Michael Hirsh (producer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Hirsh is a Belgian-born Canadian
citizen. He has been a significant figure in the Canadian television
industry, or more specifically children's programming
, since the 1980s.
when he was a child; he was raised primarily in Toronto and New York
. After high school
, Michael attended York University
in Toronto where he would meet his future business partner
, Patrick Loubert
. Hirsh abandoned his post-secondary education after three years to pursue his filmmaking
ambitions.
-born animation artist
Clive A. Smith
. Under co-CEO
Hirsh's leadership, the studio was responsible for many of its animated phenomena.
In the 1980s, Hirsh saved Nelvana from more than one brush with bankruptcy
. After the failure of their initial feature film
, Rock & Rule
, the original distributor of their live-action show, T and T, went out of business. Defying advice to fold the company, Michael found a replacement distributor within six weeks.
In late 1996, amid Golden Books negotiations to buy Nelvana, Hirsh went against his co-founders' advice and declined the offer. This led to the now infamous argument with the then COO
of the company, Eleanor Olmstead, in which the normally mild-mannered Hirsh and Olmstead were reportedly heard "swearing
up and down the hallway at one another". After remaining unaware for some time, Golden Books eventually walked out of the C?$
140 million deal in light of the internal discord.
In 1997, Hirsh and Nelvana helped found Teletoon
along with fellow Canadian children's television production company Cinar
.
In September 2000, Hirsh sold the Nelvana holdings to Corus Entertainment for C$
540 million. Two years later, he was the last of the original founders to leave the studio, but has since taken an advisory role.
190 million and Hirsh became CEO of the new company rebranded "Cookie Jar Entertainment".
Since then, the Cookie Jar Group has been expanding in both Canada and the United States
. In 2008, Cookie Jar merged with DIC Entertainment
in an estimated US$87.6 million buyout, forming one of the worlds largest privately held
children's entertainment companies.
, Little Bear
, Rupert
, Franklin
, Rolie Polie Olie
and The Adventures of Tintin
, Hirsh and his colleagues have received awards such as Daytime Emmy
s and Gemini
s.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
citizen. He has been a significant figure in the Canadian television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
industry, or more specifically children's programming
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
, since the 1980s.
Personal life
Born in Belgium in 1948, Michael's family emigrated to North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
when he was a child; he was raised primarily in Toronto and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. After high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Michael attended York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto where he would meet his future business partner
Business partner
Business partner is a term used to denote a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a highly contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties...
, Patrick Loubert
Patrick Loubert
Patrick Loubert was one of the founders of the Canadian animation studio, Nelvana Limited, along with Clive A. Smith and Michael Hirsh. He has produced, and executive-produced, much of the company's most memorable fare....
. Hirsh abandoned his post-secondary education after three years to pursue his filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
ambitions.
Nelvana
In 1971, Hirsh co-founded Nelvana with Patrick Loubert and BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born animation artist
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
Clive A. Smith
Clive A. Smith
Clive A. Smith is a British expatriate director and animator who, with Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert, founded Canadian animation studio Nelvana in 1971...
. Under co-CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Hirsh's leadership, the studio was responsible for many of its animated phenomena.
In the 1980s, Hirsh saved Nelvana from more than one brush with bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. After the failure of their initial feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule
Rock & Rule is a 1983 Canadian animated film from the animation studio Nelvana. It was produced and directed by the company's founders, Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith. The film features the voices of Greg Salata, Susan Roman, and Don Francks, with Catherine O'Hara, Chris...
, the original distributor of their live-action show, T and T, went out of business. Defying advice to fold the company, Michael found a replacement distributor within six weeks.
In late 1996, amid Golden Books negotiations to buy Nelvana, Hirsh went against his co-founders' advice and declined the offer. This led to the now infamous argument with the then COO
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
of the company, Eleanor Olmstead, in which the normally mild-mannered Hirsh and Olmstead were reportedly heard "swearing
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
up and down the hallway at one another". After remaining unaware for some time, Golden Books eventually walked out of the C?$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
140 million deal in light of the internal discord.
In 1997, Hirsh and Nelvana helped found Teletoon
Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)
Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...
along with fellow Canadian children's television production company Cinar
Çinar
Çınar is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey and also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....
.
In September 2000, Hirsh sold the Nelvana holdings to Corus Entertainment for C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
540 million. Two years later, he was the last of the original founders to leave the studio, but has since taken an advisory role.
Cookie Jar Group
In 2004, Hirsh reestablished himself in the children's television market when he led a consortium which acquired the remains of Cinar after a financial scandal had brought that company to ruin. Cinar was bought for C$Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
190 million and Hirsh became CEO of the new company rebranded "Cookie Jar Entertainment".
Since then, the Cookie Jar Group has been expanding in both Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2008, Cookie Jar merged with DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
in an estimated US$87.6 million buyout, forming one of the worlds largest privately held
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
children's entertainment companies.
Awards
A number of productions that Michael has been involved with have been nominated for or won awards. For their work on shows including BabarBabar (TV series)
Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on CBC and HBO, subsequently was rerun on HBO Family and Qubo. The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international...
, Little Bear
Little Bear (TV series)
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear is a Canadian children's television series starring a Little Bear voiced by Kristin Fairlie. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Treehouse TV in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was...
, Rupert
Rupert (TV series)
Rupert is an animated television series based on the Mary Tourtel character Rupert Bear, produced by Nelvana, Ellipse Programmé and TVS for the first season, with Scottish Television taken over control when TVS closed. Aired from 1991 to 1997 with 65 half-hour episodes produced. It was broadcast...
, Franklin
Franklin (TV series)
Franklin is a Canadian animated television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois. The television series was named after its main character, Franklin the Turtle...
, Rolie Polie Olie
Rolie Polie Olie
Rolie Polie Olie is a children's television series produced by Nelvana and created by William Joyce. The show centers on a little boy who is composed of several spheres and other three-dimensional geometric shapes...
and The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)
The Adventures of Tintin is an animated television series based on The Adventures of Tintin, a series of books by Hergé. It debuted in 1991, and 39 half-hour episodes were produced over the course of three seasons...
, Hirsh and his colleagues have received awards such as Daytime Emmy
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s and Gemini
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s.
External links
- http://www.thecookiejarcompany.com/cj_mgmt.php Michael Hirsh, The Cookie Jar Company
- http://www.awn.com/ottawa/OIAF04/conf_keynote.html OIAFOttawa International Animation Festival-History:In 1976, the Canadian Film Institute founded the biennial Ottawa International Animation Festival . First held August 10 to 15, 1976, the OIAF created a gathering place for North American animation professionals and enthusiasts to ponder the craft and business of animation...
2004 keynote speaker, Michael Hirsh - http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.10/2.10pages/2.10hirsh.html An AWNAnimation World NetworkAnimation World Network is an organization for animators, with an extensive website with news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. AWN also publishes a printed journal, "Animation World"....
article on Hirsh's involvement in the co-production field