With media partners like Disney, Netflix and Amazon clamoring for more content and with over 10 projects in the delivery pipeline along with the newly created Lighthouse Studios, Mercury Filmworks, one of Canada’s most prolific independent animation studios, is expanding its management team, promoting several key executives and hiring new staff. The announcement was made today by Mercury Filmworks CEO Clint Eland.
“We are very grateful that our media partners continue to see Mercury Filmworks as a provider of top-tier animation content.” explains Eland. “Over the past year our company has been able to increase its development and production committments, creating a robust pipeline that requires a deeper bench of both creative and business executives to support it. To ensure our projects continue to surpass expectations and maintain Mercury Filmworks’ leadership position, we are expanding our management team.”
A rich but carefully curated production slate, which includes five original series in various stages of development, will carry Mercury Filmworks through 2018. Additionally, the company is currently collaborating with partners on a slate of animated projects, including four series with long-time partner Disney Television Animation; two high-profile series for Amazon Studios; a highly-anticipated series with Silvergate Media for Netflix; and a number of special projects with Marvel.
Mercury Filmworks’ expansion started earlier this year when the company joined forces with Academy Award nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon to create Lighthouse Studios—a 2D focused animation studio located in Kilkenny, Ireland that operates independently from Cartoon Saloon and Mercury Filmworks, but works in collaboration with both companies.
To support its continuing growth, Mercury Filmworks reorganises its leadership team with a series of promotions and hires effective immediately:
Current Vice Presidents Sandra Green and Nicole St. Pierre are promoted to Senior Vice President, Finance and Senior Vice President, Business & Legal, respectively. Both will continue to report directly to Eland and oversee the legal, business and finance operations of the growing company, as well as supporting operations for Lighthouse Studios. Green has been with Mercury Filmworks since 2004 and played a key role in creating a stable company with strong financial performance, and prior to Mercury Filmworks in 2007, St. Pierre worked as an independent entertainment lawyer and producer.
Mercury Filmwork’s head of studio Jefferson Allen, charged with overseeing the Ottawa studio’s production pipeline is promoted to Vice President, Studio Operations, expanding his areas of responsibility to include oversight of all general production and studio operations, reporting to Eland. One of the original group of artists hired in Mercury Filmwork’s Vancouver studio in 1998, Allen rose through the studio ranks through artistic and technical positions before being named Head of Studio in 2015.
Supervising Producer Chantal Ling rises to the newly created role of Vice President, Original Series and Co-Productions, tasked with collaborating with broadcasters and partners on the development, financing, and production of series and co-productions, as well as supporting the management team at Lighthouse Studios. She will collaborate with Mercury Filmworks’ Head of Development Travis Williams, Chief Creative Officer Jerry Popowich, and Eland, to whom she will report.
Ling, who joined Mercury Filmworks in 2012 from a post as Executive Vice President of Amberwood Entertainment, will continue to leverage her extensive professional network and nearly two decades of experience (which earned her five Gemini Award nominations and a Gemini Award for best direction in an animated series) to create critically-acclaimed series for both Mercury Filmworks and it’s co-production partners.
Joining the team at Mercury Filmworks, Tara Pollock comes on board in the newly created role of studio manager. Reporting to newly appointed VP of studio operations Jefferson Allen, Pollock will also work closely with chief creative officer Jerry Popowich, who continues to oversee studio culture and talent development activities. Pollock brings a wealth of human resource management experience to her new position, and will be charged with managing artist recruitment, onboarding, benefits, sponsorship, events, and ongoing employee training and development activities.
