| Boat Rocker Media Inc. | |
| Type: | Public |
| Industry: | Media Entertainment |
| Hq Location: | Toronto, Ontario |
| Hq Location Country: | Canada |
| Owner: | Fairfax Financial (51%) |
| Key People: | John Young (CEO) |
| Divisions: | Boat Rocker Studios |
Boat Rocker Media Inc. is a Canadian entertainment company based in Toronto, Ontario. The company owns Boat Rocker Studios, which incorporates Temple Street Productions. Its majority shareholder is Fairfax Financial. Boat Rocker is led by co-executive chairs David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg and CEO John Young.[1]
Boat Rocker produces and distributes a wide range of scripted and unscripted television shows, animation and family content, such as Invasion,[2] [3] American Rust, ,[4] Orphan Black, and Dino Ranch.
Boat Rocker owns other entertainment properties, including Jam Filled Entertainment, Insight Productions, Matador Content,[5] and Platform One Media,[6] and does talent management[7] and venture investing.[8]
Boat Rocker Media was established in 2003 by Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier.[9] Its largest division, Boat Rocker Studios, encompasses Temple Street Productions, which was acquired by Schneeberg and Fortier in 2006.[10] [11] The company's other divisions were Boat Rocker Animation, Boat Rocker Ventures, and Boat Rocker Rights.
Boat Rocker Rights' first outside distribution deal was with the pick-up of international rights to Steve Rotfeld Productions' Xploration Station block's programs in late February 2016.[12] Then in June 2016, the unit acquired Mountain Road Productions library distribution rights plus a first look deal with the company.[13]
In 2016, Boat Rocker purchased Radical Sheep Productions, which continued operating as Boat Rocker's family and children's media unit.[14] In early August 2016, Boat Rocker purchased Jam Filled Entertainment, which was to continuing operating with current management and name.[15] Boat Rocker through Jam Filled purchased Arc Productions' main assets on August 22, 2016, and reopened Arc's Toronto office.[16]
In September 2017, Boat Rocker Media announced that they brought unscripted television production company Proper Television along with Proper Rights, thrust extending Boat Rocker Media's unscripted operations with Proper Television continued to operate as a independent label within Boat Rocker. Proper Rights the distribution arm of Proper was folded into Boat Rocker's existing distribution division Boat Rocker Rights.[17]
In January 2018, Boat Rocker acquired FremantleMedia's Kids & Family Entertainment division, which includes the children's programming library of Thames Television.[18]
In November 2018, Boat Rocker acquired Matador Content, producers of the Paramount Network series Lip Sync Battle and its spinoff Lip Sync Battle Shorties on sister network Nickelodeon.[19]
In March 2019, Boat Rocker invested in Untitled Entertainment, a talent management and production company. It has also made investments in Realm Media,[20] the Toronto Arrows,[21] CAA Creative Labs,[22] and MarcoPolo Learning.[23]
In September 2019, Boat Rocker acquired Platform One Media, a Los Angeles-based television production and sales company operated by television producer Katie O’Connell Marsh, whose credits include Hannibal and Narcos. Marsh stayed on after the acquisition.[24]
In December 2020, Temple Street was incorporated into Boat Rocker Studios, Scripted.[25]
Boat Rocker signed first-look deals with Lena Headey’s Peephole Productions[26] and Dakota Johnson's TeaTime Pictures.[27] In March 2021, it partnered with television executive Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh to create Maven, which focuses on female-led stories.[28] [29]
Most recently, on December 20, 2021, Boat Rocker had bought out a minority stake in the TeaTime Pictures production company.[30]
| Run | Title | Co-production with | Client | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2019 | Danger Mouse | Boulder Media, CBBC Production, Windmill Lane Studios | CBBC | Production services in 2018 Distribution services from 2018 to 2019 | ||
| 2016–2017 | Fangbone! | Radical Sheep Productions, DHX Media | Family Chrgd | |||
| The Bagel and Becky Show | Radical Sheep Productions, Jam Filled Entertainment | Teletoon+ | ||||
| 2016–2019 | Dot. | Industrial Brothers, The Jim Henson Company | CBC Kids | |||
| 2016–present | The Loud House | Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Jam Filled Entertainment | Nickelodeon | Animation services | ||
| 2017–2019 | Ollie! The Boy Who Became What He Ate | Radical Sheep Productions | CBC Kids | |||
| 2017–2020 | Top Wing | Industrial Brothers, 9 Story Media Group | Treehouse TV | |||
| 2018–2020 | Bitz & Bob | BBC Children's Productions, Boat Rocker Rights | CBeebies | |||
| 2019–2020 | Kingdom Force | Industrial Brothers, Boat Rocker Studios | CBC Kids | |||
| 2020–present | Love Monster | BBC Children's Productions, Boat Rocker Studios | CBeebies | |||
| 2020 | Remy & Boo | Industrial Brothers, Boat Rocker Studios | Universal Kids | |||
| 2021–present | Dino Ranch | Industrial Brothers, Boat Rocker Studios | Disney Junior | [36] | ||
| 2021 | A Tale Dark & Grimm | Netflix Animation, Novo Media Group, Astro-Nomical Entertainment | Netflix | Animation services by Jam Filled Entertainment | [37] | |
| 2022–2023 | Daniel Spellbound | Industrial Brothers, Boat Rocker Studios | Netflix | Merchandise distribution services | [38] |
| Run | Title | Co-production with | Client | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–present | Top Chef Canada | Insight Productions | Food Network Canada | |||
| 2013–present | The Amazing Race Canada | Insight Productions, Bell Media | CTV | |||
| 2013–present | Big Brother Canada | Insight Productions | Global | |||
| 2013–2023 | The Next Step | Family Channel | ||||
| 2014–present | MasterChef Canada | Proper Television | CTV | |||
| 2015–present | Lip Sync Battle | Matador Content, Eight Million Plus, Sunday Night, Four Eyes Entertainment, Casey Patterson Entertainment | Paramount Network | [39] | ||
| 2015–2019 | Killjoys | Temple Street Productions, Mendacity Pictures, Universal Cable Productions | CTV Sci-Fi Channel | |||
| 2017 | Boy Band | Matador Content | ABC | |||
| 2017–present | The Great Canadian Baking Show | Proper Television | CBC | |||
| 2017 | What Would Diplo Do? | Matador Content | Viceland | |||
| 2019 | Cavendish | Temple Street Productions, Holdfast Pictures, Bridge Burner Entertainment, Somebody Stop Productions | CBC | |||
| 2019–2020 | Mary's Kitchen Crush | Proper Television | CTV | |||
| 2020 | The Impossible Row | Matador Content | Discovery Channel | Documentary | ||
| 2020–2023 | Dear... | Matador Content | Apple TV+ | |||
| 2020–present | Junior Chef Showdown | Proper Television | Food Network Canada | [40] | ||
| 2021 | Matador Content | Apple TV+ | ||||
| 2021–2024 | American Rust | Showtime/Amazon Prime Video | [41] [42] | |||
| 2021–present | Go-Big Show | Matador Content | TBS | |||
| 2021–present | Invasion | Apple Studios (season 2) | Apple TV+ | |||
| 2021 | The Kids Tonight Show | Broadway Video, Electric Hot Dog, Matador Content | Peacock | [43] | ||
| 2022 | LOL: Last One Laughing Canada | Insight Productions | Amazon Prime Video | [44] | ||
| 2023 | Beacon 23 | Peephole Productions, Platform One Media, Spectrum Originals, Studio 8 Television | MGM+ | [45] | ||
| 2024 | You Say Potato, AMC Studios | AMC |
| Title | Co-production with | Client | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mating Season | Matador Content | Discovery Channel | [46] | ||
| Who Wants to Be an Astronaut? | Matador Content | Discovery Channel | [47] [48] | ||
| Scary Stories for Young Foxes | Peephole Productions | [49] | |||
| Bad Kitty | [50] |