DIC Entertainment announced today that they have signed Nancy Bassett to head up all of their licensing and merchandising sales initiatives worldwide. Bassett comes to DIC from Viacom Consumer Products where she was the vice president of worldwide sales for Paramount Pictures' licensing division. During Bassett's tenure with Viacom she served as the general manager of Viacom Consumer Products Canada and as managing director of Hamilton Projects. Bassett also held executive positions at Alliance Atlantis Entertainment and Sega of Canada.

Television executive John Bullivant has launched Kickback Media, a new executive production and development outfit. According to Bullivant, the aim of Kickback is to create, develop and finance character and design-based intellectual properties. The television activities will focus predominantly on the children's market and will include both animation and live-action content.

Goodspot Design and Goodspot Editorial has appointed Lisa Cleff to the position of vice president of sales and marketing for both divisions. Cleff joins newly appointed executive producer Mandy Martin, with whom she enjoyed a successful working relationship during their time together at design studio Attik/San Francisco. Prior to joining Goodspot, Cleff served as director of sales and marketing for R!OT Design in Manhattan. Her entree into the world of broadcast design came during her three years as U.S. director of business development at Attik.

Award-winning Los Angeles based writer and producer, Atul Rao, will be joining Toonz Animation India as the story editor and co-art director for its upcoming 3D series ADVENTURES OF HANUMAN. Rao and his family will join Toonz in India in November 2002. Starting as a staff writer at Nelvana Entertainment, Rao wrote for animated hits such as BABAR, CAREBEARS, BEETLEJUICE and TINTIN and then spent four years as producer, head writer and performer for Canadian cable network YTV.

PowerHouse Studios, Inc., a group of affiliated companies in the technology, entertainment, game, healthcare and education industries, has appointed Jay Elliot as CEO. Elliot will be responsible for overseeing the entire PowerHouse operation from its headquarters in Los Angeles. As a member of PowerHouse's Board of Directors, Elliot has recently overseen the acquisition of Agate Technologies, Inc. as well as entertainment development partnerships with Bluetorch Media, Nuvo Studios and Thrilling Entertainment.

Warner Bros.' Lorenzo di Boneventura has stepped down from his position as executive VP of motion pictures to take a role at the studio producing independent films. As reported in VARIETY, di Boneventura, who was promoted to the position of exec VP less than two months ago, said he wanted to move to indie producing to "stretch his creative muscles," which were apparently atrophying under the strains of heading a major motion picture studio.

Diana Longarzo has been named vice president of international strategy and business development for the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG). In this role, Longarzo will lead strategic product development and business development for WDIG's mobile and broadband businesses. Longarzo joins WDIG from Longarzo Consulting, a consultancy she founded that specialized in business strategy for entertainment and media companies such as Palm, Inc. and QBEO, Inc., an interactive television company.

VARIETY reports that veteran Turner exec Betty Cohen will leave the company to shop a multi-platform program targeted to young adults and teens. Cohen, who began with Turner in 1988 in the on-air promotions department at TNT, went on to oversee the creation and launch of Cartoon Network and served as its senior executive for ten years. In June 2001, she stepped down from her position as president of Cartoon Network Worldwide, but stayed within the AOL/ Time Warner family to develop projects like the one she has on the market.

Animator Dave Lombardi has joined ComputerCafe, after previously working with the animation and visual effects studio on the teaser-trailer for the upcoming film THE HULK. Lombardi recently completed work for ComputerCafe as animation supervisor on effects for SPY KIDS 2. His credits span film, television and music videos, and includes work on the STAR TREK series DEEP SPACE NINE and VOYAGER, as well as commercials for Sony Vaio and music videos for Ludacris and Janet Jackson.

After seven years with Rhythm & Hues Studios in Los Angeles, Ian Hulbert has joined Toronto-based visual effects and animation studio TOPIX as senior animation director. Hulbert will head the 3D character animation team at the studio, which has created effects and animation for such diverse projects as Atom Egoyan's Oscar-nominated film THE SWEET HEREAFTER, commercials for companies like Coca Cola, Kraft Foods, Chrysler, Budweiser, Discover Card and Post Cereals, and music videos for artist such as David Bowie, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan and Mary J. Blige.