Toronto-based content producer Treason Media has partnered with Toronto animation studio Style 5.TV to create and produce Rumble Cat, an original primetime animated comedy series for the 14+ demographic.

Rumble Cat features two best friends trying to make it in the world of professional fighting while coping with the pressures of fame and the demands of the sport putting their friendship to the test.

Treason Media’s Aron Dunn tells Playback that he and Style5.TV’s Sam Chou had attempted to collaborate on projects a few times since they met a few years ago, but nothing had fit the tastes of their previous employers.

Dunn explains that Rumble Cat, for which they’ve written a bible and pilot and are planning 26 episodes, is the product of discussions about shared favourite shows, like Entourage, How to Make it in America and Metalocalypse, and Chou being a fan of MMA.

He adds that there’s currently no broadcaster in place for the series, which he says they think will attract both the 14 to 21 and 18 to 34 demos, but they plan to pitch several this fall, including Teletoon At Night /Adult Swim Canada, Comedy Network, FX Canada, and stateside Comedy Central, IFC and MTV – in addition to looking at a place for the project on other platforms.

“We’re also looking at an online life for the project. We think it would make a brilliant casual fighting game and could scale up to an RPG style game if there’s interest,” Dunn adds.

They’ll start the pitch process at the Ottawa International Animation Festival’s Television Animation Conference (TAC) this week, he says, with the goal of putting the show into development with a broadcaster by the year’s end.