Former Disney, DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox executive brings deep experience in leading commercial and franchise strategies for global kids’ and family brands
Toronto – November 13, 2024 – WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has appointed licensing executive, Erin Morris, to the newly created role of Vice President, Strategic Franchise and Retail. Morris brings over 25 years’ experience developing and driving successful commercial, retail and franchise strategies for kids’ and family brands in the entertainment space, having previously led strategies for retail and consumer products divisions at many of the industry’s largest players, including Disney, DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox.
In her role at WildBrain, Morris will lead the talented teams responsible for planning and implementing global growth strategies for key WildBrain franchises, including Strawberry Shortcake and Teletubbies. She will play a central role in optimizing long-range commercial plans to expand the global footprint of WildBrain’s key franchises, collaborating closely with teams across the company to leverage the advantages of WildBrain’s 360° structure across Content Creation, Audience Engagement and Global Licensing.
Working closely with WildBrain’s global licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, as well as with local agencies, Morris will also lead licensing and commercialization strategies for WildBrain’s key franchises in Latin America and with major US retail partners, including Walmart, Target, Kohls and Amazon. Based in Los Angeles, Morris reports to Tim Erickson, Executive Vice President, Peanuts Worldwide & WildBrain Brands. Her remit is exclusive of the Peanuts brand, one of WildBrain’s key franchises, managed by Peanuts Worldwide.
Erickson said: “The work our franchise and licensing teams have done over the last few years to drive strong growth and engagement for Strawberry Shortcake and Teletubbies has been remarkable. Erin joining our team marks the next phase of our franchise growth strategy. She is well known across the industry as an experienced licensing and merchandising executive, brand strategist, deal maker and retail business leader who gets results through forward-thinking strategies. Her rich history in driving consumer products and retail successes for major entertainment companies in territories around the world makes Erin an ideal addition to our team as we look to further accelerate the growth of our franchises worldwide.”
Morris said: “I’ve long admired WildBrain’s portfolio of iconic franchises, especially Strawberry Shortcake and Teletubbies, and I am excited to lead the teams driving the impressive growth of these beloved brands. I believe that, given WildBrain’s extensive capabilities in driving brand engagement and licensing partnerships, the opportunity exists to build on this strong foundation to take the commercialization of these franchises to the next level. I look forward to working with teams across the company to help drive that next phase of global growth.”
Elizabeth Litten Miller, Vice President, Franchise Strategy, and her team continue to lead the marketing strategy for WildBrain’s Strawberry Shortcake and Teletubbies, reporting to Morris.
For more information, please contact:
Aimée Norman at Liberi Consulting, external PR for WildBrain
+44 (0) 7957 564 050
About WildBrain
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° franchise management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands around the world. With approximately 14,000 half-hours of kids’ and family content in our library—one of the world’s most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain’s mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart.
Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Camp Snoopy; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let’s Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered approximately 1.5 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada’s most loved family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide.
WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.