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Fifth Season-backed Blink49 Studios has received a strategic investment from Bell Media, the Canadian media giant.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the aim is bolstering Blink49’s scripted and unscripted content slate. The investment deal is set to close in fall 2025.

John Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas and Nelson Kuo-Lee — all veteran executives from Entertainment One — launched Blink49 Studios as a Canadian-based indie banner in fall 2021 to develop and produce both scripted and unscripted content.

Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) became the lead strategic investor in Blink49, which is headquartered in Toronto and has offices in Los Angeles, and is also the production banner’s main distribution partner. Bell Media and Blink49 have already partnered with a first look global scripted and second-look unscripted deal with Lilly Singh’s Unicorn Island Productions.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Blink49 in just a few short years,...

Exclusive: Blink49 Studios, the Canadian production company behind series including Wild Cards and Sight Unseen, is expanding its scripted team.

The Fifth Season-backed business has hired Andy Bourne, who was most recently head of limited series at Amazon Studios, as SVP, Scripted Television. It has also hired Mackenzie Donaldson, who has worked on series including Orphan Black and Snowpiercer, as VP, Scripted Television.

Based in Los Angeles, Bourne took on the role of head of limited series at Amazon in 2023. He has worked on series including Cross, Better Sister, starring Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel, and Blade Runner. Before that, he spent 18 months as co-head of external development at the company. He was previously at 20th Century Television, where he was SVP, Development, working on titles such as The Old Man (FX), Dopesick (Hulu), Percy Jackson (Disney+), The Chi (Showtime), Queen of the South (USA), Hot Zone (National Geographic), and...

Blink49 Studios is bulking up its executive roster with a series of promotions and a key hire as the Fifth Season-backed production banner continues to expand its footprint in the global content market.

Former Lionsgate executive Andrew Nissen has joined the company as VP of scripted television, reporting to Carolyn Newman, executive VP of global scripted. Based in Los Angeles, Nissen transitions from his previous role as director of scripted television development at Lionsgate, where he helped shepherd high-profile projects including “A Gentleman in Moscow.”

The Toronto-headquartered studio also elevated four senior executives. Allison Brough moves up to senior VP of unscripted television in Toronto, continuing to oversee the company’s reality slate under Toby Dormer, executive VP of unscripted television.

Lucy Galstyan has been upped to senior VP of business and legal affairs, unscripted, operating from the L.A. office and reporting to Nicole Levinsohn, executive VP of business and legal affairs.

Exclusive: Pancho Mansfield is turning his producing deal with Blink49 Studios into an executive position.

Mansfield has been named President, Global Scripted Television at the company, which was founded by his former eOne boss John Morayniss.

Earlier this summer, Deadline revealed that he had struck a first-look deal with the company and was working on a problem-solving procedural with writer and producer Andrew Miller.

He will now oversee its worldwide scripted programming strategy including development and production of original content across global markets. He will report to Morayniss.

Mansfield was previously President, Global Scripted Television at eOne and oversaw its scripted slate, which includes Showtime’s Yellowjackets, Paramount+’s A Gentleman in Moscow, HBO’s Sharp Objects, ABC’s The Rookie and spinoff The Rookie: Feds, Freeform’s Cruel Summer, Fox’s Deputy, HBO’s Run and Netflix’s The Recruit.

Before working at eOne, Mansfield had his own banner...

Exclusive: Pancho Mansfield has reunited with his old eOne boss John Morayniss and former colleague Carolyn Newman.

Mansfield, who was President, Global Scripted Television at eOne, has struck a first-look producing with Blink49 Studios, the production company that Morayniss co-founded in 2021.

In that former role, Mansfield oversaw eOne’s scripted slate, which includes Showtime’s Yellowjackets, Paramount+’s A Gentleman in Moscow, HBO’s Sharp Objects, ABC’s The Rookie and spinoff The Rookie: Feds, Freeform’s Cruel Summer, Fox’s Deputy, HBO’s Run and Netflix’s The Recruit.

Mansfield has already set his first project with Blink49 Studios, which is backed by Fifth Season, the company formerly known as Endeavor Content. He is working on a problem-solving procedural with writer and producer Andrew Miller, who recently worked on Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Before working at eOne, Mansfield had his own banner that had a first...

Exclusive: Tara Long, who was President of Global Unscripted Television at eOne, has finalized a deal with John Morayniss’ Blink49 Studios.

Deadline revealed that Long was leaving after the Lionsgate merger went through and was set to strike a deal with the Fifth Season-backed company. Instead of setting up her own shop with the company, she is instead becoming President of Global Unscripted Television.

Joining her is former Bounce TV exec Ri-Karlo Handy, who will become SVP, Unscripted.

Based in LA and reporting to CEO Morayniss, whom she worked with for over ten years when he was at eOne, Long will oversee its U.S. unscripted television slate and will assume responsibility for managing the global unscripted division including the ongoing Canadian operations.

EVP Toby Dormer and Handy will report to Long, while VP Allison Brough will continue to report to Dormer.

Long has been behind series such as Impact...

Exclusive: Tara Long, eOne’s President, Global Unscripted Television, is leaving the company after ten years.

Long’s departure comes after Lionsgate acquired the company from Hasbro.

Deadline understands that she is now in the process of setting up her own shop and is set to strike a deal with her former eOne boss John Morayniss and his Blink49 Studios.

Long joined eOne in 2012 and has shepherded unscripted series such as We tv’s Growing Up Hip Hop franchise, MTV’s Ex On The Beach and Siesta Key, E!’s LadyGang, BET’s Hustle in Brooklyn, Death Row Chronicles and Emmy-nominated LA Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later, A&e’s Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G. and Gsn’s America Says.

Earlier this month, it emerged that Lionsgate was cutting eOne’s workforce by about 10% after the deal closed in August.

Morayniss, who ran eOne’s television business between 2008 and...

Fifth Season-backed Blink49 Studios has acquired a majority stake in Front Street Pictures, a prolific TV series and movies producer for Hallmark, Lifetime, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros., Tubi and Paramount.

Terms of the investment were not disclosed, but the agreement expands Blink49’s Canadian production reach as part of its first major acquisition. Vancouver-based Front Street Pictures will continue to operate under its own banner and be led by president Charles Cooper as it expands its focus on TV movie production.

John Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas and Nelson Kuo-Lee — all veteran executives from Entertainment One — launched Blink49 Studios as a Canadian-based indie banner in 2021 to develop and produce both scripted and unscripted content. Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) became the lead strategic investor in Blink49, which is headquartered in Toronto and has offices in Los Angeles, and is also the production banner’s main distribution partner.

“We’re thrilled...

Canada-based firms Blink49 Studios and Vanguarde Artists Management are teaming to make shows.

The pair has created a joint venture that will develop and produce content for the global market. The firms are billing the deal as a “first-of-its-kind” agreement in Canada, with Vanguarde providing the creative talent and IP and former eOne Television chief John Morayniss’ Blink49 providing studio, production and distribution infrastructure.

Blink49, which is backed by Cj Enm-owned Fifth Season, will also provide development funding to help create a slate. It and Vanguarde will serve as co-producers on all projects developed, with Fifth Season taking a first look on international distribution rights.

The news comes shortly after Deadline revealed Vanguarde had set up a production arm, Vanguarde Pictures and hired former Saving Hope and Burden of Truth showrunner Adam Pettle, who’ll work to develop content alongside Co-Heads Tina Horwitz and Jay Horwitz.

“With a stellar client roster and a thoughtful,...

Blink49 Studios has boosted its business affairs division with the hires of two seasoned executives.

Based in Los Angeles and reporting into CEO John Morayniss, Nicole Ungerman Levinsohn joins as senior VP, business and legal Affairs, responsible for the structuring, negotiation, documentation and management of Blink49 Studios’ agreements, including agreements to engage talent, acquire underlying rights, and license content. In addition, Levinsohn will implement and administer standard operating procedures for the company’s development, production and acquisitions, and manage all business-related partnerships.

Levinsohn was previously senior VP of business and legal affairs at Upn, where she negotiated the first network deal for the WWE, as well as for “America’s Next Top Model” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Prior to that, Levinsohn was at NBC, where she was responsible for “Seinfeld,” “Mad About You” and “Frasier.”

Based in Toronto, Daphne Park joins as VP, production finance and business affairs and will...

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Blink49 Studios is launching a Canadian unscripted TV arm to develop a slate of non-fiction content targeting the local and international markets.

The new division will be led by Toby Dormer, executive vp of unscripted TV and Allison Brough, named vp of unscripted TV. Based in Vancouver, Dormer most recently served as executive vp of unscripted, Canada for Entertainment One, and will report to John Morayniss, CEO of Blink49 Studios.

Brough also comes over from eOne, where she was vp of development, unscripted TV and head of Podcast Network. “We’re thrilled to be launching our unscripted division with Toby and Allison leading the charge. They are a formidable team with stellar reputations and an impressive track record of developing and producing a compelling and diverse slate of unscripted content for a global market,” Morayniss said in a statement.

Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas...

Exclusive: John Morayniss’ Blink49 Studios has struck an overall deal with The Walking Dead: World Beyond co-exec producer Ben Sokolowski.

The deal is the second of its type from the nascent Canadian studio over the past months after it tied with Lucifer exec Sheri Elwood in March.

Sokolowski, whose credits also include The Flash and Cloverfield, will develop shows with Blink49 as a non-writing executive producer. He is the co-exec of AMC Walking Dead spin-off The Walking Dead: World Beyond and has written four episodes.

Sokolowski’s first development project under the deal is Breakers from Netflix’s 21 Thunder co-creator Riley Adams.

Breakers follows three young surfers from Vancouver Island who dream of big-wave glory but one goes missing. When the police refuse to act, the other two must take it upon themselves, plunging into the island’s criminal waters.

Founded by Morayniss, Patrick Theroux, Nelson Kuo-Lee and Jeff Lynas last year,...

Blink49 Studios To Adapt ‘Things To Do When It’s Raining’

John Morayniss’ Blink49 Studios has picked up the rights to New York Times bestselling author Marissa Stapley’s romantic drama Things To Do When It’s Raining. The novel, Stapley’s second, is set in Canada’s 1,000 Islands and centers around a woman who is driven by deception and despair to return home from the city to her grandparent’s inn. There, she encounters Gabe, the island-dwelling boy who was her companion as a child and her first love as a teenage girl, but then disappeared from her life without a trace. In-house Blink49 execs Virginia Rankin and Carolyn Newman will exec produce for the newly-formed Endeavor Content-backed studio, which was founded by former eOne TV Chief Morayniss, Patrick Theroux, Jeff Lynas and Nelson Kuo-Lee. Stapley said: “Carolyn Newman and Virginia Rankin’s passion for a book so dear...

Former Entertainment One TV CEO John Morayniss has reunited with several of his former colleagues to launch Blink Studios, a new independent studio launched with the backing of Endeavor Content. Morayniss will serve as CEO of the company, which will be based in Toronto with an office in Los Angeles.

Morayniss is forming Blink with fellow eOne alums Patrice Theroux (who will serve as executive vice chair), Nelson Kuo-Lee (who will serve as CFO) and Jeff Lynas (who will serve as COO).

Blink will focus on both scripted and unscripted fare, with an eye toward the global marketplace. Endeavor Content, described as Blink’s anchor investor and lead strategic partner, will serve as the new studio’s worldwide priority distribution partner.

Blink will place much of its emphasis in investing in Canadian production companies, and also plans to strike overall deals with writers, creators, producers and others. One of the...

Former eOne Television chief John Morayniss has launched a new production venture with a handful of his former colleagues and backing from Endeavor Content.

Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas and Nelson Kuo-Lee have established Blink Studios, headquartered in Toronto with offices in LA. The studio will develop and produce scripted and unscripted content for the global market with Endeavor Content as its “priority” distribution partner.

The company will look to invest in Canadian production companies as well as strike deals with writers and producers and pursue IP in Canada and around the world.

Morayniss led eOne’s television business between 2008 and 2018 after cofounding Canadian indie Blueprint Entertainment, which was acquired by eOne. He left after Mark Gordon became eOne’s President and Chief Content Officer, Film, Television and Digital, overseeing all of its creative units.

Theroux was previously eOne’s President of Film and Television from 2007 to 2014, Lynas handled day-to-day...

John Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas, and Nelson Kuo-Lee— all veteran executives from Entertainment One— have launched Blink Studios, a Canadian-based indie banner that will develop and produce both scripted and unscripted content.

Endeavor Content will act as its lead strategic investor in Blink, which will be headquartered in Toronto with offices in Los Angeles, with Endeavor co-president Chris Rice joining the outfit as a board member. Endeavor will also be Blink’s priority distribution partner.

Former CBC head Kirstine Stewart has been appointed as non-executive board chair for the company that, in addition to producing content, plans to make ...

John Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas, and Nelson Kuo-Lee— all veteran executives from Entertainment One— have launched Blink Studios, a Canadian-based indie banner that will develop and produce both scripted and unscripted content.

Endeavor Content will act as its lead strategic investor in Blink, which will be headquartered in Toronto with offices in Los Angeles, with Endeavor co-president Chris Rice joining the outfit as a board member. Endeavor will also be Blink’s priority distribution partner.

Former CBC head Kirstine Stewart has been appointed as non-executive board chair for the company that, in addition to producing content, plans to make ...

Entertainment One Television has promoted Jeff Lynas from his current position as Svp, Operations & Business Development to Chief Operating Officer. Lynas reports directly to CEO John Morayniss, and continues to be based in Los Angeles. In his expanded role, Lynas takes on oversight of all day-to-day operations for eOne Television on a global basis. He will also continue in his business development capacity, establishing and structuring new business relationships for eOne…...

eOne and YouTube stars Cimorelli – the six singing sisters from Malibu – have struck a multi-year output deal to create and distribute original content in all filmed entertainment media.

The partnership has initiated development on several scripted and non-scripted projects that eOne will produce and sell worldwide.

Cimorelli has amassed a YouTube following of more than 700 million views and three million subscribers via music videos, daily vlogs, fashion and make-up tutorials and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

They received the Teen Choice Award for Choice Web Star in 2013.

Cimorelli’s YouTube channel is part of and will remain with the AwesomenessTV network.

The sisters are signed with Universal Music Group and are preparing to embark on a 13-city European tour in March.

Jesse Albert negotiated the deal for eOne with Tony Novia for Cimorelli and both serve as executive producers on all projects that fall under the partnership alongside Lynne Cimorelli.

Albert and eOne’s Jeff Lynas will oversee the relationship...

eOne and YouTube stars Cimorelli – the six singing sisters from Malibu – have struck a multi-year output deal to create and distribute original content in all filmed entertainment media.

The partnership has initiated development on several scripted and non-scripted projects that eOne will produce and sell worldwide.

Cimorelli has amassed a YouTube following of more than 700 million views and three million subscribers via music videos, daily vlogs, fashion and make-up tutorials and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

They received the Teen Choice Award for Choice Web Star in 2013.

Cimorelli’s YouTube channel is part of and will remain with the AwesomenessTV network.

The sisters are signed with Universal Music Group and are preparing to embark on a 13-city European tour in March.

Jesse Albert negotiated the deal for eOne with Tony Novia for Cimorelli and both serve as executive producers on all projects that fall under the partnership alongside Lynne Cimorelli.

Albert and eOne’s Jeff Lynas will oversee the relationship...

TORONTO -- Veteran Canadian producer Christine Shipton on Tuesday joined Los Angeles-based Blueprint Entertainment to oversee from Toronto the development and production of TV shows generated in Canada, Blueprint said Tuesday. Shipton, most recently senior director of programming and development at W Network, a Canadian women-themed channel, will rejoin Blueprint co-founders John Morayniss and Noreen Halpern, with whom Shipton worked at Alliance Atlantis Communications as executive vp. Blueprint also hired another Alliance alumnus, Jeff Lynas, as its Los Angeles-based senior vp. Lynas was vp U.S. operations and sales at Alliance Atlantis Television. "Having worked with both Christine and Jeff for many years at Alliance Atlantis, it's like welcoming back family that has come home after a long and fruitful journey," Blueprint principal Noreen Halpern, a former senior vp TV series at Alliance Atlantis, said in a statement. Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis recently said it was getting out of film and TV production to focus on Canadian specialty channels and movie distribution.