Why We’re Backing Brian Robbins Again and Why Big Shot Is Built for This Moment

Today, Greycroft is excited to announce our investment in Big Shot Pictures, the next-generation animation studio founded by Brian Robbins. For me, this investment is also a reunion.

Brian and I first partnered more than a decade ago, when Greycroft became one of the earliest investors in AwesomenessTV. At the time, digital-first content and YouTube creators were just beginning to reshape Hollywood. Brian saw that shift early, built one of the first scaled digital studios, and turned it into a meaningful outcome when AwesomenessTV was acquired by DreamWorks Animation.

Since then, Brian’s career has been nothing short of remarkable. As President and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and later Co-CEO of Paramount Global, he oversaw the expansion and revitalization of some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, PAW Patrol, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mission: Impossible, and Transformers. During his tenure, Paramount generated billions in global box office revenue and multiple number-one theatrical releases, including Top Gun: Maverick.

Given that track record, Brian could have done almost anything next. Instead, he chose to build again.

Why Build a New Studio Now?

Historically, new studios only break through during moments of real structural change. Cable unlocked the rise of new linear networks in the 1980s. YouTube enabled digital-first studios in the early 2010s. Streaming created another wave later that decade. We believe AI represents the next significant inflection point in media.

What’s different this time is where the disruption is happening. The last wave was about distribution. This wave is about production. For the first time in decades, the cost and speed of creating high-quality animated content are poised to change meaningfully.

But lower costs alone don’t create enduring franchises. Great stories still matter. Distribution still matters. And access to premium monetization channels like film, streaming, consumer products, and experiences still matters enormously. That combination is exactly what Brian is building with Big Shot.

A Digital-First Franchise Engine

Big Shot is designed as a franchise creation engine, not a traditional studio. The company uses digital platforms, particularly YouTube, where kids actually discover content today, to test characters, stories, and worlds before committing to larger productions. By building and acquiring channels, partnering with creators, and leveraging real-time audience data, Big Shot is able to identify what resonates early and scale only what earns real fan love. The winners then expand into theatrical releases, streaming series, games, consumer products, and experiences, ultimately reducing creative risk while increasing the number of shots on goal.

Big Shot’s acquisition of Eloise at the Plaza, a beloved children’s property with decades of cultural resonance, exemplifies this approach, reintroducing timeless IP digitally and then
expanding it across film, publishing, consumer products, and new formats for a new generation.

We are seeing kids and family entertainment remain one of the most durable and valuable categories in media. It drives the majority of some of the world’s most valuable IP and underpins massive global consumer products ecosystems. At the same time, it appears major studios and streamers have pulled back from new kids and family investment, even as demand remains strong and attention has shifted decisively to platforms like YouTube. Big Shot is built squarely for this gap.

Partnerships That Matter

Big Shot has entered into a first-look theatrical distribution partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, creating a pathway from digital audience validation to global theatrical releases.

Combined with Brian’s experience building franchises across film, television, and consumer products, this structure gives Big Shot the ability to operate with the speed of a digital-native company while retaining the ambition of a modern studio.

At Greycroft, we look for founders who recognize inflection points early and who have proven they can build through them. Brian Robbins has demonstrated this ability throughout his previous roles.

Big Shot is not about chasing technology for its own sake. It is about using new tools to unlock better economics, faster iteration, and more creative freedom, while staying anchored in great storytelling and franchise-building discipline. That combination does not come along often.

We are proud to partner with Brian again, and excited to support Big Shot Pictures as it builds the franchises of tomorrow.