Blue Ant Media has announced the expansion of its Kids, Family & YA division, uniting its studios and leadership under a single, integrated model designed to accelerate growth, streamline operations and expand its global content pipeline.

The division is led by Jennifer Twiner McCarron, President, Kids, Family & YA, and sits within Blue Ant Studios under Co-President Matt Hornburg, who oversees global content development and production.

The business will now operate under three verticals:

• Content Development & Commercial Strategy, led by Diane Rankin, EVP, Content Development & Commercial Strategy. Rankin will drive the originals and coproduction pipeline of new content and partnerships across kids, family, YA for global buyers, working closely with the studio’s live action and animation production divisions, as well as the Kids & Family sales and acquisitions teams at Blue Ant Rights. Her leadership team includes Hillary Zwick Turner, SVP, Scripted, Live Action Content, and AJ Trauth, who has been promoted to SVP, Scripted, Animation & Live Action Content.

• Scripted & Live Action, led by Lindsay Macadam, EVP, Scripted & Live Action, Blue Ant Studios. Macadam oversees the full lifecycle of live action scripted production from development through delivery, driving creative execution, project pipeline, and managing key buyer and partner relationships and production services opportunities. Lindsay’s team will work in collaboration with Hillary Zwick Turner, AJ Trauth and the development team from concept through execution across the scripted slate.

• Animation, led by Joel Bradley, EVP, Animation, Blue Ant Studios. Bradley will lead the combined animation division across 2D and 3D production services, coproductions and animated originals spanning preschool to adult, building on the foundations of Atomic Cartoons and Jam Filled Entertainment. His leadership team includes Tori Coulthart, SVP, Animation, who will lead Jam Filled Entertainment, and Steve Grover, SVP, Animation, who will lead Atomic Cartoons.

These teams will work in close collaboration with Blue Ant Rights, including Richard Goldsmith EVP, Kids & Family Brands, who leads Blue Ant’s new consumer products division.

As part of these changes, Lori McIndoe will transition out of the company. Blue Ant Media extends its sincere thanks to McIndoe for her skillful leadership and contributions as President of Jam Filled Entertainment, where she was integral to the studio’s growth and success.

This new structure brings together Blue Ant’s creative and commercial capabilities into a more integrated and scalable model, designed to unlock new opportunities across its Kids, Family & YA business. The changes will accelerate decision-making, increase creative output, and allow for greater agility in responding to global demand for premium content, while building a stronger pipeline of high-value, globally relevant IP.

“The expansion of our Kids, Family & YA division brings together the full strength of our creative and commercial capabilities in a more unified and focused way,” said Jennifer Twiner McCarron, President, Kids, Family & YA. “By aligning our development, production and animation teams, we are better positioned to scale efficiently, respond to global demand for premium content, and drive long-term growth, while expanding our creative ambition and building a stronger slate of globally relevant IP for partners and audiences around the world.”

As part of this evolution, Blue Ant Media is refining its studio and production model to enhance efficiency and global competitiveness. Blue Ant Studios will maintain both the Atomic Cartoons and Jam Filled Entertainment brands, each tagged as ‘A Blue Ant Studios Animation Company’ in the near term, ensuring continuity for partners while advancing a more integrated studio strategy.

The integrated model is already delivering results with several soon-to-be announced productions bringing together Jam Filled Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons, leveraging talent and production efficiencies across Ontario and British Columbia.