Corus Entertainment has purchased a majority stake in Aircraft Pictures, the Toronto-based production company behind titles such as Family Channel series Holly Hobbie and the Oscar-nominated animated feature The Breadwinner.

The investment will allow Aircraft to expand its capacity to develop, finance and produce premium content for the global marketplace, including a focus on international coproductions. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

It also marks another investment in the kids and family space for Corus, which owns kid-focused prodco and distributor Nelvana, publisher Kids Can Press, and family-friendly channels such as YTV, Teletoon and Treehouse.

Colin Bohm, EVP of content and corporate strategy at Corus, tells Playback Daily that part of the strategy behind the majority acquisition is to tap into the scripted live-action kids and youth space, having primarily worked in animation with Nelvana, while helping Aircraft Pictures increase their ability to produce premium content.

He adds that the investment does not mean Corus will own Aircraft IP or serve as the primary distributor, although he says there is the potential for Aircraft to develop content based on existing Nelvana IP.

“If there are opportunities where it makes sense for them to use Nelvana or Corus Studios as a distributor, then obviously those opportunities will be considered, but our operating philosophy and strategy for these guys is to get out of their way and help them execute their plan,” he says. “We didn’t make this acquisition with a fixed model in mind… if they continue to sell to streamers and other broadcasters in Canada or outside of Canada, that to us is a success.”

Bohm says Corus’ M&A strategy is one of the ways the company is looking to strategically grow its content business, which includes an increased investment in development and production at Nelvana and Corus Studios. “We’re looking to grow our business through a combination of organic investments, partnerships and, potentially, acquisitions across the distribution, production and development side of things.”

Aircraft Pictures was founded by co-presidents Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen in Toronto in 2005. The company, which has an additional office in L.A., produces animated and live-action scripted content for kids and young adults.

Leo and Rosen were both nominated for an Academy Award for their work producing the animated Canadian copro The Breadwinner and their previous scripted series include Todd & The Book of Pure Evil, Raising Expectations and a trilogy of Bruno & Boots TV movies based on the book series by Montreal-born author Gordon Korman.

“Andrew and I are truly fortunate to work with outstanding creative talent, exceptional co-producing partners and distributors and world-class broadcast and streaming platforms,” said Aircraft’s Leo in a statement. “As we plan to grow the company in new and exciting ways, the additional resources that this landmark step provides will increase the value Aircraft Pictures can extend to our partners exponentially.”

Pictured (L-R): Andrew Rosen and Anthony Leo