Rovio Alum Nick Dorra Sets Up New Animation Studio

Nick Dorra, who previously led Rovio Entertainment’s animation and content strategy as well as acquisitions for Toons TV, has launched a new animation company, Haruworks, which is now officially open for business.

Based in Helsinki, Haruworks aims to build international character brands with a Nordic influence, drawing inspiration from the works of Astrid Lindgren and Tove Jansson. The slate currently consists of four shows for preschoolers to 8-year-olds that are also ideal for co-viewing.

Haruworks has appointed an advisory board of experts, including industry veteran Fred Seibert, CAKE’s Tom van Waveren, eOne Family’s Nick Gawne and Original Talent’s Simon Flamank. The studio also named former child psychologist Maija Arponen as head of development to shape creative that is beneficial for kids’ psychological and emotional growth.

Dorra, founder, producer and CEO at Haruworks, commented: “We are delighted to officially launch and start conversations about our slate…. Haruworks has been founded with the mission to create content that is worth your child’s precious time and attention. Experience tells us that kids and parents long for safe, witty and non-condescending stories, and that’s what we are offering. We want to create worlds and characters that families love and pass on to the next generation.”

Seibert added: “Haruworks is a truly exciting and promising proposition. The breadth of talent and experience within the company offers a great foundation for the development of high-quality, sought-after global hit shows that can thrive on all platforms.”