With incredible sadness WildBrain announced the passing of animation development director Todd Brian on 28 December 2022 at the age of 59 after a short illness. Hugely respected with great affection by all who knew him, particularly for his love of life and laughter as well as his outstanding creative talent, he will be greatly missed by his WildBrain family and the entertainment community of which he was such an integral part.
As a development executive, Todd’s deep creative instincts, production experience and collaborative spirit saw him nurture a slate of standout WildBrain projects which serve to illustrate his career legacy.
“Todd was not just my colleague but one of my dearest friends, we shared so much through our 17-year friendship. He made everyone he met feel appreciated and seen. I’ll miss seeing his bright smile and hearing his playful laugh every day,” said WildBrain chief content officer Stephanie Betts.
Todd was a graduate of Ryerson University’s Film Studies program and the Canadian Film Centre and built his strong industry relationships while working in various senior creative positions on both animation and live-action productions. Before joining WildBrain, he honed his skill in roles at Corus Entertainment as a production executive/Corus Kids; development executive/kids & family at Toronto-based marblemedia; senior writer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC); and multiple credits as a writer/story editor ranging from preschool to tween/family co-view programming.
Todd is survived by his mother Judy Jacobs (and husband Peter), brother Troy Brian (and wife Susan, as well as their children Chelsea, Megan and Brock), and sister Tara Brian (and son Gavin).
