Silvergate Media Limited,[1] trading as Sony Pictures Television – Kids, is a television production and brand licensing company based in New York City and London.[2] The company was founded in 2011 by Waheed Alli, Elizabeth Dampier and William Astor and was acquired by Sony Pictures Television in 2019.
History
Silvergate Media was created in 2011 as part of a management buyout, when Alli purchased the rights to Octonauts and The World of Beatrix Potter from Chorion, a company he was previously chair of.[3]
In 2013, Silvergate launched its television distribution arm.[4]
In 2016, Netflix and Silvergate agreed to a three-year multi-territory deal for Octonauts, Silvergate's series about underwater explorers.[5]
The company signed a deal with Netflix, in collaboration with Mercury Filmworks to produce Hilda, an animated television adaptation of comic Hilda by Luke Pearson. Season 1 was released on September 21, 2018.[6] Season 2 was released on December 14, 2020. The series is available in 130 countries.[7]
Silvergate also produced Sunny Day for Nickelodeon, which started airing on August 21, 2017.[8]
In 2016, the investment fund Shamrock Capital Advisors acquired a 51% equity of the company,[9] with the valuation reported to be "between £70 and £80 million".[10]
On December 10, 2019, Sony Pictures Television announced that it would acquire Silvergate Media for US$195 million. The deal marks SPT's first in-house studio devoted primarily to children's animation since Sony Pictures Animation's diversification into television.[11]
In February 2022, former Disney Junior Senior Vice President of original programming and Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group executive Joe D'Ambrosia was named Executive Vice President and General Manager of Silvergate Media, succeeding co-founder Waheed Alli, who stepped down as CEO the following summer.[12]
In November 2022, Silvergate Media's trading name was changed to Sony Pictures Television – Kids,[13] although the company name was not changed.[14]
In December 2023, the company's valuation was reduced to US$50 million in impairment charges.[15] In addition, co-founder William Astor stepped down as chairman at the end of the month.[16]
On September 19, 2024, the studio relaunched their "Octonauts & Friends" content hub channel as Kidzuko, which offers content from other Sony-owned properties in addition to properties already held by SPTK.[17][18]
Filmography
Television series
| Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Seasons | First aired | Last aired | Network | Co-production with | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octonauts | — | 5 | 2012 | present | CBeebies Disney Jr. |
Brown Bag Films (2012–2018) and Mainframe Studios (2020–2023) | Continued from Chorion |
| Peter Rabbit | Cathal Gaffney | 2 | 2016 | CBeebies Nickelodeon Nick Jr. Channel RTÉjr |
Brown Bag Films and Penguin Books | Rights held by Paramount in North America and India[19] | |
| Sunny Day | Paula Rosenthal | 2 | 2017 | 2020 | Nickelodeon (2017–2019) Nick Jr. Channel (2017–2019) Amazon Prime Video (2020) |
Pipeline Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio | Rights held by Paramount |
| Hilda | Luke Pearson Stephanie Simpson Kurt Mueller |
3 | 2018 | 2023 | Netflix | Mercury Filmworks, Nobrow Press (2018), Atomic Cartoons (2018) and Flying Eye Books (2020–2023) | |
| Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt | Bob Boyle Michael J. Goldberg Gabe Pulliam |
4 | 2020 | Brown Bag Films | |||
| Made by Maddie | Paula Rosenthal | — | 2020 (planned) | Nick Jr. Channel | Mainframe Studios | Unaired[20][21] | |
| Octonauts: Above & Beyond | — | 4 | 2021 | present | Netflix | ||
| The Creature Cases | Gabe Pulliam Adam Idelson Bryan Korn Amy Koudelka Kurt Mueller Alex Red |
4 | 2022 | TeamTO and Tencent Video Productions (2022–2023) | |||
| SuperKitties | Paula Rosenthal | 2 | 2023 | Disney Jr. | — | Rights held by Disney[22][23] | |
| Upcoming | |||||||
| Messi and the Giants | Guy Toubes Dan Creteur |
TBA | TBA | TBA | Disney Channel | Leo Messi Management, Sony Music Vision and Atlantis Animation | [24][25] |
| Charlie's Angels | TBA | TBA | Floresta | Live action[26] | |||
| Bewitched | TBA | [27] | |||||
| The Partridge Family | |||||||
| Stuart Little | [28] | ||||||
| Wheel of Fortune | Sony Pictures Television Game Shows | ||||||
| Sharks on Wheels | Bryan Korn Chantal Arisohn |
TBA | |||||
| Hotel Whiskers | TBA | ||||||
| The Powers | Sow You Entertainment | ||||||
| Slayer Family Band | TBA | ||||||
| Untitled series | CMedia | [29] | |||||
Specials
| Title | Released | Network | Co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octonauts and the Amazon Adventure | 2013 | CBeebies | Brown Bag Films |
| Octonauts and the Mariana Trench Adventure | |||
| Octonauts and a Very Vegimal Christmas | |||
| Octonauts and the Over, Under Adventure | 2014 | ||
| Octonauts and the Great Arctic Adventure | |||
| Octonauts and Operation Deep Freeze | 2015 | ||
| Octonauts and the Great Swamp Search | 2016 | ||
| Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actun | 2020 | Netflix | Mainframe Studios |
| Octonauts and the Great Barrier Reef | |||
| Chico Bon Bon and the Very Berry Holiday | Brown Bag Films | ||
| Octonauts and the Ring of Fire | 2021 | Mainframe Studios |
Feature film
| Title | Released | Network | Co-production with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilda and the Mountain King | 2021 | Netflix | Mercury Filmworks and Nobrow Press |
See also
- Adelaide Productions
- Sony Pictures Animation
- Screen Gems (1921–1946)
- List of animation studios owned by Sony
References
- ^ "SILVERGATE MEDIA LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
- ^ "Production of Sunny Day ramps up with Season Two". Silvergate Media (Press release). April 5, 2016. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020.
Silvergate Media (Silvergate), the international TV production and licensing company focused on pre-school children's entertainment based in New York and London
- ^ John Plunkett (22 September 2011). "Chorion sells rights to The World of Beatrix Potter and The Octonauts". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (26 September 2013). "Silvergate launches distribution arm". Animation World Network. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Silvergate strikes new multi-territory Octonauts deal with Netflix". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Here Comes Hilda". The New Yorker. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ "Silvergate Media celebrates trio of awards for Hilda". April 2021.
- ^ Animation Magazine (4 March 2016). "Silvergate producing 'Sunny Day' for Nickelodeon". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ "Silvergate Partners With Shamrock Capital Advisors To Accelerate Growth". Shamrockcap.com. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ "Octonauts pair pocket £40m". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (2019-12-10). "Sony Pictures Television Buys Silvergate Media, Producer of 'Octonauts' and 'Hilda,' for $195 Million (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (February 18, 2022). "Sony Pictures Television Names Joe D'Ambrosia EVP & GM Of Kids Programming Subsidiary Silvergate Media". Deadline.
- ^ "KIDS - Sony Pictures Entertainment".
- ^ "SILVERGATE MEDIA LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
- ^ Kanter, Jake (January 10, 2024). "Sony Writes Down Value Of Silvergate By $50M After Acquiring 'Peter Rabbit' Producer For $195M". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Yossman, K.J. (January 10, 2024). "William Astor Steps Down as Chair of Sony-Owned Silvergate Media (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ Bharanidharan, Sadhana (September 20, 2024). "Sony launches Kidzuko on YouTube". Kidscreen.
- ^ Porter, Rick (September 19, 2024). "Sony Launches Kids' Content Hub on YouTube (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (September 26, 2013). "Silvergate Launches Distribution Arm". Animation World Network.
- ^ Porter, Rick (4 September 2020). "Nickelodeon Pulls 'Made by Maddie' Amid 'Hair Love' Controversy". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Petski, Denise (4 September 2020). "'Made by Maddie' Pulled by Nickelodeon Amid 'Hair Love' Controversy". Deadline.
- ^ Petski, Denise (2022-04-29). "John Stamos To Voice Iron Man In 'Spidey and His Amazing Friends' Season 2; New Disney Jr. Programming Slate Unveiled". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Beck, Michelle (2022-11-22). "Disney Junior's 'Super Kitties' Trailer & Poster Released". Disney Plus Informer. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- ^ "WATCH: 'Messi and the Giants' – Inter Miami & Argentina forward to star in new animated series". Goal.com. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ "Disney Branded Television Scores Lionel Messi-Inspired Animated Series 'Messi and the Giants' from Sony Music Vision and Sony Pictures Television – Kids". Sony Pictures Entertainment (Press release). December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (2024-05-09). "'Charlie's Angels': New Brazil-Set Series For Tweens In Works At Sony Pictures Television Kids". Deadline.
- ^ "Animated 'Bewitched,' 'Partridge Family' Reboots in the Works at Sony TV Kids". Animation Magazine. June 8, 2023.
- ^ Whitlock, Jesse (October 3, 2023). "'Bewitched', 'Stuart Little' & 'Wheel Of Fortune' Kids Series Set For Mipcom; 'Sharks On Wheels' Also On Sony Kids Slate". Deadline. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Petski, Denise (2023-11-15). "Claire's Teams With Sony Pictures Television On Series For Kids". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
External links
- Active official websites:
- Silvergate Media website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2022-10-10)