Atomic Cartoons Expands Outside Canada With New L.A. Studio

Atomic Cartoons, the Vancouver-based producer of kids’ and family animation, is opening a studio in Los Angeles.

Thunderbird Entertainment, the media conglomerate that owns Atomic Cartoons, has revealed the following details about the animation company’s expansion to L.A.:

• The studio will be Atomic’s third, and its first outside Canada. Founded in Vancouver in 1999, Atomic opened a production hub in Ottawa in 2018.
• The L.A. studio will be led by Matthew Berkowitz, chief creative officer of Thunderbird and Atomic. Aaron Behl and Kristin Cummings, co-vice presidents, Atomic Originals, will also hold senior leadership roles. The studio will focus on pre- and post-production work.
• As its name suggests, Atomic Originals is the team at the company responsible for developing and producing original content. First set up in 2016, the team will now be based in the L.A. studio.
• Atomic’s original shows include The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier (image at top) and Hello Ninja by N.D. Wilson, both of which are now streaming on Netflix. The studio is currently at work on adaptations of the bestselling book Princesses Wear Pants and book series Eerie Elementary. The latter will mix animation and live action.
• In a statement, Berkowitz said, “We are thrilled to expand our L.A. footprint with the opening of an animation studio to house our local showrunners, directors, writers, designers, storyboard artists, and editorial teams. Similar to our studios in Vancouver and Ottawa, we plan to provide a supportive and creative environment for these tremendously talented individuals to achieve the best work of their careers. With the ever-increasing industry demand for premium original content, the new studio is a stellar opportunity to work with the amazing animation talent base in L.A., and partner up with our award-winning creative teams in Canada.”
• Atomic isn’t the only animation house that’s expanding to California. In December, Australia’s Flying Bark Productions, a subsidiary of Studio 100 Group, announced that it would open an L.A. branch early this year. Industry veteran Ian Graham has been appointed as its chief creative director.