Veteran kids’ and family entertainment executive Jenna Boyd has joined Disney Branded Television (DBT) as Senior Vice President of Development, it was announced today by Charlie Andrews, EVP Live Action and Unscripted, to whom she will report. In her new role, Boyd will oversee the scripted series development team and creatively supervise the production of scripted series pilots for Disney+ and Disney Channel with a focus on building out DBT’s multicam strategy along with global Disney+ tentpoles.
Most recently, Boyd oversaw her own production company, Field Day Entertainment, and partnered with The Cartel — where she also served as a manager — to develop a roster of talent and create kids, family and animation content for broadcasters and streamers around the world. Prior to launching Field Day, Boyd was director of Kids & Family Series at Netflix, where she built and oversaw the company’s original animation and live-action series slate and creative team focused on kids and family content, including The Baby-Sitters Club adaptation, which won a 2022 Children’s & Family Emmy®Award for Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Series.
Boyd held prior roles as Chief Content Officer at GoldieBlox and Senior Vice President of Animation Development at Nickelodeon, where she first began her career in series development working on Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Mattel, Inc. announced the promotion of Robbie Brenner to President of Mattel Films. She was previously Executive Producer of the division since 2018. “Robbie joined the company five years ago to bring the vision of Mattel Films to life, collaborating with leading filmmakers to make standout quality movies based on our iconic brands that will resonate in culture and appeal to global audiences. She has done exactly that and so much more, positioning Mattel Films as a key partner for innovative creators, world-class talent, award winning producers and major studios,” said Chairman & CEO Ynon Kreiz.
Brenner produced the multiple record-breaking Barbie movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), in partnership with Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley of LuckyChap and Academy Award-nominee David Heyman. Mattel Films has announced 14 more live-action motion pictures in active development with major studio partners including American Girl, Barney, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox, Major Matt Mason, Masters of the Universe, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, View-Master and Wishbone. Mattel Films is also developing Christmas Balloon, a holiday family drama based on all-new IP.
Prior to joining Mattel, as an independent producer, Brenner earned a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Dallas Buyers Club, which won three Academy Awards. Brenner also produced the critically acclaimed women’s rights drama Call Jane and the supernatural romance The In Between, which premiered at Sundance 2018 and won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.
Previously, Brenner served as President of Production at Relativity and was integral to the studio’s acquisition of the Sundance documentary Catfish and led production on Immortals, Safe Haven, The Fighter and many more. She also previously oversaw and shepherded film production at Miramax Films and 20th Century Fox.
Brenner received a Bachelor’s degree in Film from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Executive Branch.
Award-winning London animation producer and IP company Two Daughters Entertainment has appointed Rob Goodchild as its Commercial Director. In the new role, Goodchild will be responsible for Two Daughters Entertainment’s brands worldwide, leading their licensing and merchandising program and working with businesses around the world to create market leading content, experiences and products.
Goodchild brings over three decades of experience across global entertainment and consumer products industries to the role. He joins from the Academy Award-winning Aardman studio, where he spent 15 years overseeing licensing, merchandise and business development, working with iconic properties such as Shaun The Sheep and Wallace and Gromit. At Two Daughters, he will be charged with maximizing the market potential for the production company’s animated adventure series Moley globally as well as the upcoming titles in its film slate.
Moley is gaining significant audiences worldwide following its recent U.S. launch on Peacock and its upcoming debut on U.K. free TV via POP in early October, alongside strong existing U.K. audiences on Boomerang (Warner Bros. Discovery). The series, which boasts a cast that includes Stanley Tucci, Warwick Davis and Julie Walters, is now available in over 160 countries and 30 languages and was sold worldwide by Jetpack Distribution. Two Daughters Entertainment is also developing three new properties which will begin to roll out later this year.
The Wind Sun Sky content team continues to expand with the appointment of several key new members. In preparation for the global launch of Future Chicken scheduled for Fall 2023, the studio also announces that 10Star Media has signed-on as the exclusive distribution agent, responsible for driving multi-platform and format global sales at the upcoming MIPJunior and MIPCOM marketplace, in addition to representing a number of other Wind Sun Sky projects.
Reporting to recently appointed Managing Director, Kids, Jo Redfern, Robin Hays in her newly created role as Vice President Creative will be responsible for the strategic development and execution of kids’ content creation across various projects and format types including animation, live action and hybrid projects. Collaborating with the studio’s artists, directors, executives, stakeholders and partners, she will drive the creative implementation of concepts through completion with a focus on innovative storytelling with an initial focus on the Future Chicken Universe in addition to supporting WSS’s renewed expansion of its existing multi-platform property, Camp Bonkers.
Hays is an award-winning independent filmmaker, director and producer. Some of her credits include Anthem, her animated film Post No Bills and producing Neill Blomkamp’s Alive in Joburg, Adicolor Yellow and Tempbot. She has worked with global brands including Visa, Adidas, Honda, Nestle, Danon, The IOC, Treehugger and Spin Master. Her work has been featured in multiple festivals including TIFF, Mill Valley, Santa Barbara and Shots YDA in Cannes. Hays is based out of the WSS Vancouver offices.
WSS has also expanded the role of Bernice Vanderlaan who has signed on as Future Chicken Universe Executive Producer and Head Writer. An Emmy nominated writer, Vanderlaan initially joined WSS to develop the Future Chicken multi-platform universe story bible in collaboration with the co-creators, Catherine Winder (CEO/EP/Founder, WSS) and Annabel Slaight (founding chair of the Ontario Water Centre educational charity, and co-founder of OWL kids’ magazine). In her new role, Vanderlaan will collaborate with Winder, Slaight and Redfern to ensure the many narrative extensions of the universe are produced in alignment with the project’s guiding principles, education and entertainment goals to bring eco-tainment fun and learning to kids.
Vanderlaan has written for a multitude of kids series including The Magic School Bus Rides Again (Netflix), and Alma’s Way (PBS), and has developed, written and story-edited a swath of kids’ programming, including award winning series Nina’s World (NBCUniversal), Rovio’s Angry Birds Stella and Blues shorts, Life with Derek (Family Channel/Disney) and Hello Mrs. Cherrywinkle (Family Channel/PBS). Vanderlaan reports to Winder, and is based in Toronto.
Under the guidance of Winder and Redfern, managing partner Craig McGillivray will lead 10Star Media‘s activities as the exclusive distribution agency for WSS’s slate of properties for kids, families and adults available in the marketplace. The agency will shoulder the responsibility of managing global sales and is set to showcase the innovative Future Chicken’s multiple content extensions including series, shorts and podcasts at the forthcoming MIPJunior and MIPCOM marketplace. 10Star Media is a boutique sales and production company based in Toronto, Canada.
Founded in 2022, the company specializes in the sales, pre-sales, and financing of children’s, factual and scripted content. Working with WSS, their primary goal will be international sales.
More Exec Appointments & Artist Signings:
- Kartoon Studios announced the appointment of finance veteran Brian Parisi as Chief Financial Officer, replacing Bob Denton. Parisi brings 30 years of experience spanning the entertainment, media, and high-tech industries, including finance, accounting, M&A, capital raising and corporate development, filling roles at Break the Floor Productions, the NFL Hall of Fame Village, Live Nation Ent. – Festivals Division, Warner Bros. Ent. and Universal Studios.
- Cloudco Entertainment (The Care Bears, Holly Hobbie, Madballs) announced two additions to its Global Licensing team: Charlotte Payne, who steps into the role of Director of International Licensing, and Noelle Nuñez, who joins as Manager of Retail Development. Payne brings 10+ years of experience honed at Warner Bros. Discovery U.K./EMEA and will be based in the U.K. Nuñez was most recently Assoc. Licensing Manager at Sanrio; she will be based in L.A. and report to Amy Sullivan, VP of Global Retail Development.
- N.Y.C. creative studio The-Artery has brought on Emmy Award-nominated Flame artist Steven Miller as the newest addition to their team. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Miller’s credits include work on Avatar, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Pirates of the Caribbean. He has held posts at studios such as The Mill, Electric Theatre Collective and MPC, amassing over 50 feature film credits as well as countless television and commercial projects.
