Toronto’s Relish Studios, the animation house behind Barbie’s Dreamworld and Treasure X, has recruited west coast industry veterans Allan Joli-Coeur (pictured left) and Kramer Hoehn (pictured right).

Based in B.C., Joli-Coeur will handle the financial side of Relish’s production business as VP of production and business affairs, reporting to CEO Paul Pattison. Hoehn works out of Vancouver as head of production and is tasked with exploring new and emerging technology (such as AI) to create original content. He reports to SVP of animation Luke Carroll. Both execs started in their new positions at the end of May.

Joli-Coeur (A Different Loyalty) has more than 30 years of experience in film and TV under his belt. He started in the industry as an entertainment lawyer at Quebec-based prodco Allegro Films, and he has worked at Apartment 11 Productions as an executive producer and at Shaw Rocket Fund as VP of operations over the last two decades.

Hoehn (Lower Decks) brings more than 12 years of experience in animation production to Relish. Prior to joining the studio, he was head of production at Titmouse Canada, and he has held similar positions at other Canadian studios such as Yeti Farm and Atomic Cartoons.

Relish is going through a bit of a talent growth spurt, with these latest hires joining just months after Andrew Milne came on board as VP of growth in January. Relish now has more than 160 designers, illustrators, writers, animators and engineers working from offices in Canada, the U.S. and Costa Rica.

The studio is currently building up its multi-platform content work, spanning mobile games, interactive stories, digital series, AR and VR experiences, and physical media as well, including books and board games.

Photos courtesy of Relish Studios