L.A.-based production company GRAiNEY Pictures has hired Canadian writing and producing brothers Joel H. and Robert Cohen in executive producer roles for the company’s Canadian division.

Robert (pictured left) is joining the Canadian creative leadership team as executive producer, film and TV while Joel (pictured right) is joining as executive producer, series and animation.

Robert’s previous work includes writing for series such as The Big Bang Theory, The Wonder Years and The Ben Stiller Show, which won him a 1993 Primetime Emmy Award. He also wrote and directed the documentary Being Canadian, which examined what it means to be Canadian. It premiered at the 2015 Hot Docs Festival and was produced by GRAiNEY Pictures.

Joel has been a writer and producer for The Simpsons for the last quarter century, winning four Emmys, three Writers Guild of America awards and a Peabody Award for his work. He has also written for projects such as Suddenly Susan and the animated film Extinct. In 2024, the brothers teamed up to create Crave’s upcoming adult animated comedy Super Team Canada, produced by Atomic Cartoons and Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue.

In the new positions, Joel and Robert, effective April 1, will report to GRAiNEY Pictures Canada’s Larissa Primeau, executive producer and partner, and the company’s Canadian brother-sister co-founders Colin K. Gray and Megan Raney Aarons.

Grainey Pictures Canada was established in 2021, followed by the acquisition of Primeau’s Toronto-based company Framework Creative Content. Primeau oversees development, production and post-production for GRAiNEY Canada’s unscripted and scripted properties while Erik T. Wilson, executive producer, commercial and branded, spearheads the Canadian branch’s branded, impact and integrated marketing division.

“Coming back to our roots and expanding into Canada with Grainey ‘North’ in 2021 has been a game-changer, enabling us to broaden our content offerings, tap into a dynamic new market and expand our production services offerings,” said Gray and Aarons in a co-statement. “With Rob and Joel on board, they will help drive an exciting new slate of scripted and unscripted content, attract other Canadian talent and amplify our global presence.”

The new hires come as the company is preparing to launch a new lineup of projects at this year’s Banff World Media Festival in June. Some of GRAiNEY’s previous projects include the feature documentaries Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality and Atari: Game Over. The company has offices in L.A., Toronto, Washington D.C. and Bristol, U.K.

Image courtesy of GRAiNEY Pictures