Top Draw Animation (TDA), a division of Grom Social Enterprises, has appointed Cyrus Mistry as its new chief operating officer. Mistry is the former VP of Technicolor’s Animation Games & Production in India. TDA is a global supplier of premium 2D animation production services.
Mistry, has been named TDA’s COO, effective immediately. In his new role, he has relocated from India to the company’s studio in Manila, Philippines, which was recently featured on CNN in a special about the growing global reliance on the Philippines for goods and services, including premium animation production.
Mistry joined TDA last year as a consultant and, as COO, will now oversee the studio’s operations, including a team of 300+ artists who have worked for clients and partners around the world. Mistry will overlook animation production, spearhead partner relations and formulate strategies to lead the studio’s output for its blue-chip client roster that has included Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Disney and Warner Bros., among others.
“Cyrus’ deep roots in animation production and strong executive leadership capabilities position him for great success in this role,” stated Grom Social Enterprises CEO Darren Marks. “The TDA family enthusiastically anticipates the benefits his motivational expertise will bring to the organisation.”
Mistry, who most recently served as CEO of Rocksalt Interactive, began his career as a filmmaker, crafting both industrial/corporate content as well as television commercials. His passion for both the creative and business sides of the animation process led him to transition into animation production over 20 years ago. Before Rocksalt, he was at Technicolor Animation & Games, India, where he oversaw the company’s growth and led the studio to winning seven Emmy Awards for their superlative animation work.
Acquired by Grom Social Enterprises in 2016, TDA handles production and delivery for animated series, movies, specials and short-form projects. Last month, Grom entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Texas-based Arctic7, and tap into the $180 billion gaming market – $20 billion of which is gaming for kids – and explore synergy opportunities across Grom’s subsidiaries. Arctic7 provides a suite of full game and co-development services alongside its intellectual property development within the gaming and virtual production services for the movie and TV industry.
