“Despicable Me” Co-Creator Sergio Pablos’ Next Animated Film Finds Funding

“Despicable Me” Co-Creator Sergio Pablos’ Next Animated Film Finds Funding

July 19th, 2016

Jerry Beck

LA-based United Media Capital, LLC, (“United Media”) announced today it has formed a joint venture fund with Pigmental Studios, LLC (“Pigmental Studios”) of Hollywood & Washington, D.C., and the Santa Monica, CA-based United Independents Group, LLC (“United Independents Group”) for the purpose of co-financing a slate of upcoming animated and live action films. The first film to be financed by the new fund will be Household Pests, written by Sergio Pablos, the co-creator of Despicable Me.

Household Pests, based on an original idea from Pablos, follows an imaginative boy, “Cole,” who battles monsters under his bed every night, while his mother refuses to believe that they exist. It takes “Jeb Dee,” an undercover monster exterminator, to help Cole save the town.

Pablos, of SPA Studios, along with Marina Martins of Pigmental Studios, will jointly produce the new film, along with Dennis Lorrig, Robert Rodriguez, George Malasek and John Cole. Managing Partners for United Media Capital will Executive Produce the slate of new projects. Leading the financing team for the initial two productions will be United Media Capital managing partners John Cole, COO, and George Malasek, Co-CEO. The deal was brokered between Marina Martins of Pigmental/United Independents Group, and United Media Capital.

Concurrently, the fund will also invest in a second animated project – Mean Margaret – based on the popular children’s book of the same name. That film is being produced by Jay Ahn (“The Nut Job” and “The Nut Job 2”) and Chris Henderson (“Return to Neverland,”) with Chuck Williams (“Brother Bear”) managing the creative for Astro-Nomical Entertainment LLC, a new studio from Ahn/Henderson.

Barry Cook (“Mulan”) directed the original development of the “Mean Margaret” project, with character designs by Carter Gooderich (“Finding Nemo”) Winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, “Mean Margaret” was originally published in English, German, Dutch and Italian, and, more recently, has also been published in Chinese and Korean.

The storyline for Mean Margaret: “Fred,” a meticulous, confirmed-bachelor woodchuck, has his seemingly perfect life turned upside-down when terrible two-year-old human baby, “Margaret,” is left behind by her preoccupied, trailer-dwelling family.

Pre-production for both Household Pests and Mean Margaret take place at both Pigmental’s Studio offices in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Astro-Nomical Entertainment LLC, also in LA.

Prolific independent entertainment studio IM Global will handle international sales for both Household Pests and Mean Margaret.

Pigmental CEO and Co-Founder Marina Martins said, “With the recent acquisitions and mergers going on the industry today, there exists a space in the animation world for features which apply the tenant of ‘story, story, story.’ It was through storytelling that Pixar has been so successful at establishing itself above the norm, and excelling in a market so long dominated by studio fare. Pigmental’s focus is that relentless pursuit of getting the story right, without compromise and without sacrifice, for the establishment of branded content. This goal would be unachievable without the extraordinary talent that has gathered here to form and finance the Pigmental team.”

Jay Ahn adds, “I am thrilled to be engaged with this prestigious media fund for Mean Margaret, a fresh, funny, and very emotional movie that family members of all ages across the world will certainly enjoy.”

United Media Capital’s George Malasek said, “We are pleased to be joining forces with such an industry reputable studio and an established co-financing group for these kinds of highly entertaining projects. Collectively, we bring a lot to the table, and I am thrilled to help bring these exciting new animated projects to a global audience.”

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.