The Hive Studio Expands To Europe With New Athens Studio

The Hive Studio, the Israeli animation production outfit best known for producing Tal Kantor’s 2024 Oscar-nominated short film Letter to a Pig, has launched a new satellite studio, The Hive Greece, in partnership with Animasyros Productions.

Here is what has been announced about the company’s expansion:

• The new Athens-based division will utilize talent and resources from the South Mediterranean region, while providing The Hive access to new partnership opportunities for European co-productions. The studio will focus on “internationally relevant stories that transcend cultural boundaries as well as producing original Greek content,” and it will be supported by Greece’s 40% rebate on foreign investment.
• In addition to production, the Greek branch will offer a variety of animation-focused courses for new talent, starting with a masterclass on Toon Boom.
• The company is being launched in partnership with Animasyros Productions, which is the production company behind the country’s largest animation festival.
• CEO Amit Russell Gicelter, who founded The Hive in 2010, said in a statement, “I’m truly excited to be collaborating with the Greek industry. Over the past several months we’ve been developing, producing, and collaborating together. It feels like a natural and meaningful evolution for our company. I can’t wait to explore the opportunities that lie ahead.”
• Following the opening of the Greek studio, The Hive will have a workforce of 40 people across its two studios in Athens and Tel Aviv. In addition to Letter to a Pig, the studio has produced award-winning shorts like Black Slide and Butterfly Kiss, commercials, and digital series such as Crayola’s Scribble Scrubbie Pets and Normal MFers.