Scholastic has announced a number of changes at Brown Bag Films, the Dublin-based animation company that is part of 9 Story Media Group, the children's production company that Scholastic acquired in 2024. The changes involve a new leadership structure for Brown Bag and the creation of a new division.
As part of the change in leadership, Caitlin Friedman, formerly Scholastic Entertainment’s SVP and general manager, has been promoted to EVP of global production and current, overseeing production across Brown Bag Films’ studios in Dublin, Toronto, and Bali. She will also continue to develop and produce select, high-priority Scholastic properties in an executive producer capacity.
In a second switch in roles, Brown Bag cofounder Cathal Gaffney, who was also COO of 9 Story Media, has assumed the newly created role of chief innovation officer, leading a new “innovation division” called BBF Labs. The division, Scholastic said, will be aimed at “advancing how animation is created, produced and delivered across the studio’s global footprint.” Gaffney will retain his role of managing director of Brown Bag Films
Up until now, Brown Bag has focused on preschool storytelling, and with the creation of the new division the company hopes to expand into digital-first content, new platforms, older-skewing audiences, and feature-length projects.
In a prepared statement, Gaffney said the launch of BBF Labs is “about building the future of the studio—developing new pipelines, integrating emerging technologies like AI responsibly, and empowering artists with tools that help them work more creatively and efficiently.”
