#FIRSTLOOK: NICOLE BUTLER JOINS FORCES WITH FATHOM FILM GROUP

Ann Shin, CEO of the award-winning Canadian production company Fathom Film Group, today announced Fathom is joining forces with Nicole Butler, former co-CEO of Pier 21 Films Ltd. and Executive Producer of “Late Bloomer” seasons 1-2, “Run the Burbs”, and “Don’t Even”. The announcement comes ahead of Prime Time in Ottawa, where Shin and Butler will be in attendance, and reflects Fathom’s continued growth and evolution into a multi-genre producer, developing scripted drama and comedy alongside its established slate of unscripted and true crime programming.

Butler will lead development of new scripted projects, while Ann Shin expands her role as CEO, maintaining oversight of the company’s overall vision and its full slate of scripted and unscripted content. This announcement follows other recent strategic hires, including Philip Svoboda as Head of Business Affairs, underscoring the company’s investment in infrastructure to support increased production volume and creative ambition.

“Collaborating with Ann to help shape a scripted slate within a company that already has such a distinct creative identity is exciting,” said Nicole Butler. “There’s a strong foundation of excellent work and meaningful IP at Fathom, and I’m eager to build on this to develop bold, character-driven stories.”

“Fathom has always been driven by incredible access, deep research, and strong authorial voice. We’re excited to bring Nicole on board to help translate that DNA into premium scripted with real momentum. Her deep industry experience and expertise position the company for long-term creative and business sustainability,” said Ann Shin, CEO.

Fathom currently has two true crime documentary series in production with major platforms, four feature documentaries in the pipeline, and a growing slate of comedy and drama projects—including a procedural series emerging from the award-winning work of Ann Shin. The company is also working with acclaimed writing talent, including Gorrman Lee (Wild Cards, The Imperfects), while sourcing headline-grabbing intellectual property.

The expansion into scripted also reflects a broader diversification strategy in response to ongoing industry shifts. In addition to traditional platform partnerships, Fathom has been building a direct-to-audience presence through a YouTube true crime vertical launched in 2025, leveraging owned IP, research, and long-standing participant relationships to expand its footprint in the creator space.

The announcement comes as Fathom positions itself for its next phase, supported by a newly formed board of advisors, including Ira Levy and Steve Denure and a leadership structure designed to enhance agility and competitiveness in a rapidly changing content landscape.

About Fathom Film Group

Fathom Film Group is an award–winning production company known for authentic, truth-driven storytelling that builds audiences and delivers acclaimed hit shows. Working across scripted and unscripted formats, Fathom’s productions have earned accolades including Canadian Screen Awards, Emmy and Oscar nominations.

Our scripted team members have produced acclaimed series such as Run the Burbs, Late Bloomer, Don’t Even, and The Beaverton, and have collaborated with top talent including Lauren Ash, Andrew Phung, Ben Schwartz, and Ken Jeong.

Our Peabody- and Emmy-winning unscripted team have delivered standout programs including the 3x Canadian Screen Award–winning The Defector, Oscar-shortlisted My Enemy, My Brother, and audience hits like Artificial Immortality and Sugar Sisters. Team members have worked on series including Stay Tooned (CBC), Hardcore Heroes (Discovery/History), K-Pop Evolution (YouTube Originals), and Hello Goodbye (CBC).

With hundreds of hours of programming broadcast on CBC, TVO, Crave, HBO, Amazon, Discovery, History, ABC, YouTube Originals, PBS, ARTE, ZDF, NHK, Fathom’s productions have enthralled audiences around the world.

#FIRSTLOOK: ANN SHIN’S “DANGEROUS GAMES: ROBLOX AND THE METAVERSE EXPOSED”

Upcoming TVO Documentary DANGEROUS GAMES: ROBLOX AND THE METAVERSE EXPOSED is coming soon.

Release pattern:

Sunday, May 25 @ 9pm ET: TVO broadcast premiere in Ontario

Sunday, May 25: Available to stream across Canada via the TVO Docs YouTube channel, TVO.org and Smart TV app

Synopsis:

When Alex discovers a dark side of the metaverse, where predators, extremists, and hate groups exploit platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, she teams up with a group of young investigators to expose the truth. Their search leads them to a predator with multiple victims—and a kidnapped child—revealing the devastating consequences of a system failing to protect its most vulnerable users.

Created by: Erica Leendertse
Director: Ann Shin (The Defector, My Enemy, My Brother, A.rtificial I.mmortality)
Field director: Susan Schafer
Producers: Ann Shin, Erica Leendertse, D.Cole
Writer: D. Cole
Co-writer: Erica Leendertse
Executive Producers: Ann Shin, Reinhardt Beetz
Executive Producer, TVO: Alexandra Roberts, Jane Jankovic
Production Executive, TVO: Aidan Denison
Independent Film Officer, TVO: Linda Fong
Length: 78 min.