Children’s animation content development, management and monetization outfit Powerkids Entertainment Private Limited (powerkids.net) announced the appointment of Manoj Mishra as Chief Executive Officer. Mishra brings over 25 years experience in the industry to the post, during which time has been intimately involved in the development, operations and commercialization of many popular children’s animation titles including The Jungle Book, The Psammy Show, Robin Hood and Peter Pan.
“It’s an honor to join an exciting new company like Powerkids,” said Mishra. “The organization is uniquely positioned to serve a global audience through a cycle of managing and developing new, high quality children’s content whilst driving monetization of the existing catalog. The unique digital reach directly to consumers is an area of future growth and we have some very exciting plans here.”
Mishra brings decades of experience, leadership and an enviable track record of building and growing creative and diverse teams in the media and animation space all around the world. He will lead the organization and spearhead a number of exciting initiatives spanning the creation and monetization of content, with a particular focus on digital initiatives such as PowerkidsTV and Powerkids World.
Mishra was most recently Chief Operating Officer at DQ Entertainment, previously Head of Commissioning, Co-Productions & Acquisitions at Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. He has also held animation and management roles for well-known brands including Penta Four, Arena Multimedia, Wipro and NetGuru.
Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG (zag-inc.com) announced today the appointment of Rafael Baltodano as Vice President, North America Retail Development. The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products. Reporting to Lisa K. Foster, SVP Licensing, North America, Baltodano will manage strategic relationships across all tiers of retail throughout North America for the roster of properties under the ZAG Heroez. His initial focus will be to work with retailers on the fall rollout of products for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, for which over 200M products have been sold during the past three years.
Prior to joining ZAG, Baltodano served in several key licensing and retail positions for The Walt Disney Company, Pixar and Marvel, spanning over 15 years. Most recently, he served as Director of Retail Brand Development creating the overarching go to market retail strategies for the Disney and Pixar franchises. The brands under his purview at ZAG also include Power Players and the company’s newest property, Ghostforce.
Nice Shoes (niceshoes.com) announced the appointment of Kevin Ratigan and Erik Bayley as Junior Colorists. Ratigan has been promoted from his prior role as Assistant Colorist, while Bayley joins after six years at Alter Ego.
Having gained a wealth of experience at studios such as Company 3 and Carbon VFX, Ratigan originally joined Nice Shoes as part of their search for up-and-coming talent to nurture under the mentorship of seasoned professionals. Showcasing an extensive knowledge of the industry, his promotion comes just eight months after his initial hire. Ratigan has worked on a range of mediums, including commercials and short films, and is particularly prolific in music videos, such as “U 2 Luv” by Ne-Yo and Jeremih, Japanese Breakfast’s “Savage Good Boy” and Erica Banks’ “On They Neck.” Ratigan looks forward to a number of longform projects and experimenting with VR and real-time.
Bayley began his career in features, editing Wild Smoke and The Written Waltz for Little Dark/Dragon Peak and directing Life Line for his prodco EpikFliks. He also has graded a number of commercials while developing his skills at Alter Ego, with notable projects including Red Bull’s “Toronto Dance Tour,” Red String of Fate’s teaser trailer and Mazda’s CX-30 campaign. As a colorist, he particularly relished the chance to see his work projected onto 30 foot screens as part of Kia’s #TheRedCube takeover at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, as well as engaging in the creative process with one of his idols, Survivorman Les Stroud, on Surviving Disasters with Les Stroud. Bayley rejoins Senior Colorist Tricia Hagoriles, who also joined Nicce Shoes from Alter Ego earlier this year. His upcoming projects include a new TV series and work with top directors.
Animal Logic, in partnership with the UTS Animal Logic Academy (animallogicacademy.uts.edu.au), announced that Jacinta Horin and Rubeena King are the recipients of the inaugural Animal Logic Scholarship. The recipients will each receive $18,000 to support them this year while completing the industry-led, accelerated, Master of Animation and Visualization. Established in 2017, the Academy is a custom built digital production studio and teaching facility at the University of Technology Sydney. Mentored by industry experts, masters students are immersed in a full time studio environment, working collaboratively on professional level projects using a combination of 3D animation and VFX, as well as pioneering the use of emerging visualization technologies such as real-time animation.
Jacinta Horin holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (3D Animation) from JMC Academy and has worked as a technical specialist at Apple and as a digital artist for Neopets. “I have such a big love for each area of the animation pipeline and this year I’ll be focusing on my skills as Production Coordinator, so I’ll get to interact with all of them,” said Horin. “It’s the perfect fit for my love of animation and the management behind it and I’m really looking forward to working with and learning from such a spectacular group of creatives.”
Rubeena King is a UTS alumna and compositor committed to working in film and immersive media and was previously the Philanthropy and Partnerships Coordinator at Sydney Film Festival. “I am honored and elated to be a recipient of the Animal Logic Scholarship. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity to expand my knowledge of visual storytelling and focus on honing my creative and technical skills in compositing,” said King. “It is a humbling experience to be supported in the pursuit of a creative passion and I am grateful to Animal Logic for their incredible benevolence, and for continuing to highlight the importance of inclusivity in this industry.”
