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 Media Inc.
Company typePublic company
TSXBRMI
IndustryMedia
entertainment
Founded2003; 21 years ago (2003) Brand only
2013; 11 years ago (2013) (Trading company)
Founders
  • David Fortier
  • Ivan Schneeberg
Headquarters310 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1K6,
Canada
Key people
John Young (CEO)
OwnerFairfax Financial (51%)
Divisions
  • Boat Rocker Rights & Brands
  • Boat Rocker Studios
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.boatrocker.com

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,[2] Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry,[4] Orphan Black,[2] and Dino Ranch.[2]

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]

History

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Boat Rocker Media had their beginnings in June 2013 when Temple Street Productions announced that they had launched digital studio Boat Rocker Studios as a digital division of Temple Street Media Ventures to focus on original digital content.

Four years later in February 2016, following Fairfax Financial acquisition of a majority stake in film and television production company Temple Street Productions along with their Boat Rocker Studios brand Temple Street Productions and their owners Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier announced that they're expanding their operations and their restructured business were being consolidated and reorganized under their company Temple Street Productions along with their new rights, ventures, animation and brand businesses under one group which was rebranded as Boat Rocker Media with Scheeberg and Fortier becoming CEO of the new group. Their production company Temple Street Productions which they acquired ten years ago were now being operated alongside Boat Rocker Digital under Boat Rocker Media's new largest division named Boat Rocker Studios along with Boat Rocker Digital. Temple Street's distribution arm Temple Street Distribution was rebranded and renamed as Boat Rocker Rights along with launching an in-house animation studio named Boat Rocker Animation.[4][9][10][11]

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 March 2016, Boat Rocker Media announced that they bought Canuck-based television production company and animation outfit Radical Sheep Productions to expand their kids and family operations with Radical Sheep becoming Boat Rocker Media's original kids and family media content arm with Temple Street's kids productions such as The Next Step being moved to their acquired company while Radical Sheep continued operating as Boat Rocker's family and children's media unit.[14][15]

In early August 2016, Boat Rocker Media announced that they added another animation studio by purchasing Ottawa-based animation studio Jam Filled Entertainment, which was to continue operating with current management and name alongside their founders with Boat Rocker Media expanding further their kids and family operations and their acquired company Jam Filled Entertainment joining Boat Rocker's acquired company Radical Sheep and their in-house animation studio Boat Rocker Animation.[16][17] One week later in that same month, Boat Rocker Media announced that their distribution division Boat Rocker Rights had acquired Peace Point Entertainment Group's distribution sales arm Peace Point Rights along with their factual and lifestyle programming catalog.[18][19][20]

Boat Rocker through Jam Filled purchased Arc Productions' main assets on August 22, 2016, and reopened Arc's Toronto office.[21]

In April 2017, Boat Rocker Media announced that they teamed up with New York-based American mobile-centric kids media company MarcoPolo Learning to form a global partnership and announced original animated television and digital series with Boat Rocker's division Boat Rocker Ventures leading the partnership.[22]

In May 2017, Boat Rocker Media announced that they restructured their unscripted assets and unveiled that they're bringing them together as a new factual division dedicated to the company's factual and unscripted projects named Crooked Horse Productions and will sit within the Boat Rocker Studios division.[23]

In September 2017, Boat Rocker Media announced that they had brought Toronto-based television production and distribution company Proper Television along with their distribution division Proper Rights five months after the passing of the founder and president of Proper Television Guy O'Sullivan back in April of that same year, thus extending Boat Rocker Media's unscripted operations and their production and distribution business with Proper Television continuing to operate as an independent unscripted production label under Boat Rocker's division Boat Rocker Studios with Proper Television's Lesia Capone and Cathie James becoming co-presidents of the acquired company. Proper's international distribution arm Proper Rights was being consolidated and folded into Boat Rocker's existing global distribution division Boat Rocker Rights marking the expansion of Boat Rocker's distribution library.[24][25][26]

In January 2018, to expand Boat Rocker Media's premium kids and family entertainment catalogue, Boat Rocker Media announced that they've acquired British-based global production company FremantleMedia's Kids & Family Entertainment division which includes the children's programming library of Thames Television and had it interrogated into Boat Rocker Media's global distribution division Boat Rocker Rights in order for FremantleMedia to focus on their scripted and unscripted operations. The acquisition also marked the first time Boat Rocker had entered the international market.[27][28][29]

In May 2018, Boat Rocker Media announced that they acquired a majority stake in Toronto-based Canadian unscripted television production company Insight Productions with the company continuing to operate as an independent business unit along with their chairman and CEO John Brunton. [30] Six years later in August 2024, Boat Rocker Media announced that they've taken full ownership of unscripted production company Insight Productions by acquiring the remaining 30% stake that they didn't own.[31]

In November 2018, Boat Rocker Media announced that they acquired New York and LA-based American unscripted production company Matador Content the producer of the Paramount Network series Lip Sync Battle and its spinoff Lip Sync Battle Shorties on sister network Nickelodeon, marking Boat Rocker Media's first American acquisition along with their expansion into the American television market.[32]

In March 2019, Boat Rocker invested in Untitled Entertainment, a talent management and production company.[7] It has also made investments in Realm Media,[33] the Toronto Arrows,[34] CAA Creative Labs,[35]

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.[33][36]

In December 2020, Temple Street was incorporated into Boat Rocker Studios, Scripted.[37]

Boat Rocker signed first-look deals with Lena Headey's Peephole Productions[38] and Dakota Johnson's TeaTime Pictures.[39] In March 2021, it partnered with television executive Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh to create Maven, which focuses on female-led stories.[40][41]

Most recently, on December 20, 2021, Boat Rocker had bought out a minority stake in the TeaTime Pictures production company.[42]

Units

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Filmography

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Animation

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Run Title Co-production with Client Notes Ref.
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+ [16]
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 [16]
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 [48]
2021 A Tale Dark & Grimm Netflix Animation, Novo Media Group, Astro-Nomical Entertainment Netflix Animation services by Jam Filled Entertainment [49]
2022–2023 Daniel Spellbound Industrial Brothers, Boat Rocker Studios Netflix Merchandise distribution services [50]

Live-action

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Run Title Co-production with Client Notes Ref.
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 [51]
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 [52]
2021 Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Matador Content Apple TV+
2021–2024 American Rust Showtime/Amazon Prime Video [53][54]
2021–present Go-Big Show Matador Content TBS
2021–present Invasion Kinberg Genre, Apple Studios (season 2) Apple TV+
2021 The Kids Tonight Show Broadway Video, Electric Hot Dog, Matador Content Peacock [55]
2022 LOL: Last One Laughing Canada Insight Productions Amazon Prime Video [56]
2023 Beacon 23 Peephole Productions, Platform One Media, Spectrum Originals, Studio 8 Television MGM+ [57]
2024 Orphan Black: Echoes You Say Potato, AMC Studios AMC

Upcoming

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Title Co-production with Client Notes Ref.
Mating Season Matador Content Discovery Channel [58]
Who Wants to Be an Astronaut? Matador Content Discovery Channel [59][60]
Scary Stories for Young Foxes Peephole Productions [61]
Bad Kitty [62]

References

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  1. ^ a b Punter, Jennie (February 2, 2016). "'Orphan Black' Producer Temple Street Productions Expands as Boat Rocker Media". Variety. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Zorrilla, Monica Marie (October 5, 2021). "Shamier Anderson and Stephan James Ink First-Look Deal With Boat Rocker". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  3. ^ Petski, Denise (June 9, 2021). "'Invasion': Apple Unveils Premiere Date & Teaser Trailer For Simon Kinberg & David Weil's Sci-Fi Drama". Deadline. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  4. ^ a b O'Connor, Joe (April 12, 2021). "Rocking the boat: How two disenchanted Bay Street lawyers shook up the entertainment industry". Financial Post. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  5. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (March 24, 2021). "'Orphan Black' Producer Boat Rocker Media Launches $170 Million IPO In Toronto". Deadline. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  6. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (September 12, 2019). "Boat Rocker Media Buys Platform One Media to Expand Scripted TV Operation". Variety. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (March 4, 2019). "Boat Rocker Media Buys Stake In Untitled Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
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  9. ^ "Boat Rocker Media Inc". Canadian Securities Filings. SEDAR. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Punter, Jennie (February 2, 2016). "'Orphan Black' Producer Temple Street Productions Expands as Boat Rocker Media". Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Dickens, Andrew (February 3, 2016). "Temple Street restructures". C21Media. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  12. ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (February 24, 2016). "Fox's Syndicated Science Block Xploration Station to Go Global". TVREAL. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
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  15. ^ "Boat Rocker captures Radical Sheep". C21Media. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d Milligan, Mercedes (August 4, 2016). "Boat Rocker Media Acquires Jam Filled Entertainment". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
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  31. ^ Townsend, Kelly (August 15, 2024). "Boat Rocker to acquire full ownership of Insight Productions". Playback. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
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  34. ^ Davidson, Neil (November 7, 2018). "Toronto Arrows open inaugural Major League Rugby season with eight road games". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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  62. ^ Yossman, K. J. (June 16, 2022). "Nick Bruel's 'Bad Kitty' Children's Books Get Animated Television Adaptation From Boat Rocker (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
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