Thunderbird Entertainment


Thunderbird Entertainment, Inc. is a television and animation production company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 2003 as Thunderbird Films, it produces scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for domestic and international broadcasters and streaming platforms.
With offices in Toronto, Los Angeles and Ottawa, the firm operates several subsidiaries, including Atomic Cartoons, Great Pacific Media, and Thunderbird Releasing. On January 28, 2026, it was announced that Blue Ant Media had completed its acquisition of Thunderbird.

History

Tim Gamble and Michael Shepard founded the company in 2003 as Thunderbird Films. In its early years, it focused on television production and international distribution of Canadian programming.
In 2012, after receiving investment from Lionsgate founder Frank Giustra, it formed a joint venture with his company focused on television and named after a Vancouver roadway - in this case, the "Sea-to-Sky" stretch of Highway 99. Subsequently, Sea to Sky Entertainment made deals with director-producer R.J. Cutler and author Dennis Lehane.
When Thunderbird acquired the production company behind series like Alice and Continuum in April 2013, Reunion Pictures continued to operate as its subsidiary. In September 2014, the firm acquired the British independent film distributor Soda Pictures.
In December 2014, Thunderbird purchased Vancouver-based reality television studio Great Pacific Media, producer of the Discovery Channel Canada series Highway Thru Hell. Continuing to operate as a subsidiary, GPM has had its co-founder Mark Miller promoted to co-president of Thunderbird in 2016.
In 2018, Atomic Cartoons CEO Jennifer Twiner McCarron became president of Thunderbird three years after purchasing the Canadian animation studio. In August, it was announced that Thunderbird would go public on the TSX Venture Exchange through a reverse takeover by Golden Secret Ventures.
In January 2021, Thunderbird Entertainment named Richard Goldsmith, formerly of Cyber Group Studios, as its first president of global distribution and consumer products. In September, Voss Capital acquired a 10.5% stake in Thunderbird.
On November 26, 2025, Blue Ant Media announced its intent to acquire Thunderbird for $63 million. The transaction was completed two months later.

Assets

Atomic Cartoons

Atomic Cartoons is a Vancouver-based animation studio acquired by Thunderbird in 2015. It has produced series such as Atomic Betty, Beat Bugs, The Last Kids on Earth, Mighty Express, Molly of Denali, and ''Pirate Express.''

Great Pacific Media

Great Pacific Media was founded in May 2010 by Blair Reekie and Mark Miller. Acquired by Thunderbird in December 2014, the studio focuses primarily on reality television, having produced series such as Highway Thru Hell and its Ontario-based spin-off Heavy Rescue: 401 for Discovery Channel, Save My Reno and Worst to First for Home Network, and Queen of the Oil Patch for APTN.
In 2016, while remaining as CEO of Great Pacific Media following its acquisition, Miller was appointed co-president of Thunderbird. In 2019, three years after former Bell Media executive Paul Lewis was appointed president of GPM, Wendy McKernan was named its vice president, while Lindsay Macadam became head of a new scripted division that would focus on dramatizations of real events.
In 2020, it was reported that Simon Barry and GPM were developing a biographical drama based on Wernher von Braun, adapted from Michael J. Neufeld's biography Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War.

Thunderbird Releasing

Thunderbird Releasing is a British film distributor formed in 2002 by Eve Gabereau and Edward Fletcher. Primarily focused on independent and arthouse films, it was acquired by Thunderbird Entertainment in 2014 and renamed Thunderbird Releasing three years later.

Filmography

Scripted television series

TitleYearsNetworkSeasonsEpisodesNotes
Cold Squad1998–2005CTV798Canadian police procedural drama
Da Vinci's Inquest1998–2005CBC791Crime drama series
Zixx2004-2009YTV339co-production with Mainframe Entertainment and The Nightingale Company
Da Vinci's City Hall2005–2006CBC113Spin-off of Da Vinci's Inquest
Zigby2009-2011Treehouse TV
ABC Kids
ZDF 		152co-production with Flying Bark Productions, Avrill Stark Entertainment and Big Animation
Guilt2016Freeform110American adaptation of the Dutch series Overspel
Hiccups2010–2012CTV226Sitcom starring Nancy Robertson
Mr. Young2011–2013YTV
Disney XD 		380co-production with Gravy Boat Productions
Endgame2011Showcase113co-production with Front Street Pictures
Package Deal2013–2014Citytv226Multi-camera sitcom
Some Assembly Required2014–2016YTV358co-production with Gravy Boat Productions and Remotey Funny Productions
Stone Undercover2002–2004CBC Television226Police drama series
Kim's Convenience2016–2021CBC565co-production with Soulpepper Theatre Company
Somewhere Between2017ABC110Thriller series based on the South Korean drama God’s Gift: 14 Days

Factual TV series

  • 1800 Seconds: Chasing Canada's Snowbirds
  • Air Dogs
  • Airshow
  • Animal Miracles with Alan Thicke
  • Bulging Brides
  • Campus Vets
  • Confessions: Animal Hoarding
  • Daily Planet - Segments
  • Game of Homes
  • Heroines
  • Industrious
  • The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp
  • Makeover Wish
  • Megaroof: Rebuilding BC Place
  • Miss Landmine
  • The Mistress
  • Model Killers
  • Monster Quake: Chile
  • Monster Quake: Japan
  • My Evil Sister
  • Peak to Peak
  • Prisoners of Age
  • Raising Big Blue
  • Scared of my Shadow
  • ''Untold Stories of the ER''

    Animated series

  • 101 Dalmatian Street
  • Beat Bugs
  • Ella the Elephant
  • Johnny Test
  • The Last Kids on Earth
  • Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit
  • Little Charmers
  • Marvel's Avengers Assemble
  • Max & Ruby
  • Maya the Bee
  • Milo vs ALEX!
  • Minecraft Mini-Series
  • Mixels
  • Nico Can Dance!
  • Pirate Express
  • Rocket Monkeys
  • Spider-Man Unlimited
  • Super Dinosaur
  • Transformers: Rescue Bots
  • World of Quest
  • Zigby
  • ''Zixx''