Kartoon Studios announced a significant increase in content production and development planned for 2024 for the Company’s Kartoon Channel!, Frederator Networks, Mainframe Studios as well as major broadcasters and streamers, including Netflix, Disney Channel, and others.
It has appointed Gregg Goldin, former creative executive at DreamWorks Animation, Cartoon Network and MTV, to the newly created position of development & production senior vice president.
Kartoon Studios has kicked off 2024 with a roster of properties in production and/or development, including Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders and three series for Frederator Networks: Land of Boggs; Chikn’ Nuggit, in partnership with BuzzFeed Animation Lab; and an adult animated comedy series in partnership with Wheelhouse DNA, starring internet sensation Adam W, who was named one of “The 20 Most Influential Creators” by Rolling Stone Magazine with over 50 million followers across his channels.
Goldin joins Kartoon Studios with over twenty years of experience in animation and live-action content development and production, overseeing highly successful movies and series across multiple genres, including DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster franchises How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda and Fast & Furious. In this new role, he will be responsible for heading up development and production for both new and original IP to deliver to the marketplace. Goldin will report jointly to Kartoon Studios chairman & CEO Andy Heyward and COO Michael Jaffa.
“We have significantly streamlined our operations and have built a highly scalable infrastructure,” said Kartoon Studios chief financial officer Brian Parisi. “With the increase in content production and other initiatives to be announced in early 2024 to drive revenue, we are well on our way to achieving our goal of sustained profitability. It should be noted that our streaming service Kartoon Channel! achieved break even in 2023, only three years after launch, and is expected to move to profitability in 2024, alongside Netflix. Kartoon Channel! continues to dominate the User Rankings in the Apple app store among all services delivering kids’ content.”
“As we enter a significant phase of growth in our development and production pipeline this year, with productions in the works for our Kartoon Channel! and Frederator Networks, we are thrilled to welcome a creative executive with Gregg’s pedigree to drive our content business,” Heyward noted. “He has managed the development of some of the industry’s most successful franchises while at DreamWorks and Cartoon Network, and he will be an invaluable asset as we continue to build our IP catalogue for global distribution. As Kartoon Channel achieved breakeven this last year, and drives to enhance profitability in 2024, Gregg will be pivotal in fueling the service with top tier content, as he did so successfully for DreamWorks Animation at Netflix.”
“Andy has made enormous contributions to the animation industry over the years, and I’m thrilled to work with him and the team at Kartoon Studios as we significantly ramp up over the next couple of years with new IP coming to market,” stated Goldin.
Goldin joins Kartoon Studios following a ten-year tenure at DreamWorks Animation where he served as current series vice president overseeing multiple series in production. In this capacity, he generated and pitched show presentations to marketing, franchise partners, publishers, retail buyers and network/streamers, facilitating new series launches and providing opportunities for consumer product programs.
Prior to DreamWorks Animation, Goldin guided the development and production of live-action and animated series and pilots at Cartoon Network, as well as a slate of original made-for-TV movies for seven years as Current & Original Series development director. Projects included two Ben 10 live-action features and Scooby-Doo prequel movies, among others. Previously, he served as MTV Films development director, contributing to the development and production of a robust slate of feature films, including Crossroads (Britney Spears), Jackass: The Movie, Save the Last Dance (Julia Stiles), Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) and Fighting Temptations (Beyoncé).