Comics Titan IDW Announces New Executive Hirings, Will Start Producing Animation

IDW Entertainment (IDWE), the sister studio to comics titan IDW Publishing (IDWP), is getting into animation as part of an ambitious push into the kids, family, and young adult space.

As part of this initiative, the company has hired three new executives. (IDWE and IDWP are divisions of IDW Media Holdings.)

Here are the details:

• Jeff Brustrom (image at top, center) has been appointed vice president of kids, family, and animation, and Daniel Kendrick (left) director of animation, at IDWE. Brustrom will oversee the development and production of a growing slate of live-action and animated projects (drama and comedy) based on graphic novels, prose, and other source materials, with Kendrick overseeing the animation slate.
• Additionally, IDW has hired Erika Turner (right) as senior editor of original content at IDWP. She will focus on the development and acquisition of original IP at the publisher, primarily in the categories of kids, middle grade, and young adult.
• Founded in 1999, IDWP is among the most successful publishers of comics and graphic novels in the U.S., with over 80 New York Times best sellers to its name. It is best know for its comics adaptations of movies, shows, and other media, including Disney and Cartoon Network IP. Its portfolio also includes art books, trade paperbacks, and more.
• IDWE launched in 2013 to created scripted shows and films based on IDWP’s titles. Its catalogue of live-action series include Wynnona Earp (Syfy) and Locke & Key (Netflix), both of which are based on original concepts published by IDWP comics.
• Brustrom previously spent 17 years at Disney Channel, where he developed and oversaw hit live-action series like Hannah Montana. He also developed animated pilots with Walt Disney TV Animation including Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, The Emperor’s New School, and Lilo & Stitch: the Series. He was most recently an independent consultant, working with creators and companies to develop IP.
• Kendrick moves from L.A. production and management company Chatrone, where he represented artists and creators, and oversaw animation projects from initial concept through to release. Among the projects he worked on is Jorge R. Gutierrez’s feature The Book of Life, released by Fox in 2014.
• Before joining IDWP, Turner was senior editor at Versify, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that publishes children’s books with an emphasis on racial and cultural diversity. “I’m passionate about harnessing the power of literature to empower young people, especially those from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds,” she said in a statement.
• After some executive musical chairs over the summer, IDW hired former Disney executive Nachie Marsham to lead IDWP three weeks ago. Marsham previously led Marvel Press editorial at Disney Publishing Worldwide, and before that worked as an editor at DC Comics.