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EXCLUSIVE: Lion Forge Entertainment is increasing the studio’s administration crew underneath President and Chief Content Officer Stephanie Sperber, with the addition of three key executives. Former Hello Sunshine exec and multi-award-winning government producer Kirsten Newlands joins as Executive Vice President of Production and Content Partnerships; Emmy-nominated kids’s media artistic Koyalee Chanda serves as Senior Vice President of Animation; and seasoned children distribution and gross sales government Jonathan Abraham joins as Director of Distribution.

Newlands and Abraham will head up a Global Media Sales division to deal with worldwide gross sales and distribution for the corporate’s financed and owned IP. The new gross sales and distribution group will make its debut at MIPCOM / MIPJR subsequent month the place the corporate can be taking out the anticipated Nigerian anime-inspired collection Iyanu, primarily based on Roye Okupe’s graphic novel, and the brand new animated child collection BugTron. Abraham will lead the Global Media Sales division and report on to Newlands. 

Newlands, a Canadian Screen Award winner and a number of Emmy nominee, is overseeing all bodily manufacturing, studio alliances, financing, co-productions and gross sales at Lion Forge Entertainment. She has government produced greater than 800 half hours of animated kids’s tv, together with hits resembling My Little Pony, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Carmen Sandiego, The Deep and Pikwik Pack.

Prior to becoming a member of Lion Forge, Newlands served because the VP, Kids Animation, Production at Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. For greater than a decade, she led all animation manufacturing endeavors for WildMind (DHX Media) as SVP, Animation Production.

“Producing engaging kids’ content is a lifelong passion of mine,” mentioned Newlands. “I am thrilled to join Lion Forge Entertainment and work alongside David and Stephanie to create global financing partnerships and best-in-class animation production capabilities to increase diversity in front of and behind the camera to shape the future of children’s entertainment.”

Before becoming a member of Lion Forge, Abraham constructed the worldwide gross sales and client merchandise division of Guru Studio, identified for producing hits like Netflix’s True and the Rainbow Kingdom and Disney Jr.’s Pikwik Pack, amongst others. He oversaw the design, manufacturing and international distribution of toys and varied client merchandise, each by way of worldwide retailers and main distribution companions. He additionally served because the Head of Global Sales and Acquisitions at Portfolio Entertainment and labored for Zuru Toys the place he dealt with direct gross sales for the whole southern hemisphere.

Chanda will lead Lion Forge’s animation division as Senior Vice President of Animation. A seven-time Emmy-nominated kids’s producer, director and author, Chanda began her profession on the breakthrough preschool collection Blue’s Clues. Most not too long ago, she served because the VP of Kids and Animation for Hello Sunshine. Previously, Chanda labored as a VP of Production and Development for Chris Nee’s shingle Laughing Wild at Netflix Animation the place she did early growth for Higher Ground’s Emmy-winning collection Ada Twist and We the People. She was one of many first hires at Apple TV+ Children’s Division and has beforehand labored with HBO Kids and Family, Universal Kids, PBS Kids in addition to Nickelodeon on the channel’s hit collection Wallykazam!

David Steward II, Founder and CEO of Lion Forge Entertainment, and Stephanie Sperber, CCO, mentioned collectively, “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Kirsten, Koyalee and Jonathan to the Lion Forge family. Their impressive track records, wealth of experience and dedication to creating outstanding children’s content will play a pivotal role in our continued growth and success. With the launch of our Global Media Sales division, we are reaffirming our commitment to delivering exceptional kids and family content to audiences worldwide and are poised to take our beloved IPs like Iyanu and BugTron to new heights internationally.”