Lionsgate expanded its presence in Canada in a big way at the end of 2023 when it acquired the film and TV assets of Entertainment One (eOne) from Hasbro, along with its stake in the Canadian business.
Six months after the transaction’s closure, Playback can exclusively reveal that the entity once known as eOne Canada is being rebranded to Lionsgate Canada.
While it’s a major change for a roughly two-decade old brand out of Canada, it’s a necessary one, according to Jocelyn Hamilton, Lionsgate Canada’s president, television.
“From my perspective, this is an evolution,” Hamilton tells Playback, stating that the entities are “stronger together” under the Lionsgate banner. “If you’re not evolving or growing with the market changes, you might get left out.”
Kevin Beggs, chair and chief creative officer of the Lionsgate Television Group, says it’s a fitting extension for the larger company, which was founded by Frank Giustra in Vancouver in 1997.
“The best thing that any company that transacts can hope for is good stewardship in the hands of the acquirer,” says Beggs. “Lionsgate has a deep connectivity and history in the market and a profound appreciation for the value of great Canadian production.”
The content team in Canada is moving full speed ahead, shepherded by Kerry Appleyard, who joined earlier this year as SVP scripted and unscripted, under Hamilton’s leadership. Some of that momentum is supported by the synergies between the global teams, including the unified unscripted teams under Lionsgate Alternative Television.
“Anything that adds more investment, more focus and additional reach [in the Canadian market] is a win for both the business and the industry,” says Beggs.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Playback: What was the business interest for Lionsgate to expand operations in Canada?
Kevin Beggs: The value of what Jocelyn and her team have created in production, distribution and coproduction was very clear to me, [as well as] CEO Jon Feltheimer, vice-chair Michael Burns, Lionsgate Television Group vice chairman Sandra Stern, Jim Packer, who heads distribution at Lionsgate International, and Susan Hummel, who’s been on the ground in Canada for many years now.
Coming out of COVID and the strikes, there’s never been more pressure on everyone’s margins. Supporting a thriving and robust business that is already built was so much easier than trying to recreate it over time in this market.
There were some amazing pieces in the eOne catalogue that really appealed to us, including on-air shows like The Rookie and Yellowjackets. And it was clear from the very first meeting with Jocelyn and her team that, not only were we interested in preserving and maintaining a core business there [in Canada], but actually lending all the support we can between our distribution reach, our M&A expertise, our robust non-fiction business and scripted expertise.
What was the thought process behind the rebrand to Lionsgate Canada?
Jocelyn Hamilton: It just makes sense. Lionsgate is domiciled in Canada and now we’re adding to that to make this an even stronger and bigger entity here. We’re still a separate entity and a Canadian business. We have our own board of directors with veterans on the board, such as Christine Shipton, Corrie Coe and Laszlo Barna, so we get a lot of guidance from them.
How much of the Canadian team’s slate is going to be maintained following the Lionsgate integration?
KB: All of it is going to be maintained. What was exciting to me was the robust list of clients that Jocelyn had created in the U.S. and Canada. I think everyone has realized, more and more, that coproductions, enhanced presales and global collaboration are going to be key to keep television productions running and profitable.
So much of that leg work had already been done [under Jocelyn]; the partnerships with Hallmark and Amazon and all kinds of clients that are globally-facing, but most specifically anchored in the U.S. That formula, when it can be tapped into, is really potent, but not easy to do. Jocelyn has a firm grasp on both sides of the market.
How much of a balance will there be between scripted and unscripted on the Lionsgate Canada slate?
JH: I mean, it’s all opportunistic. We have a great development slate in both scripted and unscripted. I would say there are probably equal amounts of things in development for both genres.
We’re working really closely with the larger Lionsgate Alternative team, which includes businesses in the U.K., the U.S. and Canada. Together we’ll be so much stronger. We will develop something here for unscripted, and the team in the U.S. will be helpful in bringing it out into their market so we can manage the cost effectiveness and put the financing together. On the scripted side, it’s a similar story.
What are your plans for the 2024 Banff World Media Festival (BANFF)?
KB: More to come. We’re going to be front and centre on some of the big BANFF events. It will be our first quasi company off-site since we joined up in December, so we’re looking at that as an opportunity for us to all get to know each other a little better.
We’re hopeful that we will be talking about various productions soon and be boots on the ground and in the trenches together. There’s no specific announcement other than the rebrand, but I think our presence there is going to speak to our focus on the partnership.
This story originally appeared in Playback‘s 2024 Spring issue
Image courtesy of Lionsgate
