WILDBRAIN REVEALS A NUMBER OF KEY MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS

WildBrain, a global leader in kids and family entertainment, announces a number of key management appointments. Michael Riley has been appointed Chief Brands Officer (CBO); Deirdre Brennan has been named Executive Vice President, Content Partnerships; Jianbo Wei has been appointed Managing Director, China; Daisy Wall has joined as Vice President, Short Form Content; and Liz Thompson has been promoted to Vice President, Marketing and Communications.

Eric Ellenbogen, Chief Executive Officer, WildBrain, said: “These appointments represent further steps forward in the reorganization begun last year and will help us realize the greatest value from our leading portfolio of content and brands. We’re strengthening and aligning our team to propel growth across brand building, creativity and business development. Michael, Deirdre, Daisy, Jianbo and Liz bring considerable expertise and give us a great mix of leadership skills to maximize opportunities in today’s media landscape.”

MICHAEL RILEY – CHIEF BRANDS OFFICER (CBO)

As Chief Brands Officer (CBO), veteran brand, content and marketing executive will draw on over 25 years of experience in company building, brand and IP development and global marketing to identify and develop key franchise opportunities for WildBrain’s portfolio of renowned kids and family brands, such as "Strawberry Shortcake", "Teletubbies", "Rev & Roll" and "Inspector Gadget", and he will identify new franchise opportunities within the WildBrain ecosystem. Based in New York, Riley reports to WildBrain CEO, Eric Ellenbogen.

Riley said: “With the growth of streaming platforms worldwide, there has never been a better time to develop content-driven brands. WildBrain owns some of the world’s most-loved kids’ content and I look forward to working with the team to build out new and expand existing brand strategies for key properties in our IP portfolio.”

DEIRDRE BRENNAN – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT PARTNERSHIPS

The executive brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in children’s entertainment and media. Since July 2019, she has been advising WildBrain’s senior management team on content and distribution strategy, priorities and processes. As Executive Vice President, Content Partnerships, Brennan will play a key role in WildBrain’s content group, overseeing the Company’s global distribution business as well as its suite of Family-branded broadcast channels in Canada operated by WildBrain Television. Reporting to WildBrain President Josh Scherba, Brennan is based in Toronto.

Brennan stated: “Having worked closely with Josh Scherba and WildBrain in recent months, I am incredibly excited to lead the distribution and broadcast teams as we focus on creative excellence and valued content partnerships, leveraging the power of WildBrain’s integrated business.”

Joe Tedesco has been named Chair of WildBrain Television, reporting to Josh Scherba. In this role, Tedesco will draw on his decades of experience in broadcast television to focus on revenue relationships, business development, regulatory matters and government relations for the channels. Tedesco will also continue to Chair the Programming Committee for WildBrain Television. We look forward to continuing to benefit from Tedesco’s expertise. The content group’s Stephanie Betts, Executive Vice President Content and Current Series, and Amir Nasrabadi, Executive Vice President and General Manager – Vancouver Studio, each continue in their respective roles reporting to Josh Scherba.

JIANBO WEI – MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHINA

Wei will be responsible for building an expanded business strategy to exploit the considerable opportunity in China for WildBrain’s content and consumer products licensing. Bringing over a decade of experience, Wei has previously managed business and growth strategies in China for many of the world’s leading entertainment multinationals. Based in Shanghai, Wei will oversee Territory Sales Manager Lisa Lee and report to WildBrain President, Josh Scherba.

Wei commented: “I am delighted to join the WildBrain team and energized to apply my many years of experience in China’s entertainment industry to unlock and grow value for WildBrain’s content and brands.”

DAISY WALL – VICE PRESIDENT, SHORT FORM CONTENT

In her new role,  Wall will play an integral role in WildBrain’s overall content strategy, developing and executing a short-form digital program for the Company’s creative slate. Based in Los Angeles, Wall will work closely with WildBrain Spark, the Company’s AVOD business, and with creative teams at WildBrain Studios. As a member of WildBrain’s development team, Wall reports to Stephanie Betts.

Wall said: “WildBrain has an incredibly rich collection of content and brands, and the WildBrain Spark platform is second to none for delivering short-form content. I’m thrilled to be diving in to spearhead a new short-form program with the development, production and WildBrain Spark teams. I look forward to experimenting on new ways to engage, surprise, and inspire young viewers.”

LIZ THOMPSON – VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Reporting to Scherba, Thompson has been promoted to the position of Vice President, Marketing and Communications. Based in Toronto, Thompson has been with WildBrain since 2011 and most recently led the successful global rebrand of the Company. She oversees WildBrain’s brand positioning, driving an integrated marketing and communications strategy across the Company’s corporate, content and consumer product groups.

Thompson said: “The rebrand to WildBrain has been a unifying and energizing force across the company and I am excited now to lead a team of marketing and communications professionals as we build on this momentum to continue our focus on creativity, imagination and innovation.”