Moonbug Entertainment veterans Jiella Esmat and Karine Ahton have launched 8 Lions Entertainment. Co-founder and chief executive officer Esmat was most recently chief revenue officer of Amuse Animation & Amuse Studios, and previously held senior roles at Moonbug, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and NBCU. Co-founder Ahton, was former general counsel of Moonbug and Envision Racing, and previously worked at Sanrio and ITV.
“We are sourcing and creating diverse, engaging entertainment that reflects the genuine interests of kids and teens,” commented Esmat. “Young people’s consumption habits have changed irreversibly and continue to evolve. We’re ensuring content is available to them in ways that recognise and cater to their expectations.”
The London-based company’s launch team includes Lovely Chavez as VP Digital Strategy & Commercial Partnerships, Helen Wong as Senior Commercial manager, and Fletcher Williams as Corporate & Strategy executive — all executives held previous positions at Moonbug.
Jerome Mazandarani, former managing Director of Manga Entertainment and Crunchyroll U.K., is advising on Anime and adult animation related projects.
Prior to its official launch, 8 Lions represented YouTube sensation Cosmic Kids in negotiations for their first TV series, Jaime’s Yoga Adventures, a newly announced Sky Original. The company has also repped Acamar Films’ preschool show Bing for distribution and licensing and merchandising in the Middle East and North Africa. 8 Lions is currently also working with Jordan-based YouTube-first studio Pixitoon.
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