Toronto-based studio Relish has hired The Willoughbys producer Luke Carroll as its first SVP of animation to support its expansion beyond service work and into original content.

Working out of the company’s newly opened second office in B.C., Carroll will hold double duty, acting as SVP of development for Wasabi Entertainment – Relish’s original content division – which is prepping a slate of originals, including its first feature film Shadowrail Circus.

In pre-production now, the movie will track a young girl’s adventures when she accidentally unlocks dormant magical abilities and has to help a troupe of fantastical circus performers who are being pursued by an evil pirate queen. It’s slated for a 2022 release.

Prior to joining Relish, Carroll worked as VP of production and development at Bron Animation, where he produced CG-animated family-friendly feature The Willoughbys for Netflix. Before Bron, he worked as a producer at Vancouver-based Rainmaker Entertainment, where he produced Escape from Planet Earth for The Weinstein Company. He was also previously served as a producer with Mattel, and worked on straight-to-DVD projects, including A Mermaid’s Tale and The Magic of the Rainbow.  

The new hire comes as Relish – which has worked on 2D series Treasure X and 3D/CG series Kindi Kids for Australian toyco Moose Toys – is working to expand its animation capabilities and production efforts. It most recently acquired Costa Rica-based Rocket Cartoons in February.

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen