Blink49 Studios Turns Five as a Pure-Play Content Bet Pays Off

Blink49 Studios marks its fifth anniversary this year with two shows on the air in North America and a business model its founder says the industry has finally caught up with. The scripted mystery drama "YAGA" is airing on AMC+ in the U.S. and Bell Media's Crave in Canada, while the reality series "The Golden Life" runs on E! in the U.S.

Veteran producer John Morayniss launched Blink49 five years ago after tenures at Alliance Atlantis and Entertainment One. He tells Variety the company was deliberately built without the distribution component that defined his previous businesses.

"When we launched, we had a point of view that the creator economy was headed to where it's currently headed, and so we wanted to launch more as a pure-play content business that was really focused on development, R&D, making content and providing a solution and support for creators of all kinds and storytellers of all kinds," Morayniss says.

What does the fifth year look like on screen?

"YAGA" is based on a popular play by Kat Sandler. Its ensemble cast features Hudson Williams, known for "Heated Rivalry," whose presence has helped the show gain sampling. The series counts as a significant win for Pancho Mansfield, who joined Blink49 at its founding as president of global scripted television.

The company is also preparing its first microdrama series, "Murder at the Mansion," produced in partnership with Uber Eats. Branded content has grown under Tara Long, president of global unscripted television and studio ventures. Her team includes Adam Puchalsky as head of Blink49's Brand Studio, Mickey Meyer leading Creator Studios, and Tieren Hawkins heading Vertical Content.

Morayniss sees a clear divide between that world and traditional pitching. "There's a language that's spoken on the brand side and with advertisers that is very different from when you're trying to develop something and pitch something to a traditional platform," he observes. "We realized that the brand-funded model and starting to tell stories and creating cultural connection between brands and an audience was something that we needed to be a part of."

Blink49's delivered credits, whether through production services or as concept originator, include:

• "Wild Cards," airing on the CW and CBC
• "I'm Not Here to Hurt You"
• "Late Bloomer," a Crave comedy series
• "Beast Games"
• "Fear Factor: House of Fear"
• "The Golden Life"

Two documentary films are in production: one about the New York Knicks' NBA Finals victory, and "The Greatest Song Ever Made," with music influencer Jaeki Cho.

Why own audiences rather than libraries?

The rise of creators and brands has reinforced Morayniss' founding instinct about distribution. He describes a shift from the world he knew at Alliance Atlantis in Canada and Entertainment One in the U.K.

"We felt there the business was headed to an area where owning a relationship with an audience was becoming more important than necessarily owning the specific piece of content," he says. "What's new is having a direct relationship with the audience. Now it's really about connecting the dots between the legacy businesses and the creator economy businesses."

Blink49 offers creators capital, infrastructure and know-how. "We have the infrastructure to help them monetize their content outside of whatever ecosystem they're already in, expanding into consumer products, licensing and merchandising," Morayniss says.

The company has also been acquisitive. Its first purchase was a majority stake in Vancouver-based production services firm Front Street Pictures. Further deals brought in Pier21 Films, Stapleview and Lighthearted Entertainment. Talent partnerships include first-look deals with Andrew Phung and Scott Townend, Emma Roberts' Belletrist Productions and Will Arnett's Electric Ave banner. Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller's Piller/Segan banner delivered "Wild Cards."

Morayniss' task as CEO is keeping the units collaborating. "Our bread-and-butter business is still the original content game, scripted and unscripted, developing shows, packaging them and selling them to buyers," he says. "We don't do everything. We love the idea of working with the partners — strategic or otherwise, creative or otherwise, financial and distribution — that all are in the mix as we're putting this together."

With "Murder at the Mansion" and the Uber Eats partnership next out of the gate, Blink49 enters its second five years testing whether brand-funded storytelling can sit alongside scripted hits as a core business rather than a sideline.