Mercury rejigs management team

Canada’s Mercury Filmworks has promoted from within to fill a new role focusing on original series and coproductions, as part of a wider management rejig.

Chantal Ling

Chantal Ling has been named VP of original series and coproductions at the Ottawa-based animation firm.

Ling, previously a supervising producer at Mercury, has been tasked with collaborating with broadcasters and partners on the development, financing and production of series and coproductions.

She will also support the management team at Lighthouse Studios, Mercury’s Irish joint venture with Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon that was set up earlier this year.

She will collaborate with Mercury head of development Travis Williams, chief creative officer Jerry Popowich and CEO Clint Eland, to whom she will report.

Ling joined Mercury in 2012 from Amberwood Entertainment, where she was exec VP.

In other changes at Mercury, Tara Pollock has joined in the newly created role of studio manager and will report to Jefferson Allen, who has been promoted from head of studio to VP of studio operations.

Meanwhile, Sandra Green and Nicole St Pierre have been promoted to senior VP of finance and senior VP of business and legal respectively.

Both will continue to report directly to Eland, overseeing the legal, business and finance operations of the company and supporting operations for Lighthouse Studios.

Mercury has worked on series such as Atomic Puppet, Mickey Mouse, Wander Over Yonder and Jake & the Never Land Pirates in the past.

It has five original series in various stages of development and is currently collaborating with companies including Disney Television Animation, Amazon Studios, Silvergate Media and Marvel.

“Over the past year, our company has been able to increase its development and production commitments, creating a robust pipeline that requires a deeper bench of both creative and business executives to support it,” said Eland.