4, 2019. Production In February 2015, it was renewed for a second season and premiered on Septem ...

'' (2013–2019) *'' Fugget About It'' (2012–2016) *'' Furze World Wonders'' (2017) *'' Futz!'' (2007) *''Get Rolling with Otis'' (2021) *'' Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars'' (2010) (made-for-TV movie) *''If the World Were a Village'' (2005) *''

Jacob Two-Two ''Jacob Two-Two'' is a series of children's books written by Canadian author Mordecai Richler: ''Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang'' (1975), ''Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur'' (1987) and ''Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case'' (1995) written by Mor ...

'' (2005–2006; season 5; distributed by

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

) *'' Let's Go Luna!'' (2018–2022) *'' The Magic School Bus Rides Again'' (2017–2020) *''

Max & Ruby ''Max & Ruby'' is a Canadian children's animated television series produced by Nelvana, Nelvana Limited based on the book series by Rosemary Wells. The series debuted on Treehouse TV on May 3, 2002, in Canada and on Nick Jr. on October 21, 2002 ...

'' (2006–2013; seasons 3–5; distributed by Nelvana) *''

Mischief City ''Mischief City'' is a short-lived Canadian animated children's show based on the book of the same name by Tim Wynne-Jones. It follows the adventures of eight-year-old Winchell Adams in the extraordinary world of Mischief City. While in this fant ...

'' (2005) *''

My Friend Rabbit ''My Friend Rabbit'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann. Published in 2002 by Roaring Brook Press, the book is a lighthearted tale about the friendship between a mouse and a rabbit. Rohmann won the 2003 Caldec ...

'' (2007–2008) *'' Numb Chucks'' (2014–2016) *'' Nerds and Monsters'' (2014–2016) *'' Peep and the Big Wide World'' (2003–2007, 2009-2011) *'' Peg + Cat'' (2013–2018) *'' Pound Puppies'' (2010; season 1, episodes 1–7) *'' Postcards from Buster'' (2006–2012; seasons 2–4) *''

Skyland ''Skyland'' (full French title: "Skyland, Le Nouveau Monde", or "Skyland, The New World"), is a CGI animated series developed in France in partnership with Canada and Luxembourg for television channels France 2 in France, Teletoon in Canada, ...

'' (2005–2007) *'' The Stanley Dynamic'' (2015–2017) *'' Survive This'' (2008–2010) *''

Top Wing ''Top Wing'' is a Canadian computer-animated television series created by Matthew Fernandes of Industrial Brothers. It was produced in-house by Industrial Brothers in connection with 9 Story Media Group. In Canada, the series debuted on Treehouse ...

'' (2017–2020) *'' Wibbly Pig'' (2009–2010)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Canadian animation studios Companies based in Toronto Mass media companies established in 2002 Television production companies of Canada Film production companies of Canada 2002 establishments in Ontario Canadian companies established in 2002