Grom Social Set To Acquire Curiosity Ink Media, Hires Two Former Nickelodeon Execs

Kids’ content platform Grom Social Enterprises has entered into a binding letter of intent to acquire L.A.-based production company Curiosity Ink Media. The move comes as Grom plans to enter original programming.

Curiosity, which is based in Hollywood, has a catalogue of IP that includes the animated preschool series Baldwin (image at top). Grom intends to distribute the company’s content on its social platform, and also to set it up as a provider of original content for streaming platforms and other third parties.

Curiosity president Russell Hicks, former president of production and development at Nickelodeon, has been named chief content officer at Grom, and will continue to oversee Curiosity’s film, tv, and publishing projects. He will also manage Top Draw Animation, the Manila, Philippines-based animation studio Grom acquired in 2016.

Another former Nickelodeon executive, Paul Ward, has joined Grom in two roles: president of its subsidiary Grom Social and evp of its social enterprises division. He will be tasked with growing the reach and offering of the company’s social platform. At Nickelodeon Kids’ & Family Group, Ward was evp of primetime, acquisitions, and strategy.

Grom is a content provider for children under 13. It places an emphasis on safe and educational content, and is compliant with COPPA. As of 2019, it claimed to reach 17 million aggregate users (parents and children included). The company has the distinction of having been founded by a 12-year-old, Zach Marks, in 2012.