Film Production
Splash and assemblage entertainment begin production on norm of the north sequel
MUMBAI: Assemblage Entertainment, the feature-film focused CGI animation studio has begun production on the sequel of 2016 theatrical feature film Norm of the North, along with Splash Entertainment, Lionsgate and Dream Factory In many first-of-its times, it is unprecedented that an independent animated feature from India is greenlit for a sequel to be watched by global audiences in 2018.
Norm of the North, a 2016 animated comedy-adventure film was directed by Trevor Wall, with voices by Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong and Bill Nighy. It was co-produced by Splash Entertainment, Assemblage Entertainment and Telegael, and distributed by Lionsgate in North America.
The film released theatrically in North Americaon January 15, 2016 opening in over 2,400 theatres. Norm also was released theatrically in over 70 territories around the world.
Thissequel brings together, yet again, the longstanding and dynamic partnership between two animation industry leaders, Mike Young and Madmax (AK Madhavan), renowned to have opened the shores of the Indian animation industry with the successful Emmy and BAFTA Award winning show Jakers! The Adventure of Piggley Winks in 2003.
Mike Young’s Splash Entertainment is a leading independent animation studio and Distribution Company based in Los Angeles, and is an innovator, developer and producer of many original animated television series and movies.
Assemblage Entertainment, in a short span of time, has delivered two full length feature films, Norm of the North, and Blinky Bill – The Movie distributed by Studio Canal. It is currently delivering its third full length 3D stereoscopic theatrical feature film scheduled for a wide release in 2018 by Open Road Films.
Assemblage recently also worked on DreamWorks’ Trollhunters – a Netflix Original Series by legendary filmmakerGuillermo del Toro.Trollhunters received wide global acclaim and won multiple Emmy and Annie awards.
Set up in 2013 and headquartered in Mumbai, Assemblage boasts of an award winning team 250 people including technocrats, artists and production professionals with several years of collective experience in creating world-class animation productions with major Hollywood studios and independent production companies.
Founded by industry veteran AK Madhavan, or Madmax, as he is fondly known, is recognized in the business of media, film and entertainment as the one accredited to opening the doors of Indian animation industry to the global markets. Over the last 17 years, Max has built a strong reputation of credibility and quality in the animation industry.
Assemblage is currently also developing its own original content in collaboration with various Hollywood content creators and producers.
Film Production
Priyanka Kaur Dhillon joins SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution
A seasoned content dealmaker with 16 years in digital and satellite media joins the Bengali entertainment powerhouse as it pushes into the pan-India music market
Mumbai: Priyanka Kaur Dhillon has made her move. The content acquisitions and commercials veteran, most recently commercial manager at Sony Pictures Networks India, has joined SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution, stepping into one of the more interesting briefs in regional entertainment right now.
SVF is no ordinary regional label. Over 30 years it has built a formidable legacy in Bengali cinema and music, driven by culturally resonant storytelling and a catalogue that consistently punches above its weight. Its recent success with Chiraiya underlines the point. But the Kolkata-based powerhouse now has its sights firmly set beyond Bengal, most visibly through Legacy, a rap reality series produced in collaboration with hip-hop label Kalamkaar that signals a deliberate push into the pan-India music ecosystem.
Dhillon brings precisely the kind of muscle SVF needs for that expansion. At Sony Pictures Networks India, she led film acquisition and commercials and handled music licensing across the entire satellite network. Before that, she spent nearly 15 years at Hungama, rising to assistant general manager and leading strategic content licensing for the platform’s digital entertainment business, with a particular focus on international markets. Her label relationships span the full roster: Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Believe International, Tunecore, The Orchard and a clutch of smaller aggregators. She has negotiated and closed deals with Hollywood studios, Bollywood production houses and regional content players alike, building pricing models and deal structures off data analysis rather than instinct.
Announcing the appointment, Dhillon said she was “thrilled to begin this journey with an iconic Bengali music label and content powerhouse,” adding that SVF’s “constant drive to push boundaries” was what drew her to the role.
SVF has spent three decades proving that regional does not mean limited. With a sharp commercial operator now steering its music distribution, its bid to go national just got a good deal more serious.
