Zodiak Media has roped in ITV Studios Global Entertainment Exec Jean-Philippe Randisi as CEO Zodiak Kids, a new position with executive responsibility across the group’s dedicated Kids division.
Randisi will take the helm of Zodiak Kids this summer and will be charged with coordinating and leveraging Zodiak Media’s considerable expertise in the market. He will be responsible for the entire Zodiak Kids division consisting of three sizeable production houses; Marathon Media and Tele Images in Paris, and The Foundation in the UK; in addition to Kids content TV distribution, in partnership with Steve Macallister. Based in London he will report directly into the group CEO, Marc-Antoine d’Halluin.
Zodiak Media CEO Marc-Antoine d’Halluin said in a statement: “Zodiak Kids’s footprint gives it the scope to become a truly global enterprise and Jean-Philippe’s appointment reflects our ambition to fulfil this potential – and to build the business yet further with coordination and investment across Marathon Media, Tele Images, The Foundation and Kids content distribution.”
Randisi joins from ITV Studios Global Entertainment where he holds the position of EVP & Director of Consumer Products. He is responsible for the division’s reboot of Thunderbirds Are Go!, now in production, and its consumer products strategy, and the exploitation of its existing intellectual property portfolio across DVD, publishing, licensed products, acquisition of third party representation rights and other off-air activities. He is also responsible for the digital focus of the division’s home entertainment business.
Commenting on his shift to Zodiak Kids, Randisi added: “I am delighted to take part in this new adventure and look forward to joining Zodiak Kids. In a global market massively dominated by heritage franchises, kids need new exciting brands and this is exactly what we are going to develop and distribute for them.”
Randisi joined ITV in January 2011, prior to which he was senior VP & MD, international at Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, a division of MTV Networks International. Here he enjoyed success with high profile properties such as SpongeBob Square Pants, Dora the Explorer and South Park. Prior to Viacom, he looked after the Power Rangers franchise when he headed Saban consumer products Europe.
The appointment marks Zodiak Media’s continued commitment to the Kids genre, building on its many successes in the market. Tele Images, one of France’s leading animation and fiction production houses has recently had highly popular animated series The Ranch renewed for a second season by TF1, whilst The Foundation is about to begin production on The Floogals, its first US commission, for preschool cable channel Sprout. Marathon Media’s international successes include the global hit Totally Spies!, Redakai, the brand new series Lolirock and the soon to be launched animated show Get Blake!
