Elena Wurlitzer has been appointed development producer – animated series and features for Jellyfish Originals, the kids & family original content division of Jellyfish Pictures, the award-winning animation and VFX studio, headquartered in London, UK.
The appointment is part of Jellyfish’s plans to robustly build its original’s department and grow and diversify its development slate with an emphasis on high-quality animated episodic and feature content. Elena will report into Natalie Llewellyn, MD – animation and originals.
In her new role, Wurlitzer will focus on creating and developing IP alongside Jellyfish’s in-house directors, art department and creative team, as well as acquiring external IP and aligning strategically with co-production and commercial partners.
Prior to joining Jellyfish, Wurlitzer was senior development executive at Wildseed Studios where she led a slate of original series, sourced and nurtured emerging talent for live-action and animated series. Previous roles include senior creative for BAFTA nominated children’s app, Azoomee, developing and producing on-demand series content. She was also part of the MarcoPolo learning team that won awards for Kidscreen’s Best Learning App and the App Store’s App of the Day in two consecutive years, as well as an International Emmy Award nomination. Earlier in her career, Wurlitzer spent several years at Disney in original series and co-production, before moving on to become an animation script writer for series airing on Disney, CBeebies and the Family Channel.
Natalie Llewellyn commented, “Elena is a stellar addition to the Jellyfish Originals team – her vast experience across TV development, screenwriting and production for major networks will grow and advance our slate of high-end, creator-driven kids and family IP. Jellyfish is all about cultivating creativity, passion and new ideas and Elena’s energy, reputation and pursuit for creative excellence makes her the perfect fit. We are thrilled to have her on board!”
Talking about her new role, Wurlitzer said, “Having been a fan of the incredible work Jellyfish has produced, I’m absolutely delighted to be a part of such an exceptionally creative team, and I’m excited to expand our slate of fantastic animated series.”
