Toronto-based kids prodco 9 Story is expanding the focus of its international distribution division 9 Story Enterprises to include the management of acquired programming.

For its first foray into the niche it has taken on Slap Happy Cartoon’s new animated series Nerds and Monsters (40×11′).  The series was recently greenlit by Corus Entertainment’s YTV in Canada for a January 2014 premiere.

“We will be strategically acquiring content with both the production quality and entertainment value to fit the 9 Story brand and are delighted that Slap Happy’s Nerds and Monsters is our first acquisition,”  said Natalie Osborne, the company’s executive VP of business development who also leads the acquisition team, in a statement Monday.

Nerds and Monsters is a comedy aimed at 6-11 year olds that tosses a group of nerdy kids on a fantastic uncharted island. The tween castaways must use only their smarts to survive the relentless attacks by the island’s inhabitants – a tribe of hideous monsters that are mistakenly threatened by their human invaders.

Slap Happy has offices in Vancouver and Los Angeles.