Guru Studios taps former Boat Rocker, Blue Ant exec Mahabal for finance role

Canada’s Guru Studio has appointed former Boat Rocker and Blue Ant Media executive Dattaguru Mahabal as its VP of finance.

Dattaguru Mahabal

Mahabal brings more than 20 years’ finance and strategy leadership experience to the Toronto-based children’s content producer.

Reporting to president and executive creative director Frank Falcone, Mahabal will lead the company’s production and corporate finance departments and oversee all financial planning, transaction processing, reporting systems and new business analysis at the studio.

Previously, Mahabal was VP of financial planning and analysis at Boat Rocker Media, where he built and led finance expertise across its international studios and was instrumental in its subsequent IPO.

He also spent more than five years at Blue Ant Media, where his focus was on building finance expertise through acquisitions and international expansion.

Guru Studio has created, developed and produced shows including its Netflix original series True & the Rainbow Kingdom, while it also produces Paw Patrol and Abby Hatcher in collaboration with Spin Master and Nick Jr.

The company is currently producing original comedy adventure series Big Blue with the CBC in Canada, and its latest preschool series Pikwik Pack is now airing on Disney Junior in the US.