Success Stories
A Halton Region Success Story
Pipeline Studios Inc. (PSi)
World-class animation studio fuels growth for Sheridan College students and itself
If you have youngsters and watch TV, you’ve probably heard of cartoons like Babar and The Backyardigans. But, what you probably haven’t heard is that these shows are animated and produced right in Oakville by Pipeline Studios Inc. (PSi) 
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Pipeline was started in 2007 by two Sheridan College graduates, Mac Holyoke and Juan Lopez. Holyoke is a former employee of Canada’s largest animation company, Nelvana — and both saw an opportunity and embraced the challenge of starting their own company.
Pipeline is already producing animations for major companies in the industry like Nick Jr. and Disney Channel
That challenge was made a little easier for them when they reconnected with Sheridan, and learned about the college’s “SPARK” incubator — an on-campus space and resource for local digital media startup companies.
“Sheridan has been a great help in setting up communications and networking between us (the industry) and themselves (academia),” said Holyoke. “We began operation in the SPARK facility in January, 2007 with 24 artists employed. We now have 90 artists at our Oakville studio.”
Sixty of those employees are Sheridan graduates — spanning from the Class of 1983 to the Class of 2010 — and the company has also employed nine co-op animation students over the past three summers. This hands-on student training and opportunity is the key reason the college has set up such a strategic partnership.
“Pipeline is a synergistic partner of Sheridan College. They’re an excellent show piece for our animation students. They’re always open for us to bring in students to see what a real animation studio is like,” says Darren Lawless, Dean of Research at Sheridan College.
Sixty of PSi's employees are Sheridan graduates
Just four years into their animation venture, Pipeline is already producing animations for major companies in the industry like Nelvana, Nick Jr. (Viacom) , Hasbro and Disney Channel . The company is even looking to start its own animated TV series.
Holyoke says that Pipeline is completely independent from both Sheridan and Nelvana, but he attributes much of the company’s success to the networking it has done with both.
And with the launch of the HalTech Innovation Centre , the future looks bright for other local companies wishing to emulate the success of Pipeline. With the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE) as its backbone, HalTech will offer local entrepreneurs even greater networking opportunities — connecting them with industry experts across the province, and helping ensure even more cutting-edge companies like Pipeline pop-up around the region.
Pipeline Studios employs over 90 digital artists at its Oakville studio
and provides hands-on learning for Sheridan co-op students
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