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 early goals is to “aggressively pursue IP in Canada and throughout the world… Blink Studios will apply significant resources to support new and diverse Canadian voices and will utilize its expertise, capital and extensive relationships to give diverse, unique and compelling stories an opportunity to reach a worldwide market,” the company said in a statement.
As part of the announcement, Blink announced that former CBC head and Twitter VP Kirstine Stewart had been named non-executive board chair, and that Endeavor Content co-president Chris Rice has also joined as a board member.
“I am beyond delighted and energized to be partnering with my former colleagues, Patrice, Jeff and Nelson, in this new media enterprise,” Morayniss said in a press release. “And, of course, we couldn’t be more excited about launching Blink Studios with the commitment and support of Endeavor Content as our lead strategic investor. When we first began our discussions with [Endeavor Content co-presidents] Chris [Rice] and Graham [Taylor], we felt that there was an immediate understanding and alignment as to why we were so passionate about building a world-class Canadian indie and how we were going to achieve success with a new and improved creative-first approach and strategy. And, with Kirstine and Chris joining our board, we have some of the best strategic minds in the business.”
Morayniss spent more than a decade as CEO of eOne TV, overseeing production on shows such as “The Rookie,” “Designated Survivor,” “Sharp Objects” and “Hell On Wheels.” He first joined eOne after it acquired Blueprint Entetainment, which he co-founded in 2002. Morayniss’ other credits inlcude serving as head of TV for Alliance Atlantis. He departed eOne in 2018, in a restructure following its acquisition of the Mark Gordon Company. (Toy giant Hasbro acquired eOne in 2019.)
Theroux was president of film and television at eOne from 2007 to 2014; his resume also includes serving as CEO of Alliance Films. Lynas headed day-to-day operations at eOne Television on a global basis before leaving the company after a decade. He was previously also at Blueprint Entertainment, where he served as senior VP. Kuo-Lee was executive VP of eOne’s film and television business and also held positions of COO and CFO before departing in early 2020.
In a joint statement, Endeavor Content co-presidents Chris Rice and Graham Taylor said they were looking to partner with a company that boasted a strong Canadian presence. “Blink is set up to invest in both the most established producers and the incredibly exciting emerging voices coming from Canada – where huge opportunity exists,” they said.