TORONTO -- Guru Studio announced the expansion of two key business areas, Interactive Content and 2D Animation, with a staffing increase of over 40 percent. The new 2D Animation division is meant to complement the studio’s award-winning capabilities in CGI, and will be helmed by veteran Guru producer Amy Robson. The department will be focusing on content for older-skewing audiences and already has a 6000 square foot studio. They are currently in the process of hiring 40 new animators for an exciting new global project that will be unveiled later in the year.
The new Interactive Division, on the other hand, will be headed by recently appointed Director of Interactive, Laurinda Shaver. The division will specialize in Digital Project Managing and Social and Digital Strategy. Shaver has had extensive background experience on a variety of related projects, such as CBC Kids’ Cross Country Fun Hunt, Travel and Escape’s Operation Unplugged, and CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person. The Interactive Division’s first projects will be to produce online games for Guru Studios’ breakthrough animated hit, Justin Time, as well as develop interactive games for the studio’s most recent preschool project, Port Little.
Frank Falcone, President of Guru Studio says: “Both the interactive and 2D businesses are organic to Guru’s vision: high quality animation content for all platforms, across all screens. Many of our crew came to Guru from various gaming companies so they are thrilled to be part of an animation studio that now also creates games, and will undoubtedly produce some very original interactive concepts.”
Source: Guru Studio