Brown Bag Films has structured its senior leadership team and launched a new brand identity as well as an innovation division, BBF Labs.
The acclaimed animation outfit is expanding its expertise into digital content, new platforms, older-skewing audiences, and feature-length movies as it positions itself for growth.
The new leadership structure sees Caitlin Friedman becoming EVP of global production and current, overseeing production across Dublin, Toronto, and Bali, and reporting to Vince Commisso, president and CEO of 9 Story Media Group. Friedman, previously SVP and GM at Scholastic Entertainment, will continue to develop and produce select, high-priority Scholastic properties in an EP capacity, reporting to Iole Lucchese, EVP, board chair and chief strategy officer, and president at Scholastic Entertainment.
“This role is about bringing the studio together as one global team,” said Friedman. “Brown Bag Films has an extraordinary creative foundation, and I’m excited by the challenge of building on that—supporting both owned IP and service work, and making sure creative vision carries cleanly through every stage of production as we expand into new formats, audiences and partnerships.
The team for regional production leadership remains intact. Darragh O’Connell, co-founder and creative director, continues to oversee creative direction across the slate.
BBF Labs will focus on advancing how animation is created, produced and delivered across the studio’s global footprint. With the launch, Brown Bag Films co-founder Cathal Gaffney, formerly COO of 9 Story Media Group, becomes chief innovation officer, leading BBF Labs and reporting to Commisso, while retaining his role as managing director. He will guide the studio’s AI strategy and develop new production workflows.
“Innovation has always been a part of our DNA, but BBF Labs represents a deliberate investment in making it a core pillar of how we work,” said Gaffney. “This 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. Our goal is innovation that’s practical, transparent, and artist-first.”
On the brand refresh, O’Connell commented: “There’s more in the bag—more range, more ways of working, and more stories we’re excited to tell. It signals our commitment to evolving creatively, investing in innovation, broadening our reach to include older-skewing audiences, while staying grounded in the craft and collaboration that define Brown Bag Films.”
