The UK government went to China last week in an effort to build new bonds, and a freshly signed deal between animation studio 8 Lions Entertainment and state-owned China Media Group could be a blueprint for other Chinese media operators looking to work with global animation powerhouses.

8 Lions’ Jiella Esmat was one of about 50 delegates who went to China with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a trade mission to build creative and commercial bridges between both countries’ entertainment industries. While there, the fledgling London-based kids & family prodco signed an MOU with China Media Group, which runs national broadcaster China Central Television. The new partners plan to explore co-production opportunities for kids & family content, international distribution collaborations, talent exchanges and how to use new technologies.

8 Lions was the only company in the delegation representing the UK’s animation and film & TV sector. “We came with the goal of representing the UK and building ties with Chinese partners to benefit our industry as a whole,” Esmat tells Kidscreen from China. “China is an important market with rich stories, and we’ve been looking to improve collaboration across East and West. It’s a core part of our strategy—China is a growing force in animation, and there’s opportunity for deeper collaboration, which we’re spearheading.”

The delegates flew to Japan on Friday to also make connections in that country’s entertainment industry, before returning to the UK.

Esmat, a former distribution and partnerships director at Moonbug, started 8 Lions in 2024. Her company has since distributed Acamar’s preschool series Bing in MENA, as well as expanding the reach of popular mindfulness and meditation YouTuber Jaime Amor’s brand with new content formats.

For Esmat, this MOU is a step toward creating new business opportunities in a country with a massive kids market that is also notoriously difficult to break into. (You pretty much need to have a local partner to do deals there). She hopes that this agreement could be a blueprint for other prodcos looking to work with Chinese partners, both in the UK and internationally. “We’re keen to explore how we can bring our UK partners into collaborative conversations [with China] for building digital-first kids & family IPs,” she says.

In a release about the deal, trade group Animation UK praised the partnership for its potential to support the UK’s talent and IPs. “Eight Lions’ leadership in this collaboration with CMG reflects the capability of UK companies to operate at international scale and to open new routes to audiences and creative exchange,” said executive chair Kate O’Connor.

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash