‘Iyanu’ Studio Lion Forge Inks First-Look Kids & YA Content Deal with Oware

Award-winning studio Lion Forge Entertainment (Hair Love, Iyanu) has entered into a first look deal with kids’ television veteran Ed Barnieh and his new company Oware to identify and develop global kids & family and young adult content.

London-based Oware, launched in 2024, develops TV and film content originating from the global majority — the 85% of the world’s population living in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with an under-15 population estimated at over 1 billion in Asia, 590+ million in Africa and 159+ million in Latin America.

Under terms of their first look deal, Lion Forge and Oware will partner on a slate of select projects to develop, finance and sell to global buyers together, starting with MIPCOM and MIPjunior this October. Barnieh will also work closely with Lion Forge to identify new emerging talent from around the world and connect LFE to global buyers through his contacts acquire over years in the industry.

“Ed has an incredible background in developing, producing, buying and programming content from and for audiences around the world,” said Stephanie Sperber, President & Chief Creative Officer of Lion Forge Entertainment. “His knowledge of the international market and his ability to spot talent and IP are unmatched in the business and we look forward to building a successful slate together.”

Barnieh commented, “At Oware, creativity drives everything we do, and our mission will always be to amplify global majority voices. Partnering with Lion Forge — whose values and vision align so closely with ours — feels like a natural evolution. This first-look deal opens exciting new doors for bold, resonant storytelling that reflects the richness and complexity of our world, across all platforms.”

Barnieh is an award-winning and experienced content leader and storyteller who has successfully developed content for major broadcasters and has worked with independent studios. Barnieh previously worked at BBC Studios Kids & Family, and at Netflix in Animated Series in London and in Singapore. Prior to that, he spent seven years at Warner Bros. Discovery in Hong Kong, where he was latterly Director of Acquisitions and Co-Productions; and over eight years at Nickelodeon in similar roles.

Founded by David Steward II with a mission to focus on content that is both authentic and appealing to a broad audience, Lion Forge Entertainment develops and produces animated and live-action content targeting kids & family, YA and adult audiences, building on the success of earlier Lion Forge Animation projects including the Oscar-winning short Hair Love.

Lion Forge’s latest series Iyanu has become a breakout cross-platform success on Max and Cartoon Network, ranking as the number one series among kids on Cartoon Network and is a Top 10 Kids & Family series on Max. Season 2 of the animated fantasy-adventure, inspired by Nigerian mythology, along with two feature films expanding its universe, have just been greenlit by Cartoon Network and Max.

Lion Forge also recently joined forces with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the renowned novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature film, and set a partnership with TalesVision to expand their short-form live-action YouTube sensation, Lostlings, into a premium long-form series.

Lion Forge Entertainment is represented by Activist Artists Management and Lumify Entertainment.