Mondo, 6 Point Harness finalise merger

YouTube animation channel operator Mondo and animation studio Six Point Harness have completed their merger and will now operate under the single Mondo brand. Mondo, which is a separate entity from Italy based kids company Mondo TV, said it was now planning to produce a feature and a TV series.

The Mondo-Six Point Harness merger was announced last year and the partners said with the unifying brand I place it is now complete. It will comprise the Six Point Harness studio and Mondo online offering, which is the most-watched animation channel on YouTube.

Mondo Media founder John Evershed will be the CEO, and Six Point Harness founder Brendan Burch will assume the dual roles of Mondo Media’s Chief Creative Officer and President of Six Point Harness.

Third Wave Digital – the investment firm run by Machinima founder Allen DeBeviose – is backing the new firm, with DeBeviose on the Mondo board.

Mondo, which secialises in animation for grown-ups, is now in development on a new, unspecified, series for US cable television, and resuming active production on several of its most popular YouTube series. Shows that have been on TV thus far include Happy Tree Friends, which played on several of MTV’s international nets.

“Adult animation is a large, wide-open global video category, and our merger gives us the capacity to firmly establish the Mondo brand across multiple platforms,” Evershed said. “‘Superfan’ content like animation is in high demand on the digital platforms, and our large online audience and high quality make our shows attractive to traditional buyers.”

Burch added: “The 6PH team brings 13 years of experience developing and producing hundreds of hours of TV and feature-length animation; the access to emerging and seasoned writing and animation talent; and relationships with the networks and studios. We believe you really have to have a foot in both traditional and digital to succeed in the emerging entertainment ecosystem.”