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 C ...

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 ''Survive This'' is a Canadian reality television show in which eight teenagers with limited survival skills training are taken into a forest and confronted with a number of survival challenges to test their skills and perseverance. The series a ...

'', from 2008 to 2010. On September 20, 2011, 9 Story Entertainment became the co-producer and distributor of WGBH children's series ''

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

''. 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 c ...

-based animation studio Brown Bag Films. 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 more ...

to relaunch/reboot ''

Barney & Friends ''Barney & Friends'' is an American children's television series targeted at young children aged 2–7, created by Sheryl Leach. The series premiered on PBS on April 6, 1992. The series features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomo ...

'' and ''

Angelina Ballerina ''Angelina Ballerina'' is a children's book series by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig about a fictional mouse (full name Angelina Jeanette Mouseling) who is training to become a ballerina. The first book in the series was ...

'' under license from

HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...

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 ''Garfield and Friends'' is an American animated television series based on the comic strip ''Garfield'' by Jim Davis. The show aired on CBS as part of its Saturday morning children's lineup from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994. The sho ...

''. Following the acquisition of Paws, Inc. by

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

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 Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Proc ...

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 t ...

, 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 nam ...

, for an undisclosed amount and rebranded them to 9 Story USA. 9 Story would also acquire the rights to the

Colorforms Colorforms is a creative toy named for the simple shapes and forms cut from colored vinyl sheeting that cling to a smooth backing surface without adhesives. These pieces are used to create picture graphics and designs, which can then be changed c ...

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 Breakthrough Entertainment is a Canadian production company founded in 1986 by Peter Williamson and Ira Levy. It produces famous Canadian TV shows such as '' Jimmy Two-Shoes'' and '' Atomic Betty''. History On July 10, 2018, 9 Story Media Group ...

. On February 4, 2019, 9 Story announced that they had acquired Bali-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 The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian film industry and television industry professionals, most notably through the Canadian Scre ...

'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 Hollyw ...

Programming and co-productions

Current

*'' Blue's Clues & You!'' (2019–present) *''

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'' (known as ''Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood'' in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and often abbreviated to ''Daniel Tiger'') is a Flash-animated (photographs-influenced) musical television ser ...

'' (2012–present) *''Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show'' (2022–present) *''

Karma's World ''Karma's World'' is a computer-animated musical comedy streaming television series created by rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, who also co-starred in the show. It was released on Netflix on October 15, 2021. Produced by 9 Story Media Group in ...

'' (2021–present) *'' Luo Bao Bei'' (2018) *''

Nature Cat ''Nature Cat'' is an educational animated children's television series that premiered on November 25, 2015 on PBS Kids and is aimed at children aged 3–8. The series follows the adventures of four main characters: Nature Cat, Hal the Dog, Squeek ...

'' (2015–2021; seasons 1–3) *''

Rosie's Rules ''Rosie's Rules'' is a children's animated television series that premiered on October 3, 2022 on PBS Kids and on TVOKids on October 11, 2022. The show is produced by 9 Story Media Group and its animation division Brown Bag Films. Plot The ser ...

'' (2022–present) *''

Wild Kratts ''Wild Kratts'' is a live action/ Flash-animated educational children's television series created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS Kids in t ...

'' (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'' (2018)

Former/Other

*'' 3 Amigonauts'' (2017) *''

Almost Naked Animals ''Almost Naked Animals'' is a Canadian animation, animated television series produced by 9 Story Media Group, 9 Story Entertainment for YTV (TV channel), YTV. The series was created by Noah Z. Jones, who is also the creator of the Disney Channel ...

'' (2011–2013) *''

'' (2006–2022; seasons 10–25) *''

Best Ed ''Best Ed'' is a Canadian animated television series created by Rick Marshall. The show chronicles the adventures of an excessively helpful and enthusiastic dog named Ed and his best friend, Doug the squirrel and soldier, whom everyone calls "Bud ...

'' (2008–2009) *'' Cache Craze'' (2013–2014) *''

Caillou ''Caillou'' () is a Canadian educational children's television series which aired on Teletoon (both English and French versions), with its first episode airing on the former channel on September 15, 1997; it later moved to Treehouse TV, with i ...

'' (2006-2008; season 4) *'' Camp Lakebottom'' (2013–2017) *''

Clifford the Big Red Dog ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by N ...

'' (2019–2021) *'' Creative Galaxy'' (2013–2019) *''

Fugget About It ''Fugget About It'' is a Canadian adult animated sitcom created by Nicholas Tabarrok and Willem Wennekers for Teletoon's late night block, Teletoon at Night. The show is rated 14A for sexuality, violence, and profanity, which makes it the first ...

'' (2012–2016) *''

Furze World Wonders ''Furze World Wonders'' is an American-Canadian series starring inventor and YouTuber Colin Furze, who uses extreme skills to help others with their own creations. Produced by Canada's 9 Story Media Group, the series was first released on YouTu ...

'' (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'' (2005–2006; season 5; distributed by Nelvana) *''

Let's Go Luna! ''Let's Go Luna!'' is an educational animated children's television series created by Joe Murray for PBS Kids. Murray formerly worked on the Nickelodeon animated series ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and Cartoon Network animated series ''Camp Lazlo''. ...

'' (2018–2022) *''

The Magic School Bus Rides Again ''The Magic School Bus Rides Again'' is an animated children's web series, based on the book series of the same name by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. It also serves as a continuation of the 1994–97 PBS Kids series '' The Magic School Bus'', wi ...

'' (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'' (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 ''Numb Chucks'' is a Canadian animated television series that was created by Phil LaFrance and Jamie LeClaire and premiered on YTV in Canada on January 7, 2014. The series was focused on Dilweed and Fungus, two woodchucks with big hearts, who ...

'' (2014–2016) *''

Nerds and Monsters ''Nerds and Monsters'' is a Canadian animated television series that aired on YTV. Produced by Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. and 9 Story Media Group. It was announced at the 2014 Banff World Media Festival that the series was renewed for a second se ...

'' (2014–2016) *''

Peep and the Big Wide World ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' (''PATBWW'') is an animated children's television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover, investigate, and explore the w ...

'' (2003–2007, 2009-2011) *''

Peg + Cat ''Peg + Cat'' is an animated children's television series based on the children's picture book "The Chicken Problem", which was published in 2012. The series, which featured the voice acting of Hayley Faith Negrin and Dwayne Hill, was created b ...

'' (2013–2018) *''

Pound Puppies Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries. Toy ...

'' (2010; season 1, episodes 1–7) *''

Postcards from Buster ''Postcards from Buster'' is a live-action/animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS. It is a spin-off of the '' Arthur'' TV series. The show stars Arthur's best friend, 8-year-old anthropomorphic rabbit Buster Baxter ...

'' (2006–2012; seasons 2–4) *'' Skyland'' (2005–2007) *''

The Stanley Dynamic The Stanley Dynamic is a Canadian live-action/animated sitcom that premiered on YTV on March 19, 2015. The series stars Charles Vandervaart, Taylor Abrahamse, Madison Ferguson, Kate Hewlett, and Michael Barbuto. The show was nominated for a Cana ...

'' (2015–2017) *''

'' (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 Wibbly Pig is the title character of a series of picture books for young children, written and illustrated by English author and illustrator Mick Inkpen. The series includes titles such as ''Wibbly Pig Likes Bananas'' () and ''Is It Bedtime Wibb ...

'' (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