Allspark (company)

**Allspark Media Group, LLC**, trading as **Allspark** (formerly **Hasbro Studios**) is an American production and distribution company located in Burbank, California. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of toy company Hasbro. This company is best known for shows and films such as the 2010 TV series *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic*, alongside its spin-off media franchise *My Little Pony: Equestria Girls*, and *Transformers: Prime* TV series. Originally just a TV production division, many of its TV shows, such as *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* and *Littlest Pet Shop*, are based on Hasbro properties and are broadcast on the Discovery Family television network, a joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery, Inc. and on other television networks and multiple media platforms.

**Allspark Pictures** is Allspark's live-action film production and US scripted television label while **Allspark Animation** is its animation production label, and **Allspark Television** (formerly known as Endemol Shine Group) is its television production and international formats label. **Cake Mix Studio** is the company's Rhode Island-based commercials and short content producer.

## Background

In the early 1980s when Hasbro began creating animated series based on their properties, they hired Sunbow Productions, who was already producing commercials for them, to create such series as *G.I. Joe* and *The Transformers* which would by syndicated by Hasbro's Claster Television subsidiary. In May 2008, Hasbro reacquired the animated series based on their properties from Sunbow Productions so that they could create programs in-house.

## History

### Hasbro Studios

Hasbro Studios was founded in 2009 for TV development, production and distribution under Stephen J. Davis as president. On October 10, 2010, Hasbro Studios and Discovery Communications relaunched the channel formerly known as Discovery Kids as **The Hub**. On November 9, 2010, Hasbro Studios signed an agreement with Canadian media company Corus Entertainment to broadcast their productions on Canadian television networks such as YTV and Teletoon. On October 6, 2011, Hasbro Studios signed an agreement with seven US and international airlines, such as Continental Airlines and Qantas, to broadcast shows on their planes. In March 2012, the studio started venturing into foreign co-productions starting with *Play-Doh* (DoPei Le Doh), mixed animation and live action series with Toonmax, part of the Shanghai Media Group.

In December 2012, Hasbro transferred all entertainment divisions to Hasbro Studios including their Los Angeles-based film group and Cake Mix Studio, the company's Rhode Island-based commercials and short content producer. On February 28, 2013, the studio laid off three staffers in its Game & Reality Show Production & Development department and moved that department under Vice President Kevin Belinkoff to the animation department's executive plus outside creative consultants.

Hub Network was renamed Discovery Family on October 13, 2014 after Hasbro gave up some of its ownership to their joint-partner Discovery Communications. In August, Josh Feldman was appointed as Head of Development for Hasbro Studios as he will oversee live-action and TV series. On October 20, the studio announced a new film self-finance/co-finance production label Allspark Pictures.

Hasbro Studios with Legacy Recordings released its first non-soundtrack album, *Truly Outrageous: A Tribute to Starlight Records* on August 7, 2015. This promotion album for Jem film consisted of remakes of classic Jem TV series songs.

On December 15, 2015, Hasbro Studios and Paramount Pictures had agreed to a deal creating a five-property movie universe produced by Hasbro's Allspark Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The properties in this movie-verse are *G.I. Joe*, *Micronauts*, *Visionairies*, *M.A.S.K.* and *Rom*.

After two attempted films for Stretch Armstrong, the property was pick up in January 2016 by Netflix for a full 26-episode order as an animated series making it the first deal between the company and the streaming service. By March 2017, Hasbro Studios’s executive staff plus animation and toy prototyping teams moved to Burbank office building. In 2017, Hasbro Studios launched its first franchise in *Hanazuki: Full of Treasures* through YouTube animated series.

On November 3, 2017, Hasbro Studios and Paramount extended their relationship with an exclusive five year production deal for Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation for original and toy-based films. Both Allspark units are newly formed (Allspark Pictures formerly was a financing label) with the film unit head by Greg Mooradian and the animation unit head by Meghan McCarthy. Paramount and Hasbro would also work together on TV series.

With the loss of the *Jurassic Park* license in 2016, Hasbro launched a new dinosaurs based franchise, its second new studio property, with its *Chomp Squad* animated series on January 6, 2018. On May 1, 2018, Hasbro announced that they were acquiring *Power Rangers*, and other entertainment assets from Saban Capital Group, which was completed on June 12, 2018. At the time, *Power Rangers* was renewed to 2021 (three more seasons) and the animated series *Treehouse Detectives* had nearly two seasons produced.

Months after Hasbro bought Saban Brands' entertainment assets, including *Power Rangers*, Former Saban Brands members such as Brian Casentini, Melissa Flores and Paul Strickland went to work at Allspark Pictures' Power Ranger franchise team.

### Allspark

On March 26, 2019, Stephen Davis announced Hasbro Studios to be rebranded as "Allspark", named after the fictional artifact featured in the Transformers franchise.

## Units

### Allspark Television

*Further information: Allspark Television*

## See also

* Claster Television
* Boulder Media Limited

## External links

* Official website
* Hasbro Studios Shorts on YouTube

Template:Allspark
Template:Hasbro cartoons mid 80s

Template:Animation industry in the United States