People in Licensing

Staff -- Kids Today, 3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

4Kids Entertainment announces changes

New York — Licensing agency 4Kids Entertainment has promoted Antoinette Reed to senior vice president of corporate marketing and hired Kenneth Freda as vice president of retail development.

Reed's new duties include strategic planning in the retail and licensing divisions and working with the 4Kids network group to implement initiatives. She will continue to oversee brand development within domestic retail distribution channels.

Reed joined 4Kids Entertainment in 2001 as vice president of retail. In 2002, she was promoted to senior vice president of sales, marketing and retail development.

Freda will work with retailers and licensees to help them position 4Kids brands to maximize revenue. He will report to Reed.

Most recently, Freda was partner/director of business development at Freedom Brand Development, where he worked with clients such United Airlines and Victoria's Secret.

Genius Products makes executive, board changes

Solana Beach, Calif. — Genius Products has made changes to its executive management team and board of directors.

Trevor Drinkwater, who joined Genius Products last year as executive vice president of DVD sales, has been promoted to CEO. Previously, he served as chief operating officer of Take-Two Interactive Software and as senior vice president of sales for Warner Home Video.

Genius Products founder Klaus Moeller, who has been chairman and CEO, will now lead work on business development and acquisition efforts for the company and continue as a member of the board.

The company also announced three additions to its board of directors: Robert V. Graziano, former president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Dodgers; James G. Ellis, vice dean of external relations at The Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California; and Bruce L. Pompan, a managing director of Cappello Capital Corp. with 20 years of experience in business development and investment banking, especially for entertainment, consumer products and services companies.

Charles H. Rivkin, a current board member and formerly president and CEO of The Jim Henson Co., and Pompan have been appointed co-chairmen of the board.

The director changes bring the Genius Products board to seven members, four of whom are independent.

DIC Entertainment promotes Fowler

Burbank, Calif. — DIC Entertainment, an independent children's entertainment company, has promoted Nancy Fowler (formerly Bassett) to the newly created position of president, worldwide consumer products.

Fowler, who joined DIC in 2002 as senior vice president of worldwide consumer products, will expand her role to include participating in the acquisition of new children's properties for the purpose of developing licensing and merchandising programs for DIC. She will continue to oversee the development and implementation of licensing and merchandising programs for the company's entertainment and lifestyle children's brands, as well as head DIC's global brand management team and the company's extensive network of licensees around the globe.

Since joining the company, Fowler has been responsible for managing the relaunch of the Strawberry Shortcake brand in 2003, which has generated approximately $700 million in worldwide retail revenues to date and boasts more than 300 global licensees. This year, Fowler and her team are preparing for the rollout of the all-new tween brand for Trollz, which the company has contemporized from the classic Troll doll.

Before joining DIC, Fowler worked for eight years at Viacom Consumer Products, the licensing division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. She held various positions with Paramount during her tenure and departed as their vice president of worldwide licensing.

Cookie Jar Entertainment names two senior VPs

Montreal — Cookie Jar Entertainment, the programming and licensing arm of The Cookie Jar Group, recently appointed two senior vice presidents. Kelly Elwood has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing, and John Gildea has been hired as senior vice president of consumer products.

Elwood, who was previously vice president of marketing and licensing, will oversee the company's expanding industry and consumer brand marketing and provide strategic planning on behalf of Cookie Jar's growing entertainment line-up. She is based in the company's Toronto offices.

Elwood joined Cookie Jar Entertainment from its acquired company Cinar Corp. in 1999.

Gildea will be responsible for all areas of licensing and merchandising for Cookie Jar's portfolio of children's brands. He is based in the United States.

Gildea joins Cookie Jar after operating Intellectual Property Management, a licensing, marketing and new business development consulting company.

He also spent 17 years with toy manufacturer Hasbro, where he held several senior level positions.

Copcorp Licensing promotes Gottlieb

New York — Jodi Gottlieb has been promoted from licensing manager to licensing director for CopCorp Licensing.

In her new role, Gottlieb will be responsible for new business and product development while continuing to play a role in the management of new and existing clients, properties and licensees.

"Jodi's knowledge, skills, and instincts have been — and continue to be — tremendous for our growth and success as an agency," said Carole Postal, president of CopCorp Licensing. "Jodi already knows we think the world of her, but this promotion is a way of officially recognizing her role within the company."

Garrett named director at Sesame Workshop

New York — Tracy Garrett has joined Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, as director of public policy.

She will be based out of Washington, D.C., and responsible for seeking out public and private partners to further encourage and promote Sesame Workshop's mission on a national and international scale.

"Sesame Workshop's mission is to create innovative engaging content that maximizes the educational power of media to help children reach their highest potential," said Sherrie Westin, executive vice president of corporate affairs, education and development. "Tracy's wealth of experience in public policy and public affairs will help expand the reach of Sesame Workshop's programs and projects here and abroad, helping to educate and improve the lives of children around the world."

Before joining the Workshop, Garrett spent nearly a decade working for members of Congress. She served in the press office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., for almost six years. She also worked for the late U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga.