Animation studio behind the Oscar-winning animated short-winning ‘Hair Love’ also names Neely Shamam VP of development, as is adding creative talent to increase production and development capabilities.
Lion Forge Animation studio (Academy Award-winning Hair Love) is expanding its leadership team as the company continues to scale production and development activity. Known for championing diversity, authenticity, and underrepresented communities, the studio has just promoted award-winning animation director Saxton Moore to vice president of production. Saxton has served as executive creative director since coming on board last year.
Moore has worked with notable animation and entertainment companies throughout his career, including Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street, FUSEtv, A+E; he brings over 20-years of experience to the role.
In addition, Neely Shamam has joined Lion Forge as the studio’s vice president of development. She is an experienced creative executive with over 15 years of developing, producing, and programming content for an array of platforms and networks. Shamam has worked in creative leadership roles at Disney and Maker Studios, Zone TV, and Ficto.
The company is also adding several director and producer-level creatives to further enhance its production and development capabilities. Carl Reed, Lion Forge Animation’s chief creative officer will be shifting his focus to providing executive producer services on several key projects.
“Our incredible growth trajectory can be attributed, in large part, to the best-in-class team executing our distinct vision,” noted Lion Forge Animation founder David Steward II. “Saxton is an instinctive leader with tremendous creative acumen and a powerful ability to deliver. Equally, Neely is an executive producer with a penchant for unique storytelling and a strategic eye for talent and material that translates to great TV series, movies, and digital properties.”
Lion Forge Animation sits within Steward II’s holding company Polarity, a diversified global media company with a mission to bring authentic content to a diverse global audience. The company believes in the value of embracing diversity and highlighting previously unheard voices, as well as new and emerging views and voices. The Polarity portfolio includes Illustrated Syndicate and Magnetic Press, as well as Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group.
“The company built several high-profile content partnerships (Imagine Kids + Family, BRON, Bento Box and Polygram among them), delivered on multiple productions (the latest with Disney), has established key entertainment industry alliances, and has scaled the IP portfolio,” commented Polarity president Edward Hamati. “The latest leadership and subsequent team hires complement and enhance the company’s profile and capabilities. We are excited and have some upcoming announcements which we think the industry will find compelling.”
With Polarity, David Steward II added, “Authenticity matters across Polarity’s portfolio of companies. Our expanding leadership teams are taking the reins of brands with a singular, unique mandate to deliver diverse, authentic content representing underserved cultures, communities, voices, and groups. We’re proud of what the teams are accomplishing and thrilled as Lion Forge Animation enters an exciting growth phase.”
Source: Lion Forge Animation
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
