Charles Rivkin Becomes New Wild Brain CEO
Wild Brain Inc. has appointed Charles Rivkin, the former head of The Jim Henson Co., as ceo. This comes on the heels of Dan Rounds becoming a producer and development head at Wild Brain to nurture 3D-animated features.
“Wild Brain is a well capitalized, artist driven company that has the potential to become one of the most important players in CG animation,” said Rivkin. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to work with such an extraordinary group of people and I believe that Wild Brain will be a magnet for some of the most creative writers, directors and producers in the animation industry.”
Sam Humphreys, Wild Brain board member and ceo of Syntek Capital AG, noted, “We are ecstatic that Charlie has chosen to make Wild Brain his new home. He is well liked by the creative community and has world-class business and leadership skills. He was our prototype candidate, and we are thrilled to have him leading the team.”
Rivkin, 43, formerly served as president/ceo of The Henson Co. Rivkin was the only non-Henson family member to ever serve in the role of ceo.
Rivkin pioneered a business model with multiple revenue streams for The Jim Henson Co., creating video, TV and film labels while greatly expanding the Henson and Muppet brands around the world. Notably, he led the Henson family to optimize its holdings by first selling the company to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for more than $1 billion in market value, and later helping the Henson family re-purchase certain intellectual property and character rights and then reselling them to The Walt Disney Co.
“Charlie was instrumental at helping build and grow The Jim Henson Co. into a dynamic entity that produced great family entertainment while creating enormous value for its shareholders. The vision for Wild Brain we all share needs to be driven by a strong leader — we found that in Charlie Rivkin,” added Jim Caccavo, Wild Brain board member and managing partner of Valence Capital Management.
San Francisco-based Wild Brain Inc. (www.wildbrain.com) is an award-winning animation studio that develops and produces content for the global film, television and commercials markets. Founded in 1994, Wild Brain’s client list includes: Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Oxygen. Wild Brain is a top U.S. producer in the animated commercials sector, with a client list that includes Nike, Coca-Cola, Ford, Nabisco, Sony, McDonald’s, Target, Nestlé, The Wall Street Journal, Chevrolet, Mattel and Levi Strauss, among others. The company has animated some of the best-known icons in advertising, from the Hershey’s Kisses to the KFC Colonel and more. Syntek Capital AG and Valence Capital Partners, prominent European and U.S. private equity firms, are Wild Brain’s principal shareholders.
“Wild Brain is a well capitalized, artist driven company that has the potential to become one of the most important players in CG animation,” said Rivkin. “I’m thrilled to have the chance to work with such an extraordinary group of people and I believe that Wild Brain will be a magnet for some of the most creative writers, directors and producers in the animation industry.”
Sam Humphreys, Wild Brain board member and ceo of Syntek Capital AG, noted, “We are ecstatic that Charlie has chosen to make Wild Brain his new home. He is well liked by the creative community and has world-class business and leadership skills. He was our prototype candidate, and we are thrilled to have him leading the team.”
Rivkin, 43, formerly served as president/ceo of The Henson Co. Rivkin was the only non-Henson family member to ever serve in the role of ceo.
Rivkin pioneered a business model with multiple revenue streams for The Jim Henson Co., creating video, TV and film labels while greatly expanding the Henson and Muppet brands around the world. Notably, he led the Henson family to optimize its holdings by first selling the company to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for more than $1 billion in market value, and later helping the Henson family re-purchase certain intellectual property and character rights and then reselling them to The Walt Disney Co.
“Charlie was instrumental at helping build and grow The Jim Henson Co. into a dynamic entity that produced great family entertainment while creating enormous value for its shareholders. The vision for Wild Brain we all share needs to be driven by a strong leader — we found that in Charlie Rivkin,” added Jim Caccavo, Wild Brain board member and managing partner of Valence Capital Management.
San Francisco-based Wild Brain Inc. (www.wildbrain.com) is an award-winning animation studio that develops and produces content for the global film, television and commercials markets. Founded in 1994, Wild Brain’s client list includes: Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Oxygen. Wild Brain is a top U.S. producer in the animated commercials sector, with a client list that includes Nike, Coca-Cola, Ford, Nabisco, Sony, McDonald’s, Target, Nestlé, The Wall Street Journal, Chevrolet, Mattel and Levi Strauss, among others. The company has animated some of the best-known icons in advertising, from the Hershey’s Kisses to the KFC Colonel and more. Syntek Capital AG and Valence Capital Partners, prominent European and U.S. private equity firms, are Wild Brain’s principal shareholders.
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