A quartet of vets from Annapurna Production, Surge Licensing and Argonaut Pictures are teaming up to form the new kids and YA-skewing prodco Capacitor Studios. With backgrounds in licensing and production, the founders include former Annapurna Productions COO Paul Hanson (District 9), New York-based Surge Licensing’s SVP of business development and licensing Elan Freedman, and former Argonaut Pictures MDs, Ian McGloin (Blade Runner: 2049) and Asa Greenberg. The new studio based in LA will be focused on creating CP and entertainment franchises.

One of the company’s first projects is an animated series based on the toy brand Feisty Pets (pictured), plush animals with expressions that go from cute to scary when squeezed. Former president of Sony Pictures Animation, Michelle Raimo Kouyate, is attached as a producer. Capacitor is also developing a live-action/animated hybrid feature film based on the KidRobot vinyl toy brand. Matt Ember and Tom Astle (Home) adapted the screenplay, with Rob Rugan (Alice’s Misadventures in Wonderland, The Wallet and the Watch) set to direct.

Hanson will serve as CEO of Capacitor Studios, and previously worked as the CEO of LA-based Covert Media, and the COO of QED International.

Greenberg, who serves as the new studio’s head of corporate development, previously worked as the president of Kilogram Entertainment, where he advised on corporate strategy and development, and produced films and TV. He was also an exec producer on Blade Runner: 2049.

McGloin will work as the head of content strategy, and formerly held roles as the VP of development at DreamWorks-owned Wild Child Films, and served as director of development at Scott Rudin Productions, where he worked on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Freedman, who remains at Surge, will oversee Capacitor’s IP, franchise and brand management activities.