Boat Rocker Media merges content and rights divisions

Boat Rocker Media is combining its content, distribution and brands teams together under Boat Rocker Studios.

The company is streamlining its corporate structure as it plans for further financial investments into original content in scripted, unscripted and kids content for the global marketplace.

Jon Rutherford (pictured) will become managing director of Boat Rocker Studios, taking on an expanded role overseeing all of the company’s content divisions while maintaining his role and responsibilities as president of its rights business.

Rutherford will report to co-executive chairmen and chief content officers David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, as well as chief revenue officer Michel Pratte.

This new structure will see all employees of the rights, content and brands teams remain in their current form across the company’s Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, London, Ottawa and Hong Kong offices.

Additional new hires are also planned in the coming months to bolster content investments planned for 2019 and beyond.

Boat Rocker acquired businesses in 2018, including US-based Matador Content (Lip Sync Battle), Fremantle’s kids and family division as well as a majority stake in Insight Productions (The Amazing Race Canada).

“The rapid growth of our company has forced us to ensure that we continue to create a dynamic environment that allows for all of our creative leaders to flourish. Bringing Content and Rights under one roof goes a long way in helping us do this and is the logical next step for the company” said Fortier and Schneeberg.

“We are extremely proud of everything Jon has accomplished at Boat Rocker and we are looking forward to working more closely with him in his new role.”

Rutherford added: “I feel extremely proud to have led an incredible group of people on the Boat Rocker Rights team, whose hard work and determination have helped build out a successful and truly global media company in such short period of time.

“I would like to thank Ivan, David and John Young [CEO, Boat Rocker Media] for this opportunity and I look forward to working with the leaders of the content, rights and brands teams to bring great stories to life through global relationships, creative packaging expertise, financial support, and maintaining brand integrity.”