Blue Ant Media appoints management team to head newly merged studio

Portrait (L) Matt Hornburg, (C) Michael MacMillan and (R) Mark Bishop (Source: Blue Ant Media / Photo Credit: Steve Craft)

Channel operator, Blue Ant Media, has appointed marblemedia’s Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg as co-presidents to head its newly merged studio and rights business.

Blue Ant Media’s acquired marblemedia in August, the media company produces premium original unscripted and scripted content. Its behind the Netflix titles Blown Away and Drink Masters, with productions across Discovery as well as Amazon Prime Video.

The deal sees the two companies merge their collective production and distribution operations into “one super-charged studio business.” The combined businesses includes marblemedia, Blue Ant Studios, Saloon Media and Look Mom! Productions, in addition to distributors Distribution360 and Blue Ant International.

Bishop and Hornburg will report to Blue Ant CEO, Michael MacMillan. Marblemedia’s Diane Rankin will lead commercial strategy and content financing for the studio’s distribution and production business, working closely with the company’s development teams in all genres alongside Ben Barrett, who oversees content financing and partnerships for the unscripted genre.

Bryan Gabourie and Gerbrig Blanksma will spearhead sales operations including originals, pre-sales, content licensing, co-productions and strategic partnerships in the Americas and EMEA, respectively. Blue Ant’s Lilla Hurst will also continue to lead the distribution team’s global acquisitions and content strategy from the UK office.

Blue Ant Media’s unscripted development and scripted development team also saw significant staff moves.

“In an era where creativity meets excellence, we proudly unveil Blue Ant Media’s dynamic new studio and rights executive team—a visionary ensemble dedicated to crafting compelling narratives for global partners and pushing creative boundaries. Together, they bring a tapestry of expertise, innovation and passion, poised to elevate our super-charged studio to unprecedented heights,” said Bishop and Hornburg.