Brian Robbins, who used to be co-CEO of Paramount, has started Big Shot Pictures, a new animation company that wants to make family-friendly content for YouTube’s huge audience. The studio got the rights to the classic children’s book series Eloise at the Plaza by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. They plan to adapt it for movies, TV, streaming, consumer products, and digital media. Big Shot wants to build a following on YouTube before moving to theaters and other platforms. They are using Robbins’ experience from Nickelodeon and AwesomenessTV to do this.
Sony Pictures Entertainment made a first-look deal with Big Shot for animated and hybrid live-action movies. They also put money into the company along with investors like Mycro, Marpen Capital, ValueAct Capital, and CAA. The company got about $100 million to help it make new IP and work with creators. Robbins said that YouTube is more important than traditional networks for kids today to find content.
Robbins, who was in charge of hits like Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob, and Paw Patrol at Paramount, thinks that combining digital testing with premium expansions could be a great idea. Big Shot will buy channels, work with up-and-coming artists, and make gaming and experiential extensions based on successful YouTube videos. This change brings him back to YouTube after he left Paramount five months ago.
