WarnerMedia has appointed Vanessa Brookman as the new head of kids EMEA. Brookman will assume the newly created position, which brings together the operational, editorial and creative responsibilities for all kids content and channel brands in EMEA into a single remit for the first time.
The portfolio includes the Cartoon Network brand, Boomerang, Boing and Cartoonito, as well as associated digital properties. Brookman will represent and drive EMEA’s interests at the global company level to create and deliver the best content for kids and families, while also developing and executing regional EMEA initiatives across content, branding, programming, marketing compliance, PR, and digital.
She will collaborate closely with Johannes Larcher and Christina Sulebakk at HBO Max to help improve the platform’s offerings for kids before it launches across EMEA markets. And will jointly report to WarnerMedia EMEA and Asia, president Priya Dogra, excluding China, and global kids young adults and classics president Tom Ascheim.
“Vanessa’s proven track record across every aspect of the kids business, including multi-territory brand management, acquisitions, commissioning and programming, both in the linear and SVOD space, make her exceptionally well-suited to this role,” said Dogra. “This will be invaluable to our strategies for the ongoing success of our existing channels whilst also shaping the HBO Max kids offering for the EMEA region.”
“Vanessa exemplifies passionate, innovative and inclusive leadership, and is a genuine fan of great kids content. She brings a strong business acumen honed from her career in different roles across the media industry, coupled with her ability to motivate teams, foster collaboration, and align around a unified vision,” added Ascheim.
Brookman, who has been with WarnerMedia for nearly six years and has worked in senior content, brands, digital and creative roles. In her role as VP of content, brands and digital for the U.K. and Northern Europe she headed the content strategy for the company’s kids’ and general entertainment portfolio.
