Hasbro Buys Irish Animation Studio

PAWTUCKET: Hasbro has acquired Boulder Media, an Irish animation company that has produced series for Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney and BBC.

Boulder becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary and will continue to produce animated series on behalf of third-party clients, in addition to producing animation projects for Hasbro’s brands. Boulder will retain its brand and report to Stephen Davis, who leads Hasbro’s entertainment and consumer products licensing division.

“At Hasbro, we’re building our brands through storytelling, and today, we’re telling richer stories across more platforms than ever before,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chairman, president and CEO. “We are also reinventing traditional modalities of animation production, both creatively and financially. With Boulder, we will deliver the highest quality animation that will engage our audiences with deep storytelling and great characters in a very cost-efficient manner.”

“As one of the largest independent studios producing animation in Hollywood, the time is right for Hasbro to acquire its own animation studio, allowing us to expand our animation and storytelling capabilities even further,” said Davis, the executive VP and chief content officer at Hasbro. “In Boulder, we have found one of the most progressive, innovative and creative teams in the business. We are thrilled to partner with Rob Cullen, Pete Lewis, Jenni MacNeaney and the entire Boulder team as we significantly enhance the execution of our story-led Brand Blueprint strategy.”

“Boulder and Hasbro have ambitious plans for growth, and working together, we will substantially expand our team and our business,” said Robert Cullen, creative director at Boulder. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring to life the Hasbro stories and characters that mean so much to our team, and join a company that’s emerging as an entertainment powerhouse.”