Thom Chapman Sets Up New Franchise Venture Victura Media

Entertainment executive Thom Chapman has set up Victura Media, a new entertainment franchise company based in the U.K. and Canada, along with company director and executive producer Gráinne McNamara.

Victura Media brings a platform-agnostic approach to discovering, building and managing global IP aimed at kids 8-plus, youth and adults. Chapman (previously at Spin Master) and McNamara (previously at 9 Story Media Group) come with over 20 years of experience in the franchise business, working on brands such as Peanuts, Bakugan, Hatchimals and PAW Patrol.

The launch slate of IP includes writer, director and presenter Dawn O’Porter’s young adult novel Paper Aeroplanes, which it is developing for television, alongside distribution titles PSI Cops, Super Dinosaur and Skybound Presents: Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation from Skybound Entertainment. Victura Media is also a consultant to Enterprise Ireland, helping Irish studios with IP management with a focus on global licensing and merchandising.

Chapman said: “There is an evolution happening in entertainment with how audiences are curating their entertainment experience as well as the growth of creator-led content and the importance of fandom and community. We founded Victura Media to help connect the dots across IP management and growing global franchises from all areas of the business. We’re excited to be developing Dawn O’Porter’s standout teen novel as well as be part of Skybound’s plans for the unconventional Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation. These distinctive IPs highlight the character of our curated approach to brand development.”

O’Porter said: “I’m thrilled to continue my collaboration with Grainne as she launches her new Film and TV venture, and very much look forward to taking Renee and Flo from the printed page onto our TV screens and beyond. Paper Aeroplanes has a special place in my heart, not just because it was my first novel but also because it is set in Guernsey, where I spent much of my childhood. I think these characters will speak to women for generations to come. The trials and tribulations of their lives are timeless, and the story celebrates the heartstopping power of female friendship.”