Coolabi Group announces senior management changes

Jeremy Banks to exit and Will Harrison named as new CEO

Leading independent international media group and rights owner Coolabi Group is announcing changes to its senior management team following the resignation of the current CEO, Jeremy Banks. After spearheading the growth of Coolabi Group from its inception as an AIM-listed shell company through to its successful sale on behalf of his private equity partners, Jeremy has decided to leave the company to pursue new opportunities.

He will be replaced by incoming CEO, Will Harrison, who is joining from Seven Dials Media where he was Managing Director. Working alongside Coolabi’s Chairman, Neil Court, Will’s role is to lead the company – which incorporates publishing, digital, entertainment content and licensing – on its next stage of growth.

Coolabi Group, made up of the Coolabi group of companies and the Working Partners group of companies, has been transformed under Jeremy’s tenure into an internationally recognised success story. It is the market leading creator of series fiction for middle grade children, internationally, and is a multi-award-winning producer of television series, apps, games and digital destinations for kids. The group owns some of the largest independently held children’s brands, including Warrior Cats and Beast Quest.

Jeremy led the sale of Coolabi Group in the latter part of 2022 and was asked to stay on by the new owners to continue leading the business and to finish putting in place the key strategic and commercial initiatives which he and his team had identified, with a particular focus on hit franchises, Warrior Cats and Beast Quest. This has been achieved.

Will joins Coolabi with an impressive track record, having managed and advised numerous global media brands to maximise their growth. As Chief Commercial Officer for the Harry Potter Franchise Group at Warner Bros, he helped drive the development and commercial growth of the Harry Potter and Wizarding World brands globally. As Chief Operating Officer for HBO Europe, he was responsible for channels and streaming across 15 territories, leading content acquisition, marketing, affiliate sales, and network operations.

Will was also Managing Director of the streaming service BritBox UK, a joint venture between ITV and BBC. He also served as Managing Director of Ingenious Media, has held senior roles at Disney and Turner Broadcasting, and has served on the boards of several companies including Super RTL, GMTV and FilmFlex.

Neil Court says: “Jeremy is leaving to pursue a new and exciting challenge with our very best wishes for the future and our thanks for a job very well done. Under his tenure, Warrior Cats has been established as the next global kids’ phenomenon through the incredible success of the book series and graphic novels, a Top 100 hit game on Roblox, and with major agreements concluded with Tencent, Retail Monster and Bonkers Toys, amongst others. All this has served to create the substantial and hugely engaged Warrior Cats fandom which today extends across all relevant social media channels and beyond. I’m also pleased to report that Jeremy has agreed to stay on in an advisory capacity to the Board of Coolabi Group to help with the transition.”

Commenting on Will Harrison’s appointment, Neil Court says: “I am delighted to welcome Will as our new CEO. We are so pleased to have someone of his calibre leading the company as we enter the next exciting phase of growth. His knowledge of building global brands and fandoms are hugely impressive and a perfect match to his track record of running successful commercial businesses.”

Will Harrison adds: “I have watched the evolution of Coolabi with admiration – it is a unique and exciting business at a compelling point in its story, with fantastic, fan-focused brands. Jeremy has put in place the strong building blocks on which we shall build the next phase, and I am looking forward to working with Neil and the talented team as we enter this new era to further expand the business and continue to build the franchises and fandoms globally.”

Jeremy Banks says: “We sold Coolabi three years ago and I have enjoyed immensely the challenge of putting in place a new commercial strategy for the business that embraces the many strengths of this wonderful company while navigating the rapidly changing nature of the kids’ media industry today. I couldn’t have done it without the wonderful team I have been fortunate enough to work alongside over the years or be more proud of what we have achieved. I believe with the key strategic partners we now have in place, Coolabi is set for an incredibly exciting few years ahead.
“I am also thankful to my shareholders for working with me to bring Neil Court into the business as Chairman earlier this year to help me chart a course through to the appointment of Will Harrison as CEO who I know will do a wonderful job taking Coolabi on to the next level with his undoubted skills and experience as an operator in this space.”

Coolabi Group to develop Warrior Cats mobile game with Red Games Co.

New game builds on publishing and Roblox success and content and licensing deals

Leading independent international media group and rights owner Coolabi Group has secured a deal with Red Games Co. to create an official Warrior Cats mobile game which will launch in 2027 further growing the brand extensions of the hit IP.

Currently in development, the game will be localised into 12 languages initially and will be available worldwide (except China).

Red Games Co. is an independent game developer and publisher, with a focus on creating multi-generational, family-friendly games and experiences. The company licenses and partners with industry leaders including LEGO, Hasbro, Mattel, Moonbug, and Crayola, as well as developing its own original IP. Red Games Co. was named #7 on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Gaming for 2024.

This deal follows Coolabi’s appointment of Bonkers Toys as the Master Toy Partner and Retail Monster as the North American Licensing Agent. Both those agreements were signed earlier this year. Coolabi has also signed a deal with Tencent Video to develop the property for TV and film.

Warrior Cats is Coolabi’s biggest hit to date. Based on the best-selling series it is huge publishing success story (77m+ books sold in 38 languages and 15+ years on the New York Times bestseller list) and an unrivalled chart-topper on gaming platform Roblox over a prolonged period with a massive and rapidly growing fandom across social media (600m+ plays on Roblox, 1.9b+ TikTok views).

Jeremy Banks, CEO at Coolabi Group’s says: “Warrior Cats already has a huge and fast-growing global fandom which extends across book, Roblox and YouTube. We are very excited to work with the enormously talented team at Red Games Co. to bring our first mobile game to fans new and old to further build the franchise and its fandom.”

Brian Lovell, CEO of Red Games Co. says: “We’re thrilled to partner with Coolabi to bring the beloved Warrior Cats universe to life in a new way. Together, we’re building an experience that honors the legacy of these incredible stories and gives fans around the world an entirely new way to explore, play, and connect.”

Principal photography, cast and writers announced for tween spy series “The Lady Grace Mysteries”

Premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media, kids content creator Coolabi Productions, and ZDF Studios, along with leading broadcasters BBC Children’s and Education, ZDF, and France Télévisions announce principal photography, casting, and writing team for the new tween drama spy series THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES.

THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES which targets 8 – 12-year-olds, is set in the British court of Queen Elizabeth I, and blends the magic of the historical Elizabethan Golden Age with contemporary teenage life.

Principal photography will commence in Brussels on the 14^th of April, later moving to County Durham in the UK as of May (filming in and around the location’s stunning medieval castles).

THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES welcomes newcomer Evie Coles as lead protagonist ‘Lady Grace Cavendish’, Queen Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting. She is joined by Carys John (Malory Towers, The Last Bus) as Ellie Bunting, and Rafael Alessandro as Masou, who play her best friends in court. The series also stars Fintan Buckard (Phoenix Rise) as Grace’s love interest Lord Osborne, Twinkle Jaiswal (Malory Towers) as Lady Sarah, and Rebecca Scott as Queen Elizabeth.

Lead Director (and MD, Cottonwood Media Ltd) Alexander Jacob is joined by Episodic Director Louise Ni Fhiannachta (Flatmates, Silverpoint).

The stellar writing team is led by Emmy Award-winning Anna McCleery (NETFLIX’s Free Rein, A Kind of Spark for CBBC/BYU) who is joined by Joe Williams (Theodosia, Hank Zipzer), Vicki Lutas (Free Rein), Jayshree Patel (Waterloo Road) and Karissa Hamilton-Bannis (Hollyoaks).

THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES (10 x 24’) is a Cottonwood Media and Coolabi Group production, in co-production with ZDF Studios. The series is commissioned by Children’s and Education (for BBCiPlayer and CBBC) and ZDF, with a pre-sale to France Télévisions.  Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Studios are handling worldwide sales.

THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES is based on the children’s detective fiction novels of the same name which first published in 2004.  Their immense popularity led to the publication of 12 titles in the series, multiple international editions, and over 300,000 books sold worldwide.

THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES tells the story of Lady Grace Cavendish, the world’s first female teenage detective working as a private spy for Queen Elizabeth I who navigates the dangerous waters of royal politics in an English court full of plots, threats and mystery. Grace has spent her youth outwitting palace guards, avoiding the responsibilities of being a lady-in-waiting, and most importantly, finessing the fine art of swiping jam tarts!  With her best friends – the savvy Ellie, and the dazzling performer Masou at her side – she must deal with the trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl, while investigating perilous mysteries.

Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Children’s Commissioning 7+ for BBC Children’s and Education said: “Lady Grace is the ultimate tween spy who our young audience will love. Unveiling the new cast and creatives leading the production is one step closer to seeing these much-loved stories of intrigue and mystery come to life on screen.”

Nicole Keeb, Head of International Co-productions and Acquisitions, Children and Youth programs, ZDF, commented: “We are delighted to be part of this new adventure with Cottonwood: THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES will fit perfectly into our portfolio of high quality live action series. We cannot wait to get the show on air.”

Arne Lohmann, VP Junior, ZDF Studios said: “I am thrilled to be continuing our successful relationship with Cottonwood. I believe THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES will be as successful as FIND ME IN PARIS, SPELLBOUND and THEODOSIA. We instantly fell in love with the series and are sure that a worldwide audience will soon feel the same!”

Claire Heinrich, Head of Acquisitions, Children’s & Youth, France Télévisions added: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Cottonwood Media with this new project, which has all the ingredients to appeal to the older fringe of Okoo’s audience. The historical context of Elizabeth I’s royal court, with its many possibilities for intrigue, is a sumptuous setting for the breathless adventures of Lady Grace, a determined and inspiring teenager who also finds herself confronted with very contemporary issues, all with a resolutely modern tone.”

Manon Ardisson, Head of Drama, Cottonwood Media said:“This series will offer a fun, modern and light-hearted take on the Golden Age of Elizabeth I: our characters and their stories are completely relatable for kids today, but the unique setting allows us to showcase extraordinary costumes and stunning historical locations that will draw audiences in from the get-go.”

Co-founders of Cottonwood Media, David Michel, Cécile Laurenson, and Zoé Carrera Allaix said: “Cottonwood has specialised in creating numerous cinematic styled TV series for the tween demographic working with great partners as ZDF and France Télévisions. It’s a pleasure now to also join forces with the BBC and Coolabi to embark on this exciting production that explores themes of friendship, mystery and romance, but with unexpected twists and turns.”

Michael Dee, Director Coolabi Productions and Chris Snowdon, Director of IP Creation and MD, Working Partners said: “We couldn’t be happier with the scripts, the casting, the locations and the designs, everything that is being done to bring our “Lady Grace Mysteries” book series to the screen. The Production team are creating a wonderful television series that reflects the lives of contemporary teens within the challenges and intrigue of the Elizabethan court.”

Coolabi Group signs Retail Monster as North American licensing agent and Bonkers Toys as master toy partner for Warrior Cats

Coolabi Group has appointed Retail Monster as its North American licensing agent and Bonkers Toys as its Global Master Toy Partner for its publishing and gaming phenomenon, Warrior Cats.

Warrior Cats is a huge publishing success story (77M+ books sold in 38 languages and 15+ years on the New York Times bestseller list) and an unrivalled chart-topper on Roblox over a prolonged period with a massive and rapidly growing following across social media (582M+ Roblox plays, 1.9B+ TikTok views). Building on this success, Coolabi has tapped Retail Monster to develop a turnkey licensing and merchandising program, and Bonkers Toys to activate the franchise across the toy aisle.

“The Warrior Cats franchise has an extensive fanbase built over the last 20 years with a powerful global reach across publishing, Roblox, TikTok and YouTube, with further content touchpoints to come as we continue to build the brand globally. We know there is already significant fan demand for Warrior Cats consumer products, and we could not be more excited to join forces with the experts at Retail Monster and Bonkers Toys to deliver that opportunity,” says Allison Watkins, Director of Consumer Products at Coolabi Group.

“Storytelling is at the core of everything Coolabi drives, and we are delighted to work together to craft the next chapter in the Warrior Cats story, working strategically with world-class licensees and retailers to tell the story with innovative product,” said Michael Connolly, Founder & CEO of Retail Monster. “Bonkers Toys is on the pulse of pop culture and having the opportunity to infuse their creativity into Warrior Cats toys from day one is the cherry on top.”

“Warrior Cats is a natural fit for Bonkers Toys’ expertise in New Media brands. In addition to its literary success, Warrior Cats is a digital and social media powerhouse with wildly engaged fans, extensive online presence and robust user generated content,” said Brian Bonnett, CEO of Bonkers Toys. “We are dedicated to honoring the legacy of Warrior Cats and bringing this enchanted world into the physical world with tangible, cherished playthings for its fans worldwide.”

About Warrior Cats

Warrior Cats is a hugely successful feline fantasy book series about clans of wild cats, created by Working Partners, a Coolabi Group company. The Erin Hunter penned series has sold over 77 million books to date which have been translated into 38 languages and been a fixture on the New York Times bestseller list for the last 15+ years.

The brand has a huge and passionate fanbase across the world, garnering over 2 million annual users on the official Warrior Cats website last year, over half a billion views across user generated content on YouTube in 2024 alone plus almost 2 billion views on TikTok. The Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition game on Roblox is consistently one of the highest-ranking branded games on the platform and has been played more than 582 million times.

About Coolabi Group

As a global leader in the creation of children’s fiction and an award-winning creator of children’s and family TV and apps, story is at the heart of everything we do at Coolabi Group. Within the group we have the skills and the experience in-house to tell our stories, whatever the medium.

Warrior Cats, Beast Quest and Rainbow Magic are but three of the c.200 book series and c.2,000 titles we have created and licensed to publishers. Lifetime global sales exceed 200 million copies.

Warriors and Beast Quest represent part of a digital slate that has been downloaded over 20 million times as apps, played over 582 million times on Roblox, is viewed on YouTube over half a billion times a year and which has been watched on TikTok almost two billion times.

Everything we create has global appeal: our books are licensed in over 40 languages; our apps and our award-winning TV shows are licensed in over 140 countries. And we are constantly co-developing and co-producing with networks and producers, for both live-action and animation, from across our extensive catalogue of stories. These are all just part of our deep and constantly expanding well of Intellectual Property with some 70 new titles being created and published each year there are always new stories to engage with. coolabi.comwarriorcats.com

About Bonkers Toys

Bonkers Toys has become known in the toy industry as the leader in YouTube New Media and Creator-based toys. Bonkers was the first licensee for Ryan’s World and pioneered this category with flagship toys including the Giant Mystery Egg & Cap’n Ryan’s Mega Mystery Treasure Chest. Bonkers Toys has also partnered with other top creators like Skibidi Toilet, Unspeakable, Lankybox, Aphmau, Moriah Elizabeth and Genevieve’s Playhouse to create best-selling toy lines. Bonkers Toys’ lineup of award-winning toys has been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Parents, Good Housekeeping and NBC Nightly News. For more information visit BonkersToys.com.

About Retail Monster

Launched by an executive team that brings over 70 years of retail, buying, sales, marketing, finance, and licensing experience to its clients, Retail Monster LLC (www.retailmonster.com) utilizes its relationships with best-in-class manufacturers and retailers to deliver strategic licensed programs to shelf. Established in March 2016, Retail Monster operates office locations out of Los Angeles; New York; Orlando; Bentonville, AR; Minneapolis, MN; and London, United Kingdom.

SUPERPROD teams up with Coolabi to develop and produce animated series based on global bestselling book series ‘Beast Quest’

SUPERPROD Group and Coolabi Group are joining forces to develop and produce an animated series based on Beast Quest, the children’s high fantasy book series which follows the adventures of Tom and Elenna on their quest to protect the Kingdom of Avantia from the evil wizard Malvel.

Beast Quest is one of the last major untapped intellectual properties in the children’s entertainment space; a favourite with young readers across the world for nearly two decades, with sales of over 24 million books in 30 languages.

With over 180 titles and more than 2 million copies sold globally over the last three years alone, Beast Quest is a literary phenomenon.

The book series is a hit in the UK, France, Germany, across Southern Europe, Japan and many other countries around the world. Adam Blade, Beast Quest’s pseudonymous author, ranked 7th across all genres and authors in the UK library lending charts in 2023.

The animated series will stay true to the stories that have captivated generation after generation of young reader, bringing to life thrilling adventures in a world full of formidable beasts.

The development and production will involve top-tier animation talents, leveraging SUPERPROD Group’s network of companies, with WHEEL IN MOTION in the UK, THE COPRODUCTION COMPANY in the USA, RED MONK STUDIO in Italy and of course SUPERPROD ANIMATION in France. SUPERPROD GROUP will use their extensive experience in delivering internationally successful animated content and their experience in launching adaptations of well-known IPs (Lassie, Miffy, Underdog to name but three) to produce the show. The series will be distributed by SUPERIGHTS, SUPERPROD Group’s international sales arm.

The TV series will remain faithful to the rich world of the books – created by WORKING PARTNERS, COOLABI Group’s book business – with its fantastical creatures and ever relevant themes of adventure, friendship, and overcoming adversity, and will target children and families internationally.

“Beast Quest represents a key moment for us,” said Alexi Wheeler, of Wheel in Motion. “This is a beloved brand with immense storytelling potential. With its action-packed narrative and a vast universe of creatures, we are confident that the animated series will capture the imagination of a new generation of viewers, just as the books have done for nearly 20 years.”

“I could not be happier that one of our most successful and much loved book brands is being brought to life with the exceptional creative team at SUPERPROD. Created by our very own story team at Working Partners and cherished through every book written, Beast Quest is a publishing phenomenon that resonates with kids today every bit as much as it did when it first launched almost twenty years ago. We can’t wait to bring the series to screens and devices around the world.” said Jeremy Banks, Chief Executive, The Coolabi Group.

Pixel Zoo and Liquid Rock Entertainment team up to bring ‘The Secret Explorers’ to life as a new CGI animated series

Australian animation studio Pixel Zoo, part of MGA Entertainment’s subsidiary MGA Studios, and Barcelona & Miami based brand management house, Liquid Rock Entertainment have together acquired the rights to co-produce 52 11-minute episodes of a new CGI-animated action adventure series, The Secret Explorers. The series, geared towards kids aged 4-7, is based on Coolabi’s beloved children’s book series of the same name which has sold more than one million copies globally in English and is set to be released in more than 17 languages.

With an MGA Studios investment and global toy rights secured, The Secret Explorers is positioned to become a worldwide sensation, with strong foundations in place to captivate audiences and build a lasting global children’s franchise. “With strong media and storytelling foundations, along with MGA’s toy expertise, we believe The Secret Explorers have tremendous potential to engage kids and grow into a dynamic, multi-platform brand. This partnership is a key step for Liquid Rock as we expand our portfolio of globally appealing kids’ content,” said Roberto Mitrani, Co Founder of Liquid Rock Entertainment.” “We’re excited to announce our partnership with Liquid Rock to co-produce The Secret Explorers. This animated series has been a true labor of love for the Pixel Zoo team.” said Paul Gillett, CEO, Pixel Zoo. “The support from our global distribution and co-production partner Liquid Rock has been incredible. Their commitment has been key in bringing our vision to life, and we can’t wait to share it,” added Sebastian Gonzalez, Head of Production, Pixel Zoo.

Liquid Rock’s Roberto Mitrani and Xavi Mas will serve as co-executive producers together with Pixel Zoo’s Paul Gillett and Sebastian Gonzalez who will also serve as showrunners along with Emmy Award®-winning producer and creative Josh Fisher (Netflix, Spin Master, Wildbrain). Fisher said, “Pixel Zoo and Liquid Rock have put together an amazing team and we’ve built a show for a global audience that’s funny and full of adventure. This series offers kids around the world the chance to see themselves as part of a team that can save the day, anytime, anywhere.”

The Secret Explorers follows a diverse group of young adventurer heroes from around the globe who, when alerted about a problem in the world, leap into action, activate their explorer suits, and with teamwork, technology, and a sense of humour, save the day… the Secret Explorer Way!