Hans Bourlon
The media industry has always been at the forefront of technical innovation.
Summary
- In 1996 Studio 100 started with an advance payment from Universal, the record company, for future sales of CDs and videocassettes. Five years later, this entire economy had evaporated.
- Artificial Intelligence will turn the cartoon industry upside down. No doubt, in 5 years’ time someone at home will be able to create their own new episode based on 200 Maya the Bee episodes.
- Turn your biggest stars into pigs, is a conclusion that would never emerge from market research. 20 years ago “De 3 Biggetjes” with K3 was our biggest success at that time. It will be on stage again next year. Creativity also means offering something that people don't yet know they want.
Biography
Hans Bourlon is, together with Gert Verhulst, the founding father of international family entertainment company Studio 100.
Founded in 1996 as a small TV production company, Studio 100 created, amongst others, live action characters such as Samson & Gert, Plop, K3, Piet Piraat, Prinsessia, The House of Anubis, Bumba, Galaxy Park, Rox, Mega Mindy, Ghost Rockers, Nachtwacht and Game Keepers.
Ever since, the scope of activities has expanded immensely: TV productions, live entertainment, feature films, animation, music, publishing, digital, merchandising, licensing and theme parks have been created at a breathtaking speed. This 360° approach makes Studio 100 unique.
In 1999, Studio 100 took the first step into the theme park business with the opening of Plopsaland De Panne at the Belgian coast. They now operate 11 venues in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland and include outdoor parks, indoor parks, aqua parks and overnight stay accommodation. More than 3 million people visit these parks each year.
In 2007 they founded “Studio 100 Media” and later they acquired EM Entertainment in 2008 and m4e in 2017 which were major steps in the further internationalization of Studio 100. This created a new platform for global distribution and rights management based in Munich. All Studio 100 content is distributed worldwide to TV, Home Entertainment and Digital partners. We own one of the largest independent kids’ libraries, including kids’ classics such as Maya the Bee, Vic the Viking and Heidi.
As part of these acquisitions, Studio 100 also acquired the successful Australian animation studio “Flying Bark” and founded “Studio 100 Animation” in Paris. Since then, Studio 100 produces 3D remakes of world-famous series such as Maya the Bee, Wickie the Viking, Heidi and Blinky Bill, with great respect for the original.
Animation studio Flying Bark, with locations in Sydney and LA, operates today as a full-service production studio with award-winning animated feature films and series. Flying Bark develops its own content (e.g. 100% Wolf) but also delivers world-class animation services on major titles such as the new animated series of “Stranger Things” (Netflix), the new long-awaited movie of the “Avatar: the Last Airbender”-franchise (Paramount), “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” (Disney+), “What if?” (Marvel) and “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, to name a few.
Today, Hans Bourlon is together with Gert Verhulst, still the driving force behind Studio 100, which has grown to become one of the most important independent international family entertainment companies with more than 1,000 employees (FTE) worldwide and offices in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Australia and The United States of America.
Hans Bourlon and Gert Verhulst received the “Manager of the Year 2008” award and Studio 100 was named “Company of the Year” in 2009.
Hans Bourlon published 2 books: “De Blik van Bourlon” in 2017 and “De Tijdreiziger” in 2019.
In 2019, Hans Bourlon started the private initiative “Het Kunstuur” together with his brother Joost. Flemish masterpieces are exhibited in their museums in Mechelen, Hasselt and Roeselare. It is a truly mesmerizing experience. Every painting includes narration by a Flemish (known or lesser known) celebrity. This creates, together with unique lighting and carefully composed music, an hour filled with enchanting art in a historic location.