Creator of social-media-driven animated character universe Superplastic announced the hire of Jennifer van Dijk as chief executive officer and Brian Scotto as chief creative officer.
The new executives were brought on to further build upon Superplastic’s success and invest in new technologies, including AI, to share content across social platforms and reach new audiences. Both van Dijk and Scotto previously worked together at leading automotive media, lifestyle, and apparel company Hoonigan and were responsible for a number of company milestones.
With over 20 years of experience, van Dijk will amplify Superplastic’s storylines and quality animation to translate across new and existing platforms. She will also grow its globally loved viral synthetic celebrities and intellectual property (IP), cult-worthy collectibles, and fan-favourite capsule collections.
While in her CEO role at Hoonigan, she oversaw major strategic advancements for the brand, including a successful merger with global automotive aftermarket giant Wheel Pros, and managed the team integration across marketing for all 40+ brands. Prior to this, she held C-Suite and executive-level positions with internationally recognised organisations such as the LA Clippers, the National Basketball Association (NBA), Dapper Labs, and more.
“Superplastic’s global following and innovative characters have caught my attention since the beginning,” said van Dijk. “I have long followed [the company founder] Paul’s career from Kidrobot to Superplastic and look forward to building on the success while bringing the characters into new mediums virtually and in person.”
Celebrated creative director, influencer and filmmaker Scotto has a proven track record of creating content that connects fans in new and unexpected ways. Scotto is most recognised for co-founding and running the brand and creative for Hoonigan. He will take the reins as the creative visionary behind the Superplastic media and entertainment enterprise, allowing new and existing characters to quickly build unique brands and secure celebrity partnerships in their own right.
He will also work with the creative teams to hone and define their tech-enabled workflows, which helps Superplastic to create high-quality animation at a pace that can drive social trends. Previously, Scotto worked in publishing, having contributed to a wide collection of urban culture media outlets such as Complex, XXL and Mass Appeal. He also sat as Rides Magazine editor-in-chief and was the founding editor of the award winning 0-60 Magazine.
“As a storyteller and brand builder, I’m extremely stoked to be joining Superplastic at this pivotal moment to help direct the next phase of its growing character universe,” said Scotto. “The breadth of creative opportunity at Superplastic is what excites me most. I look forward to helping build this company into a content juggernaut with Jenn, Paul and the rest of the amazing team.”
“Jenn and Brian are the perfect duo to take over as CEO and CCO,” said Superplastic founder Paul Budnitz. “Their unparalleled professional achievements, passion, and unbridled creativity embody the core mission of Superplastic. I’m super-excited for all the wonderful things on the way!”
Budnitz will stay on in the founder role and be involved in high-level creative ideation. The brand has grown in popularity for its digital-first approach and ability to create high-quality 3D animation at the speed of internet culture, reacting to and creating social trends. The new executives will continue Superplastic’s exponential growth following a period of groundbreaking announcements for the company, including a multi-faceted partnership with Amazon for content development, the company’s inaugural music division and record label with Virgin Records, and a new character and collection with Mercedes-Benz. Additionally, the brand had a number of highly anticipated collaborations with celebrities and notable brands such as The Weeknd, Tommy Hilfiger and more.