Nelvana Strengthens Management Team with New Appointments, Promotions
Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana announced management and structural changes to its core team, welcoming a new addition and promoting top talent to key positions under the leadership of Scott Dyer, president of Nelvana, and Pam Westman, head of Nelvana Enterprises.
Mellany Masterson rejoins Nelvana as vice-president of sales, Consumer Products and International, reporting to Westman. Masterson will manage Nelvana’s consumer products business globally as well as content sales outside the Americas and Europe. She will manage these two verticals to ensure coordinated brand support across all assets. With more than 13 years of experience, Masterson was most recently the director of business development for Imports Dragon. Prior to that, she was director of licensing for Broadband TV, having held that same role at Nelvana for five years prior.
Lily Yan becomes head of brands for Nelvana, also reporting to Westman. With almost two decades of experience working at Nelvana, Yan will manage brands on a global basis, including content and distribution strategy and marketing. Yan will also manage brand partnerships with licensors and rights holders.
Madeline Ferguson is promoted to senior international sales manager, reporting to Masterson. Ferguson will develop and execute strategies that will maximize content and consumer products sales in Asia, Australia, and the U.K. Combining Masterson’s and Ferguson’s experience in both licensing and distribution augments Nelvana’s presence in these important and emerging markets.
Jessica Brinder also steps up into the new role of senior content distribution manager, Domestic and Digital, managing sales of Nelvana’s content into the on-demand space (both AVOD and SVOD). Brinder’s strong relationships and knowledge of the market ensure best placement for Nelvana’s content in the global digital market. In this role, Brinder will report to Westman, supporting her with North American content sales and Westman’s management of the U.S. broadcast relationships.
Shout! Studios Names Industry Vet Brent Haynes as Head of TV Development
Shout! Studios, the multi-platform filmed entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, appointed Brent Haynes to the newly created role of head of TV development. Haynes will report directly to Shout! Factory’s Co-founder and President Garson Foos.
In this new role, Haynes will spearhead Shout! Studios’ premium content development for television and digital entertainment services to continue growing Shout’s new scripted series and production businesses. He will work closely with Shout’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, and Garson Foos as well as senior vice-president of content licensing and strategy, David McIntosh. He will lead the conception of new creative projects and forge production partnerships for series and new content.
Haynes is a veteran television executive and producer with 20 years of experience in series development and production for broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, Haynes served as president and executive producer of Picture Arcade, his development and production shingle. Previously, he served as senior vice-president of comedy and animation at MTV in New York, where he managed a bi-coastal development team and oversaw production for close to 20 series. Haynes’ portfolio of shows at MTV included scripted comedy, animation, unscripted, and documentary. Prior to MTV, Haynes worked at The Comedy Network in Canada, where he helped launch the channel before becoming vice-president of programming in charge of the development, acquisition, and scheduling teams. He was responsible for developing the Canadian hit Corner Gas and served as an executive on the show for five seasons.
LIMA Taps Industry Vets for Global Initiatives
LIMA announced that Gisela Abrams, senior vice-president of global partnerships, and Sharon Weisman, senior director of global business development, are joining the organization effective January 2018. Abrams brings with her an extensive career in international brand licensing, and Weisman’s vast industry knowledge and sales expertise will help to broaden the scope of LIMA’s services and offerings to the global industry.
Abrams comes to LIMA after more than 15 years at Sesame Workshop, most recently serving as vice-president, international media business, Asia Pacific, where she oversaw the Sesame Street brand and its strategic development in the Asia Pacific region. She was also responsible for managing the business, content distribution, and marketing in diverse territories. Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Abrams worked at The Jim Henson Company, broadening its international licensing business with a focus on Europe, as well as in a strategic planning role at advertising agency Mad Dogs and Englishmen. She joins LIMA effective January 22.
Weisman joined LIMA on January 2 following a 10-year career with UBM. As advertising manager, she was responsible for all media sales across platforms for License Global as it grew from a print publication to a multimedia platform. Weisman was also responsible for acquiring sponsorships and executing promotions for events organized by UBM’s Global Licensing Group, serving as a liaison between editorial and sales.