Ludo Studio Pty. Ltd. is an Australian live-action and animation production company based in Fortitude Valley, Queensland. Founded by Daley Pearson and Charlie Aspinwall in 2012, it is known for producing the television series Bluey (2018), Thou Shalt Not Steal (2024), The Strange Chores (2019), Robbie Hood (2019) and #7DaysLater (2013), and also producing the web series Doodles (2015) and Content (2019).
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Live action Animation |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Daley Pearson Charlie Aspinwall |
| Headquarters | Fortitude Valley, Queensland |
| Website | ludostudio |
History
editDaley Pearson and Charlie Aspinwall founded Ludo Studio in 2012.[1][2] The company is based in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.[3]
The studio has been at the forefront of development for experimental Australian multimedia series. In 2013, the studio released #7DaysLater, a multi-platform comedy series, where each episode was created in 7 days from the audience's online pitches.[4][5] The series was the first interactive comedy series commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series won an International Emmy Award for Best Digital Program: Fiction.[6] The studio also won a Best Kids' Digital Program International Emmy in 2017 for their web series Doodles.[7] The series featured animations of drawings submitted by the audience. In 2019, Ludo Studio partnered with ABC to create Content, Australia’s first-ever vertical video series.[8]
In 2016, Joe Brumm approached the studio with a one-minute pilot episode for his Children's television series Bluey.[9] Pearson and Aspinwall took Brumm's pitch to the MIPCOM television conference, where they began looking for investors. The ABC offered the studio $20,000 for a revised seven-minute pilot, in preparation for the Asian Animation Summit in late 2017.[9] The ABC partnered with the BBC to commissioned the series for an initial, 52-episode run.[10] The series was produced entirely by the studio in South Brisbane. After the series launched in 2018, it quickly found global critical[11] and commercial success as it expanded to air in 60 different countries.[12]
In 2024, Bluey was awarded a special recognition award from the Australian High Commissioner in London, in acknowledgement of its significant cultural impact in the UK and around the world.[13] Australia House was transformed into "Bluey House" for the occasion, with the building redecorated and official signage temporarily replaced.
Following their Bluey partnership, ABC commissioned an original animated supernatural comedy, The Strange Chores, created by Pearson and Aspinwall.[14] The pair had previously attempted to pitch the series in 2013.[15] The series began to air on ABC ME for Halloween in 2019.[14]
Australian filmmaker Dylan River has partnered with Ludo Studio to bring two of his projects to the screen.[16] In 2019, the studio produced Robbie Hood, River's reimagining of the Robin Hood narrative in contemporary Alice Springs.[17] The series follows Robbie, a 13-year-old Indigenous Australian as he traverses his neighbourhood and evades the local police. In 2024, Stan released River and Ludo Studio's series Thou Shalt Not Steal, following a pair of teenagers as they are chased across the desert by a sex worker and fraudulent preacher.[18]
At the 2019 Screen Producers Australia Awards, Ludo Studio won Media Super Production Business of the Year.[19] The award recognises a business that has produced an "outstanding body of work" and made a significant contribution to the progression of the Australian screen industry over the previous 12 months.[20] The studio also took home Animated Series Production of the Year for Bluey, Online Series Production of the Year for Robbie Hood and the Screen Business Export Award for Bluey.[19]
Ludo Studio was voted one of the Time 100 Most Influential Companies in 2024.[21]
The studio partnered with ACMI in 2024 to create a $10,000 animation residency for an emerging Australian animator or animation team.[22] The program was only open to people with up to two professional credits, with the intent of developing their projects for the local & international market.
Screen Australia awarded the studio story development funding in 2024 for a new animated series, Willy.[23] Set in 2003, the series follows the sexual awakening of a 15-year-old boy in a rural Australian town.
Filmography
editTelevision and web series
edit| Year | Title | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #7DaysLater | ABC | [24] | |
| 2015–2017 | Doodles | Online & ABC ME | [25][26] | |
| 2018–present | Bluey | ABC | [27] | |
| 2019 | Robbie Hood | SBS | with Since1788 Productions | [28] |
| 2019 | Content | ABC | [29] | |
| 2019–2024 | The Strange Chores | ABC | with Media World Pictures | [30] |
| 2024 | Thou Shalt Not Steal | Stan | with Since1788 Productions | [31] |
References
edit- ^ "About". Ludo Studio. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "Ludo Studio". Linkedin. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "LUDO STUDIO PTY LTD". Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Cartwright, Darren (7 October 2013). "On 7th day, show created". The Gold Coast Bulletin. ProQuest 1439667317.
- ^ Tiley, David (30 September 2021). "Daley Pearson, from his heart, showing the soul of Bluey". Screen Hub.
- ^ Idato, Michael (8 April 2014). "ABC wins International Emmy award for #7DaysLater". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Idato, Michael (17 April 2017). "Hoodlum partner in crime Australian production company Hoodlum is partnering with the US-based, Disney-owned...[Derived Headline]". The Canberra Times. ProQuest 1888438918.
- ^ Luke, Buckmaster (28 August 2019). "Content: ABC's world-first series made for mobile – from the creators of Bluey". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Dow, Steve (11 April 2020). "Bluey creator Joe Brumm's dog days". The Saturday Paper. Schwartz Publishing. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Vujkovic, Melanie (31 December 2017). "Brisbane-based animators bringing Bluey to a screen near you in 2019: Remember the name "Bluey"". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ Groves, Don (1 April 2020). "International Emmy Kids Award for 'Bluey'". if.com.au.
- ^ Quinn, Karl (14 June 2022). "Sixty countries, 110 licences, 1000 products: How Bluey conquered the world". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Gock, Kamina (22 April 2024). "It's 'Bluey House' now, as London awards show for its cultural success". ABC.
- ^ a b "The Strange Chores hits ABC ME for Halloween!". Screen Queensland. 30 October 2019.
- ^ Groves, Don (19 December 2013). "Strange times for Daley Pearson". if.com.au.
- ^ "Stan announces new Ludo Studio series Thou Shalt Not Steal for South Australia". South Australia Film Corporation. 30 August 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Travis (5 July 2019). "'Robbie Hood' brings Sherwood Forest to Central Australia". SBS.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (13 September 2024). "Dylan River's Toronto Series 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' Explores Australia's Dark History With Humor: 'If You're Preaching to the Converted, How Are You Educating?' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ a b Keast, Jackie (5 November 2019). "Ludo Studio tops the SPA Awards". if.com.au.
- ^ "Northern Pictures wins Media Super Production Business of the Year at the 20th Annual Screen Producers Australia Awards". Northern Pictures. 31 March 2022.
- ^ Clelland, Georgia (31 May 2024). "Bluey creators Ludo Studio named in TIME'S 100 most influential companies of 2024". The Courier Mail. ProQuest 3062793421. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "ACMI in partnership with Ludo Studio announces $10,000 animation residency at ACMI X". ACMI. 17 April 2024.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (28 February 2024). "Screen Australia Backs New Series 'Willy' from 'Bluey' Creators Ludo Studio". Animation Magazine.
- ^ "#7 DAYS LATER". Screen Australia.
- ^ "Doodles". Ludo Studio.
- ^ "Media Release: Ludo Studio's Doodles Series 3 now playing on ABC ME". Screen Queensland. 27 September 2016.
- ^ Rufo, Yasmin (13 April 2024). "Bluey: Producer confirms series return amid cancellation rumours". BBC.
- ^ "Robbie Hood (2019)". Screen Australia.
- ^ "Content (2019)".
- ^ "The Strange Chores 2019 - 2024". Screen Australia.
- ^ "Thou Shalt Not Steal (2024)". Screen Australia.