Behind the Business: Little Lighthouse Productions
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Canadian Company Behind Immersive Van Gogh Exhibition Restructures Operations After Filing for Bankruptcy
Toronto-based Lighthouse Immersive will reduce its operations to four or five venues by the end of September. The company cited increased competition from governments lifting restrictions on cultural institutions and multiple competitors as reasons for lower ticket sales. Partner immersive experience company Impact Museums has alleged that Lighthouse owes it $16.6 million, a figure the company disputes. Lighthouse hopes to “stabilize its business, sell its equipment, possibly find a new investor, as well as preserve its enterprise value and employees’ jobs’’ The company’s US affiliate had total assets of $53.1 million, but liabilities of $100.2 million, including the litigation claim from Impact Museum, according to court documents.“Our goal is to emerge from restructuring a stronger company and continue to offer incredible shows to the public,” a company spokesperson told ARTnews in a written statement. “This in no way impacts the operations of our venues or the presentation of currently scheduled shows.”
The Toronto-based Lighthouse Immersive will reduce its operations to four or five venues by the end of September, down from its height of nearly 20.
In court documents filed in Delaware, Lighthouse Immersive cited increased competition from governments lifting restrictions on cultural institutions and multiple competitors as reasons for lower ticket sales. The company also did not have a “solid, long-term chief financial officer or a substantial financial department to keep up with the rapid expansion of the business.” Partner immersive experience company Impact Museums has alleged that Lighthouse owes it $16.6 million, a figure the company disputes. Related Articles New Experiential Art Platform VIV Arts Launches During Frieze with a Bang as Viewers are Propelled Through Time, Space, and Pyrotechnics The Little-Known Business of Traveling Exhibitions Is Booming
“Our goal is to emerge from restructuring a stronger company and continue to offer incredible shows to the public,” Lighthouse Immersive spokesperson Nick Harkin told ARTnews in a written statement. “All of our Lighthouse ArtSpace venues currently operating are still open to the public. Two Lighthouse Immersive affiliate companies are currently undergoing restructuring in Canada. This in no way impacts the operations of our venues or the presentation of currently scheduled shows.”
Lighthouse Immersive and its 10 US affiliates filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in Delaware on July 28. The following quotes are from court documents.
A rapidly growing operation
Lighthouse Immersive president and director Corey Ross founded the company in October 2019 with Svetlana Dvoretsky and Slava Zheleznyakov “with the intention of combining our respective talents and passion for the arts to introduce a new form of art into North America.”
The company said it decided to expand after the success of its first exhibition in Toronto in 2020, Immersive van Gogh, after shifting the experience to a drive-in show due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Lighthouse CA sold out shows seven days a week, and months in advance for almost an entire year,” according to the company.
Lighthouse expanded at a “rapid rate” with exhibitions featuring Mozart, King Tut, the Vatican, and the Nutcracker through long-term leases “of varying lengths” in 10 US states. The company said it was able to operate at a “significant profit” for the 2021 calendar year. But, after government restrictions were lifted, Lighthouse Immersive’s exhibitions “no longer had the same overwhelming success” as before as the format “lost its novelty and patrons had other options.”
The financial dropoff for the company’s new productions was also significant. Sales of new shows fell to 10 percent of van Gogh sales. Development and marketing costs also escalated due to the introduction of more productions “at a rapid pace in 2022.”
The partnership between Lighthouse and Impact for the rapid expansion in shows also had issues, resulting in a settlement agreement. After Lighthouse missed a payment, Impact locked the Canadian company out of three venues. “This caused the Lighthouse group to have to refund approximately $1.5 million in ticket sales and cancel all ongoing ticket sales,” the company wrote in court documents. The filing was first reported by Bloomberg News on July 27.
In June, Lighthouse Immersive abruptly canceled its immersive exhibition featuring Disney Animation that was scheduled for Houston over the summer.
According to court documents, as of May 31 of this year, Lighthouse had $52.4 million ($70 million Canadian) in total assets and liabilities of $44.5 million ($59.4 million Canadian). The company’s US affiliate had total assets of $53.1 million, but liabilities of $100.2 million, including the $16.6 million litigation claim from Impact Museums.
Lighthouse’s application under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act was affirmed by a judge on July 28. Lighthouse hopes to “stabilize” and “right-size” its business, sell merchandise and equipment, possibly find a new investor, as well as preserve its enterprise value and employees’ jobs.
It was also approved access to a line of credit of up to $1.1-million (plus interest, fees, and expenses) from a separate subsidiary owned by Lighthouse’s three co-owners.
The news of the restructuring was first reported by The Globe and Mail Thursday.
Martini Film Studios takes majority stake in Lighthouse Pictures
The acquisition is part of a larger effort by Martini to grow production activity and the studio’s brand. Lighthouse Pictures was co-founded in 2012 and has produced over 250 projects in the last decade. The company specializes in producing genre film and TV projects and has worked with Hallmark, A&E/Lifetime, Netflix Inc. and Disney.Shortly after Martini Film Studios opened in 2017, it signed a five-year agreement with Netflix to allow the streaming giant to become the lead tenant of the studios.
B.C.’s Martini Film Studios is expanding its services with the acquisition of Vancouver-based production company Lighthouse Pictures.
Martini has acquired a majority stake in the company, co-founded by Emmy-nominated producer Shawn Williamson and industry veteran Jamie Goehring. As part of the agreement, Lighthouse Pictures’ current management and production teams will remain at the company, according to the April 11 announcement.
The acquisition is part of a larger effort by Langley-based Martini Film Studios to expand its services and original production in film and TV.
“The opportunity to acquire a majority stake in Lighthouse has come at a time where we are growing our own production activity and the Martini brand. In 2020, we launched the Martini Entertainment Group, with George Patterson and David Shepheard, and have since built a robust slate of original and co-produced IP [intellectual property],” Gemma Martini, founder and CEO of Martini Film Studios, said in a statement.
“I look forward to working with Jamie and the Lighthouse team to help produce some of our new shows and expanding the business together here in Canada and in other markets.”
Lighthouse Pictures was co-founded in 2012 and has produced over 250 projects in the last decade. The company specializes in producing genre film and TV projects and has worked with Hallmark, A&E/Lifetime, Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq:NFLX) and Disney (NYSE:DIS), among others.
“This milestone partnership with Martini Film Studios – which has established itself as a hotbed for major international productions – comes during a vital period of expansion for our company. It will significantly fuel our growth plans as we continue producing content with our long-standing partners and attracting more projects to British Columbia. Alongside this deal with the Martini team, we’re also committed to developing and producing our own IP for the international stage.”
Shortly after Martini Film Studios opened in 2017, it signed a five-year agreement with Netflix to allow the streaming giant to become the lead tenant of the studios. That deal was extended another five years.
The studio features 150,000 square feet of stage space, eight stages, an additional 100,000 square feet of support space, and backlot support services provided by studio consulting and equipment services company MBS Group.
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Cartoon Saloon and Mercury Filmworks Launch Lighthouse, Will Create 140 Irish Animation Jobs
Lighthouse Studios is a partnership between Ottawa’s Mercury Filmworks and Kilkenny, Ireland-based Cartoon Saloon. The new studio is expected to create over 140 jobs in the next three years. Mercury has made its reputation in recent years as Disney TV’s go-to service provider for top-shelf productions, among them The Lion Guard and the upcoming Tangled series. The studio recently spearheaded its own series Atomic Puppet, now airing on Disney XD. One of the goals of the partnership is to help bring Irish animation talent back to the country, according to Cartoon Saloons CEO Paul Young. He said the studio will operate autonomously with its own management team, and report to a board of directors.
Two independent animation studios with reputations for high-quality work are joining forces to launch a new 2D-focused animation studio in Ireland, Lighthouse Studios.
Lighthouse, which is expected to create over 140 jobs in the next three years, is a partnership between Ottawa, Canada’s Mercury Filmworks, and Kilkenny, Ireland-based Cartoon Saloon. The new studio will also be located in Kilkenny, which now makes the small town of 25,000 something of an animation hub, with two significant animation studios.
Cartoon Saloon is the company behind the Oscar-nominated films The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, and is currently wrapping up on its next feature, The Breadwinner. Meanwhile, Mercury has made its reputation in recent years as Disney TV’s go-to service provider for top-shelf productions, among them The Lion Guard, the Mickey Mouse shorts, and the upcoming Tangled series. The studio recently spearheaded its own series Atomic Puppet, now airing on Disney XD.
The new Lighthouse partnership, supported by Ireland’s Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, will develop children’s and family animated content and provide end-to-end production services, from script writing, design, storyboard, animation and compositing to post production services. The studio’s 2D production pipeline, which will include some CGI intergration, will mirror Mercury’s Canadian operation, which means that it will rely primarily on Toon Boom Harmony.
Celebrating @Lighthouse_STU with our @mercuryfilmwrks friends and the team @IDAIRELAND. Thank you all! pic.twitter.com/aNSTZwHkbN — P A U L Y O U N G (@PaulYoung99) February 6, 2017
Lighthouse will operate autonomously with its own management team, and report to a board of directors comprised of executives from both Mercury and Cartoon Saloon.
“We have enormous respect for Cartoon Saloon and could not be happier to announce this collaboration,” Mercury Filmworks CEO Clint Eland said today in a statement. “They are one of today’s most creative and well respected animation companies with goals, perspectives, and philosophies that complement our own. Conceived as a studio with its own unique identity, Lighthouse Studios is neither wholly Mercury Filmworks nor Cartoon Saloon, but rather the best parts of each, transplanted in the rich Irish soil and nurtured by its own talented team of artists into a studio with its own unique and distinct creative perspective.”
Lighthouse will soon announce development and production projects, as well as launch a hiring initiative to bring aboard production management, as well as designers, animators, compositors, technical directors, 3D modelers, riggers, lighting, and texture artists, among other roles.
One of the goals, explained Cartoon Saloon CEO Paul Young, is to help bring Irish animation talent back to the country. “The Irish talent pool has been spilling over into other parts of Europe and North America for years and we look forward to welcoming a lot of that talent home,” Young said.
Under Armour’s new innovation lab has sneaker-making robots and high-tech body scanners — take a look inside
The Lighthouse is a new design and manufacturing test center for Under Armour. The 140,000-square-foot space will act as an extension of UA’s Baltimore headquarters. Tech Insider got an exclusive look inside the lab, which features a massive 3D body scanner and robots that make shoes. The goal of the lab is to re-think how sneakers and athletic apparel are made.
The Lighthouse director holds the components of one of Under Armour’s newest sneakers, the Speedform Gemini 2 Record Equipped. Leanna Garfield/Tech Insider
The Lighthouse director holds the components of one of Under Armour’s newest sneakers, the Speedform Gemini 2 Record Equipped. Leanna Garfield/Tech Insider
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The process of making athletic shoes and clothing has changed very little in the last half-century. Apart from industrial-sized machines that speed up production, many factories’ operations look pretty similar.
Under Armour wants to reinvent the process in its giant design and manufacturing test center, which opened June 28. Called the Lighthouse, the 140,000-square-foot space will act as an extension of UA’s Baltimore headquarters.
The goal of the new lab is to re-think how sneakers and athletic apparel are made, Under Armour’s Head of Innovation, Kevin Haley, tells Tech Insider.
Tech Insider got an exclusive look inside the lab, which features a massive 3D body scanner and robots that make shoes. Check it out.
Source: https://www.wlox.com/2025/07/29/behind-business-little-lighthouse-productions/