Arc Productions alum added to Portfolio

Canadian children’s media firm Portfolio Entertainment has appointed a former Arc Productions exec as VP of production.

Marianne Culbert

Marianne Culbert, who has more than three decades of experience in the children’s and animation business, will oversee the production of all Portfolio’s animated properties and will helm the Toronto-based company’s animation studio.

Culbert has served in similar positions at a variety of animation studios, including Arc, Mercury Filmworks and Corus Entertainment-owned Nelvana, steering series including Wilbur, Toot & Puddle, Little Bear and Jim Henson’s Dog City.

Reporting directly to Portfolio CEO and co-founder Lisa Olfman, Culbert will work closely with the firm’s partners on upcoming projects.

In March, Portfolio teamed up with Animal Crackers writer and director Scott Christian Sava and his Blue Dream Studios to develop his graphic novel Pet Robots into an animated comedy.

Additionally, international broadcasters such as TG4 in Ireland have picked up a number of Portfolio shows, including the second season of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That (26×30′), while Israel’s Channel 8 has acquired animated comedy series Freaktown (26×30′).