Brian Robbins Starts New Animation Venture, Big Shot Pictures, with Sony Collaboration
Brian Robbins, the former co-CEO of Paramount Global, has officially launched Big Shot Pictures, a next-generation animation company focusing on family-oriented content. The new venture has secured approximately $100 million in investment from notable backers including Greycroft, Sony Pictures, MarcyPen Capital Partners, ValueAct Capital, and CAA. Robbins had hinted at this endeavor earlier in January.
In conjunction with its launch, Big Shot has entered into a first-look theatrical distribution agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment for both animated and live-action/animated hybrid features. One of the company’s first projects will adapt the classic 1955 children’s book, Eloise at the Plaza.
Big Shot aims to cultivate its content primarily through digital platforms like YouTube before expanding into theatrical releases, gaming, series, and consumer products. The company plans to roll out digital content as early as this summer. By collaborating with creators, acquiring existing channels, and building new ones, Big Shot intends to utilize audience data to gauge character appeal, effective storytelling methods, and engagement strategies. This digital-first methodology will enable the studio to remain adaptive to audience preferences prior to launching larger-scale productions.
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Robbins previously explored opportunities with Lionsgate; however, his true interest lies in establishing a non-traditional studio akin to the Gen-Z digital and TV platform he co-founded, Awesomeness TV, which was later sold to Viacom. Following his time at Paramount, Robbins studied how the 6-12 demographic engaged with content, focusing on effective and ineffective strategies.
“Big Shot believes that scaled audiences on YouTube are crucial to building awareness and fan love that will create tomorrow’s beloved IP. We will build for how kids actually discover and connect today,” Robbins stated. “The opportunity couldn’t be more clear to us, and the time is now. From reimagining timeless IP to discovering bold, original ideas from emerging creators, we will collaborate with the most talented artists to bring these stories to life.”
Eloise at the Plaza, illustrated by Hilary Knight, tells the story of a precocious six-year-old living in New York’s iconic Plaza Hotel and has sold over 15 million copies in English. Big Shot plans to expand the Eloise franchise across multiple entertainment platforms.
During his tenure at Paramount Global and Paramount Pictures, Robbins managed a wide range of feature films, including family franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Spongebob, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with the consumer products phenomenon Paw Patrol.
Robbins joined Paramount in 2017 as the founding president of Paramount Players, later becoming President of Nickelodeon in 2018 and leading Paramount Pictures in 2021. His career began as an actor, eventually transitioning to producing and directing before taking on roles in studio leadership. He also co-founded AwesomenessTV, a digital media company acquired by DreamWorks Animation, and Tollin/Robbins Productions, known for popular series such as All That, Kenan & Kel, and Smallville.
Big Shot is represented by Matthew Johnson of Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole LLP and David Hernand of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.
