Margaret Loesch and Bruce Stein Launch The Hatchery

Posted on November 21, 2003

Prominent industry executives Margaret Loesch and Bruce Stein have teamed to create The Hatchery, LLC. Ms Loesch, an Emmy Award-winning producer and veteran network television executive, was most recently President/CEO of Crown Media U.S./Hallmark Channel. Mr. Stein, a top strategic marketing executive, was formerly President/COO of Mattel, Inc. Also a partner in The Hatchery is Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer-writer Dan Angel (Door to Door, Goosebumps, X-Files).

In launching The Hatchery, Ms. Loesch and Mr. Stein are providing an environment for producing family and children's entertainment and for nurturing consumer product concepts at all stages of development. The venture will focus on delivering family entertainment experiences featuring new and existing content through many platforms, including film, television, direct-to-home videos, and consumer products.

The Hatchery has a slate of original properties already in development and has acquired numerous well-known and acclaimed family and children's titles for franchise development. Among the properties in film, television, home video, and publishing for which the company has acquired exclusive rights is The Freak, a CGI short film that has been honored at 13 film festivals worldwide. Also, Ms. Loesch is producing Benji Returns: Rags to Riches, the latest in the popular series of Benji movies, with the film's writer/director Joe Camp. Currently in post-production, the feature film will be released in the summer of 2004.

The Hatchery is financed by a group of investors and companies who will also play a strategic role in its operation. Among the key investors are entertainment icon Peter Guber, Chairman/CEO, Mandalay Entertainment Group, and Paul Schaeffer, Mandalay Vice Chairman/COO. The two are also members of The Hatchery's operating committee and will provide additional outreach and resources of financial and intellectual capital in a wide range of areas such as sports, TV, film, and music.

"In The Hatchery we've assembled a group of entrepreneurs, each of whom has proven accomplishments and creativity in specialized areas," said Ms. Loesch. "Our collective creative backgrounds enable us to identify or create those intellectual properties that fit perfectly within our niche. We will be a much-needed launch pad for the small property creator and a valuable resource for larger players who seek the efficiencies and creative and strategic skills of a streamlined group of professionals in maximizing the potential of their properties."