HOUSE OF COOL STUDIOS ACQUIRES RED ROVER

Toronto-based animation and commercial house Red Rover Studios has been
acquired by House of Cool Studios, combining the two company's creative
talent.

"We are very excited about the melding of the two creative teams," says
House of Cool Co-owner Ricardo Curtis. "The majority of the artists who
made Red Rover one of the leading CG commercial houses in the country,
have joined forces with the designers, story artists, and directors from
House of Cool, to make a Canadian animation studio, capable of
everything from high end 3D commercials, to full length feature film."

Heading up production at Red Rover will be veteran commercial Exec
Producer Danielle Araiche who has been part of the Red Rover team since
2004. "We are very pleased that the two creative teams have already
started to successfully collaborate," Araiche said. "We've hit the
ground running and are currently in production for four new spots."

Leading the creative charge for the new company is Cal Brunker, House of
Cool's Animation Director. Brunker will ensure that his fresh and
innovative directing style will set the tone for future commercial
productions. "The Rover guys are like mad scientists, everything they do
looks amazing," Brunker said. "They keep one foot in the art world, and
one in the technical. Now that House of Cool has added our pre-
production chops to the mix, we're doing things that neither of us could
have done independently."

House of Cool's buyout of Red Rover will give the Studio the opportunity
to continue to build on its character animation niche but also move the
company toward producing live action commercials and other content with
a wider range of design styles. "Both House of Cool and Red Rover
Studios have a strong commitment to quality and creativity. Our combined
staff of vibrant and talented artists will ensure cool, memorable
characters, designs and story concepts for our clients," added House of
Cool Director of Operations and Co-owner Wesley Lui.

Red Rover was founded in 1994 by the late Andy Knight and his partner
Linzi. Knight helped build a studio that has been known for its creative
and original designs. Commercial clients have included Toyota, Pepsi,
Sasktel, Nissan and Ford.

House of Cool is a preproduction company headed by former Pixar veteran
Ricardo Curtis and CFO/Manager of Operations Wes Lui. Along with
original content, such as BETTY BANNER PARTY PLANNER, (created by
Brunker) House of Cool has a client list that reads like a who's who in
animation features including Universal Studios, Blue Sky (of which
Curtis was Head of Story on DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO!), The
Weinstein Company and Disney.

See the House of Cool website here.
See Red Rover's here.

[Via Dan Sarto]