Wildbrain Promotes Longtime Exec Josh Scherba To President And CEO

Canadian kids and family outfit Wildbrain has promoted Josh Scherba to the role of president and CEO, taking over for outgoing CEO and vice chair Eric Ellenbogen. Scherba has also been appointed to the company’s board of directors.

In addition to Scherba’s promotion, the company has also appointed chief marketing and brands officer Jim Fielding as its new strategic advisor to the CEO and board of directors.

More on the appointments:

• Wildbrain is one of the world’s largest kids and family content companies. Its catalog includes properties such as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, and Degrassi. The company’s Vancouver animation studio produces series and films including The Snoopy Show, Sonic Prime, Chip and Potato, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City, Carmen Sandiego, and Go, Dog. Go!
• Scherba has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and has been with Wildbrain since 2006. In 2018, he was appointed president and has pushed a content-led approach to growing and monetizing the company’s brands. Scherba has established and nurtured partnerships with numerous global brands including Apple TV+, Netflix, Amazon, Sega, Youtube, the BBC, and Mattel. According to Wildbrain, he was also the driving factor behind the company’s acquisition of animation and vfx company House of Cool.

• In a release, Scherba said: “I look forward to continuing to work with our talented people across the organization, our passionate management team and the board to further execute on our global strategy, with a renewed focus on key franchises to drive profitability for the long-term success of the business and enhance value for shareholders. With our beloved iconic brands, such as Peanuts, Teletubbies, and Strawberry Shortcake, as well as the creative expertise we’ve invested in across our teams and our truly global reach in distribution and licensing, we hold a unique position of strength in the evolving marketplace to continue capitalizing on meaningful partnerships for content and consumer products.”
• Fielding is a longtime consumer-products vet who has worked for Disney, Dreamworks, and 20th Century Fox. He’s the former president of Disney Stores Worldwide, where he revamped the company’s digital and physical marketplaces globally. In his expanded role, Fielding will oversee Wildbrain’s franchise and marketing functions as the company transitions to its new leadership team.
• Said Fielding: “With its rich portfolio of IP, combined with its extensive infrastructure and capabilities for content and brand management, plus its wealth of talented people dedicated to creative excellence, Wildbrain holds great potential in today’s global market. I’m excited to continue my work with Josh and the Board to help further ignite Wildbrain’s IP and drive future growth.”