Blink49 Studios acquires ‘Wild Cards” & ‘Sight Unseen’ partner Front Street Pictures

John Morayniss (Source: Blink49 Studios)

Blink49 Studios, the Toronto-based firm headed by former Entertainment One exec John Morayniss, has taken a majority stake in Vancouver production company Front Street Pictures.

The deal comes after the two companies recently partnered up to co-produce two upcoming series – the crime-solving procedural Wild Cards for CBC and detective drama series Sight Unseen for CTV.

It marks the first acquisition for Blink49 Studios, which was co-founded in 2021 by Morayniss, Patrice Theroux, Jeff Lynas and Nelson Kuo-Lee, with backing from Fifth Season. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Front Street Pictures, which is also behind feature titles including Wife Like and Crawlspace will maintain its brand operating under its own banner and continue to be led by president Charles Cooper.

Blink49 Studios, which produces shows including family drama Ride and comedy The Trades, said that the acquisition will “provide a strong launch pad to immediately accelerate growth” in Front Street Pictures’ established film and TV production business “as well as increase its production slate and fund new investments in content and global distribution capacity.”

The deal was negotiated by Nelson Kuo-Lee, on behalf of Blink49 Studios, and Charles Cooper, on behalf of Front Street Pictures and remains subject to execution of definitive documentation and certain conditions and approvals.

“Working closely with Charles this past year, I’ve been incredibly impressed with his leadership, production expertise and stellar reputation among industry peers,” said Morayniss. “This investment aligns perfectly with our mission to grow our footprint in Canada, including expanding our infrastructure in Vancouver, establishing a presence in Alberta and plans for further growth in the Canadian market and beyond.”