Wattpad Webtoon Studios Launches Global Animation Division

Wattpad Webtoon Studios, the global entertainment and publishing arm for social storytelling platform Wattpad and creator-driven comics site Webtoon, has announced a new Global Animation division, along with new heads of Global Television and Global Film at the studio.

Former head of Webtoon Studios, Grant Taylor, will now head the new Global Animation division and oversee IP development on all animated film and television projects. Taylor will next executive produce Lore Olympus adaptation with The Jim Henson Company. The series is an animated version of the popular Webtoon comic of the same name by creator Rachel Smythe.

Taylor, an author and Webtoons creator himself (Rot & Ruin), has previously served as development executive for Stan Lee Media, director of west coast operations for Miramax, and as a children’s entertainment writer.

Sydney Bright will be director of development for the new division at Wattpad Webtoons. Bright has led in-house design and animation for shows such as Bob’s Burgers and Brickleberry at Bento Box Entertainment and served as the director of development and producer at mobile game developer Seriously Digital Entertainment.

Both Wattpad Studios and Webtoon Studios have produced successful adaptations in recent years. Webtoon comics Tower of God, Noblesse , and The God of High School have combine for billions of views on the site, and their animated series adaptations have streamed on Crunchyroll, HBO Max, and other platforms. A feature adaptation of Wattpad romance Float, by author Kate Marchant, is currently in the works.

Taylor’s division will operate under Wattpad Webtoon’s Global Entertainment umbrella, headed by former AMC president of programming and president of Fox Broadcasting Company, David Madden.

Wattpad Webtoon has also appointed Sera Tabb as head of Global Television­ and promoted Lindsey Weems Ramey to head of Global Film. Tabb was most recently svp of development at Picture Perfect Federation where she focused on cinematic adaptations of written work, like the Oscar-winning CODA. Ramey, who is involved in the aforementioned Float adaptation, was previously director of content development and production at Wattpad Studios.

“Millions of fans around the world have fallen in love with the storytelling on Webtoon and Wattpad,” said Aron Levitz, president of Wattpad Webtoon Studios. “These are incredible narratives that have created massive global fan communities, built around creative storytellers whose work is changing the landscape for comics and fiction everywhere. We’ve put together a world-class team to bring this content to market and bring those fan communities their favorite stories in new formats. With David at the helm, and Sera, Taylor, and Lindsey heading up our newly formed divisions, we’ll continue to make some of the most exciting entertainment on the planet.”