Wattpad Webtoon Studios has added a new animation division to its growing film & TV production business and anounced a slew of new hires and promotions across these divisions. Taylor Grant, himself a Webtoon creator, has been appointed Head of Global Animation, supported by the division’s new Director of Development, Sydney Bright, and reporting to Head of Global Entertainment David Madden, who joined the studio in July.
“Millions of fans around the world have fallen in love with the storytelling on Webtoon and Wattpad,” commented Aron Levitz, President, Wattpad Webtoon Studios. “These are incredible narratives that have created massive global fan communities, built around creative storytellers whose work is changing the landscape for comics and fiction everywhere.”
Having previously served as a development exec at Stan Lee Media and Director of West Coast Operations for Miramax, Grant will take charge of the newly formed global animation division housing the IP development for all animated film and television projects based on Webtoon’s fan-favorite digital comics and characters. The company has already launched animated adaptations of hit titles Tower of God, Noblesse and The God of High School, all part of anime giant Crunchyroll’s Original Series slate. Grant is the writer of Rot & Ruin, which has over 13 million reads on Webtoon.
New studio leadership announced today also includes industry vet Sera Tabb as Head of Global Television and the promotion of Lindsey Weems Ramey to Head of Global Film. Tabb and Ramey also report to Madden.
“We’ve put together a world-class team to bring this content to market and bring those fan communities their favourite stories in new formats,” Levitz continued. “With David at the helm, and Sera, Taylor and Lindsey heading up our newly formed divisions, we’ll continue to make some of the most exciting entertainment on the planet.”
Additional hires include Criswell Fiordalis, Head of Finance & Strategy; Austin Wong, Head of Legal & Business Affairs; Jess Brinder, Director of International Business Development; Bego Robles, Director of International Development; and Ellen Kuni, Production & Entertainment Publicity Lead.
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