Shark Week Staple Anomaly Entertainment Acquired by Wheelhouse

Wheelhouse just found a production company that’s in it’s, well, wheelhouse. So it bought it.

Wheelhouse has acquired Anomaly Entertainment, which was founded in 2017 by producers and former Discovery Channel commissioners Matthew Kelly and Michael Sorensen. Anomaly has produced 40 Shark Week shows (Shaq Does Shark Week, Great White Abyss, Jaws Awakens, Legend of Deep Blue, Jackass Shark Week, Shark Trip: Eat, Pray, Chum, etc.) over the previous nine years; in addition to Discovery, Anomaly has created content for TLC, ID, HGTV, Food Network, Netflix, HBO Max, ESPN+ and NFL Films.

Anomaly is currently producing KPop Shark Heroes starring Ken Jeong (Community) and Rei Ami (KPop Demon Hunters). Its non-shark programming includes Rob Riggle: Global Investigator, Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, Caught!, The Visitors, Code of the Wild, Battle of the Beards, McEnroe’s Places and Extraordinary Stories Behind Everyday Things.

“Few folks in our world have had the success that Matt and Mike have on both sides of the aisle, buyers and sellers,” said Wheelhouse CEO Brent Montgomery. “We see not just a great cultural fit, especially with their broad work with athletes, entertainers and creators, but also new muscles brought to the Wheelhouse ecosystem.

“Anomaly was looking for a partner that could help us scale and grow strategically for the future, and for us to land at Wheelhouse is a full circle moment,” Kelly and Sorensen in a joint statement. “We’ve known Brent a long time and, for us, not only did he and Wheelhouse recognize the value of the business we’ve created, but they also saw synergy in our vision, which is to produce content that elevates talent, especially today’s leading creators and sports figures, and tell their stories in exciting, authentic ways. We’re thrilled to be part of the Wheelhouse family and eager to expand Anomaly across new platforms, while offering even greater capabilities to our clients and collaborators.”

During their time as buyers and producers at Discovery, Kelly and Sorensen oversaw hit series like Gold Rush, Amish Mafia and Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda. They also oversaw the development of Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, Bering Sea Gold, Killing Fields, Coopers Treasure and Yukon Men.  

Anomaly is currently in production on series for Discovery, TLC, HGTV and Food Network, and is in development on potential series elsewhere.

Wheelhouse and its subsidiary labels have produced Netflix’s Million Dollar Secret, King of Collectibles, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, America’s Sweethearts, A&E’s Duck Dynasty and other series.