Jeff Norton joins Corus Entertainment as Head of Waterside Studios, a New IP and Production Venture
Corus Entertainment announced a new overall deal with creative content company Dominion of Drama and its founder Jeff Norton, who will join the Corus team as Head of Waterside Studios, new IP and production venture focused on bringing premium scripted Canadian content for youth and primetime audiences to the Canadian and international marketplace.
“Jeff’s creativity, business acumen, and international focus will help propel our content ownership strategy as we pursue production and distribution opportunities for Corus’ best-in-class creative content,” said Colin Bohm, Executive Vice President, Content and Corporate Strategy, Corus Entertainment.
Norton has a long creative history with Corus, most recently serving as a consultant and previously as executive producer of Trucktown for Nelvana. He also co-wrote the novel Keeping the Beat, which was one of the launch titles for KCP Loft, Kids Can Press’ young adult imprint.
The deal with Dominion of Drama includes the option of several titles including The Last Wish of Sasha Cade, Elements at War, The Wanderer, A Switch in Time, and Action Figures.
“Audiences are hungry for bold, original content and this is an incredible time to meet that demand with Waterside Studios,” said Jeff Norton. “I’m thrilled to join Corus, and collaborate with Nelvana, to contribute to the impressive roster of Corus titles that will delight viewers around the world.”
Waterside Studios will not only collaborate with independent producers but also join forces with Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content. Together with Nelvana, Waterside Studios will bring a slate of live-action programming into Corus’ overall content offering for global audiences. Known for his work in bringing best-selling books to the screen, Norton will also focus on adapting books for kids and youth audiences. Additional details on Nelvana’s live-action slate to be announced.
“Nelvana has experienced great success with our Emmy-nominated live action series The Hardy Boys, which engaged audiences around the world on Hulu, YTV and Disney+,” said Pam Westman, President of Nelvana. “We are excited to build on Nelvana’s 50 year legacy of producing best-in-class content for kids internationally as we further invest in producing live action content in collaboration with Jeff Norton and Waterside Studios.”
This announcement underscores Corus’ commitment to Canadian content as it continues to build a global content powerhouse. In April 2022, Corus acquired a majority stake in Aircraft Pictures, a Canadian production company focused on the international market.
