Iginio Straffi is an Italian artist and TV producer, co-owner of the Rainbow animation studio alongside Viacom, the American company that owns Nickelodeon.
Born in 1965 in Gualdo, a municipality in the Province of Macerata, Italy, Straffi's family moved to Macerata when he was eight years old.
As a child, Straffi developed an interest in comic book illustration and began creating his own comic stories at the age of seven. He participated in art competitions as a teenager and studied literature and modern languages at the University of Macerata.
Straffi's professional career began in 1985, when his first story was published in "Tilt". He went on to work as an artist for various comic book series, including "Nick Raider" from 1990 to 1992.
In 1992, Straffi joined the French animation studio "Telcima" as a storyboard artist, working on a failed pilot for a television adaptation of the science fiction series "Valérian and Laureline" and a film adaptation of the medieval tales "Reynard the Fox".
After gaining experience in the animation industry, Straffi returned to Italy in 1995 and secured financing to start his own animation studio, Rainbow S.p.A. The company produced its first television series, "Tommy and Oscar", in 2000.
In 2004, Straffi created his most ambitious television series project, "Winx Club", which debuted on the Italian public television channel "Rai 2" and became an international success.
Viacom purchased a 30% share of Rainbow in 2011 for $83 million, agreeing to finance new seasons of "Winx Club" and other television projects. Straffi retains the remaining 70% of Rainbow.
In addition to producing animated films based on "Winx Club", Straffi has also produced a historical comedy film, "Gladiators of Rome", and a live-action television series, "Club 57". He has stated his intention to shift his focus from animated projects to live-action works, and has signed off on a live-action adaptation of "Winx Club", called "Fate: The Winx Saga".
