Boat Rocker hires eOne’s Spergel to head ventures expansion

Toronto-based studio Boat Rocker Media has named Andrew Spergel to the newly-created role of EVP, Boat Rocker Ventures.

In this position, Spergel will partner with management to accelerate growth of certain Boat Rocker entities, including animation studio JamFilled Entertainment and newly formed digital ventures, while also leading M&A and strategy efforts across all of Boat Rocker Media

Spergel joins from Entertainment One (eOne), where he served most recently as SVP of corporate development & strategy. In this role, he led numerous integration initiatives, including the acquisition and integration of The Mark Gordon Company. Prior to eOne, Spergel was a consultant with management consulting firm Bain & Company, where he focused on business transformations and M&A.

Boat Rocker chief revenue officer Michel Pratte said: “Andrew’s deep expertise and strong business acumen across all media platforms will help us accelerate our next wave of growth, by bolstering our organic growth, M&A, and strategic venture investment capabilities.”

Spergel’s Ventures team will also see two additional appointments. Eric Taitz, who joins from Netflix, will be a director, with a focus on corporate development and valuation modelling. Lauren McConnell, who has been with Boat Rocker for five years, has also been named as a director, focusing on integrations and strategic projects.