9 Story Adds to Board of Directors

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TORONTO: 9 Story Media Group has appointed industry veteran Geraldine Laybourne to its board of directors.

Currently, Laybourne is chairman and co-founder of Kandu, a kids’ technology company, and her appointment follows 9 Story’s recent acquisition of Brown Bag Films. In the 1980s and 1990s, Laybourne led the team that created Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite. She went on to serve as president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks and later founded Oxygen Media, where she served as chairman and CEO until she sold the company to NBCUniversal in 2007.

“We are overjoyed to welcome Geraldine Laybourne to our board of directors,” said Vince Commisso, the president and CEO of 9 Story Media Group. “We have been on a mission to become the go-to studio for top-quality, creator-driven kids’ projects. Hiring Natalie Dumoulin as our VP of creative affairs last year was the first step and our recent acquisition of Brown Bag Films solidified that position. Gerry has been an absolute leader over the course of her career for her support of creator-led projects. As a board member, her expertise and counsel will be absolutely invaluable as we grow to become a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment on all platforms.”

Laybourne added: “I was drawn to 9 Story for several reasons: the sincerity of their creator-driven mission, their track record of best-in-market production and the impressive talent in the company. Traditional kids’ networks are demanding new content and new approaches on a daily basis; and new platforms are recognizing how invaluable and sticky kids’ content is to their platform. It is a great time to grow a kids’ content company.”