Genius Brands said veteran kids TV programmer Margaret Loesch has been named executive chairman of Kartoon Channel!, which is launching June 15.
David Neuman, former president of Walt Disney Television, has been named chief creative officer of Kartoon Channel!, working with Loesch and general manager Caroline Tyre.
Loesch started Fox Kids Network Worldwide, which launched the Power Rangers franchise in the U.S. Before Fox, she ran Marvel productions and was president of The Jim Henson Co. and the Hallmark Channel. More recently, she was president of the Hub, a joint venture between Hasbro Toys and Discovery.
“I have known and admired Margaret and David for many years. There are no two more accomplished executives in our industry than Margaret Loesch and David Neuman. One doesn’t become the president of multiple children’s networks, or the president of Walt Disney Television, respectfully, without a reputation of being ‘Best in Class’. Their collective knowledge and relationships with the advertiser community, the creative community, and the distribution community in kid’s broadcasting is at the pinnacle of the field. They play to win, and nothing less,” said Andy Heyward, CEO of Genius Brands.
“Having Margaret and David leading Kartoon Channel!, along with General Manager Caroline Tyre and Director of Content and Acquisitions Mark Shoeman, is going to be a tremendous jump start to creating viewership and market share, advertiser demand, and attracting the most powerful creative content and marketing in the field,” Heyward said.
Kartoon Channel! is a digital service aimed at kids 2-11 years old. It has access to 4,000 episodes of entertaining and education content from the Genius Brands catalog. Shows include Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Baby Genius, Martha Stewart & Friends, Stan Lee’s Mighty 7, Gisele Bündchen’s Gisele & The Green Team, Gummi Bears, Shark Academy, DaJammies, Amber the Ambulance, Dino the Dinosaur, Ethan the Dump Truck, IncrediTales, OneZeez and Super Geek Heroes.
“I have admired David’s accomplishments and reputation as an innovator and magnet for talent for years and have had the good fortune to work extensively with Andy over the years. This is a wonderful opportunity to work with both David and Andy, and the Genius Brands’ team where I will oversee and provide advice on the creation of a new destination for kids and their families,” said Loesch.
Genius Brands is currently on platforms including Dish, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, Comcast’s Xfinity on Demand, Roku, Apple TV and Apple iOS, Android, Cox, Tubi, and Xumo, with all transitioning into carrying Kartoon Channel!. New platforms launching Kartoon Channel content include SelectTV, RedBox, Plex, and Canela Media.
