Stuart Snyder will take the reigns of Turner Broadcasting System's newly aligned portfolio of cable networks, digital properties and entertainment businesses for kids and young adults. As evp/coo of Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, Snyder will oversee Turner assets, including the cable television networks Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim; the digital businesses Cartoonnetwork.com, AdultSwim.com, Toonami Jetstream, Cartoon Network Video, GameTap and Super Deluxe; and two animation production facilities: Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, California, and Williams Street Studios in Atlanta.
Based in Atlanta at Turner's Techwood entertainment campus, Snyder will work closely with Turner Broadcasting System International on programming strategies for Cartoon Network Asia Pacific, Cartoon Network Europe, Cartoon Network Latin America & Caribbean and Cartoon Network Japan.
"Building a new operating structure around our company's animation and digital entertainment assets and positioning Stu at its head signals the opportunity we see among kids and young adults, and our intention to more aggressively play in that marketplace," said Mark Lazarus, president of Turner Ent. Group, who Synder reports to. "Stu is a builder with a great track record for defining and programming to targeted audiences. In Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and now GameTap and Super Deluxe, he and his team have brands and platforms to leverage in creative, strategic new ways."
"The brands and businesses that comprise the new Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media group represent pure potential," said Snyder. "With the on-air and online platforms, original and classic animation, games, comedy and production capabilities at our disposal, we can and will engage highly desirable consumers with the most innovative and valuable targeted entertainment experiences available. I know, firsthand, what this company and the people here can do, and I'm excited about what we'll accomplish together."
Cartoon Network is a global programming and merchandising powerhouse. Boomerang features classic Hanna-Barbera animation for young children and their parents. Adult Swim is the #1 ad-supported cable network in total day with young adult audiences, and Cartoonnetwork.com is among the top 10 entertainment sites on the Web. GameTap, Turner's broadband games network, offers more than 850 games for subscriber download and more than 600 original videos. Super Deluxe is a broadband comedy network and online community that launched early this year. Turner's animation studio facilities have produced some 450 half-hours of original animation.
Snyder rejoined Turner Broadcasting in 2005 as svp/gm of GameTap. Earlier, he was president/ceo of CINAR Corp., an animation, live-action and education production/distribution company based in Montreal (now known as Cookie Jar).
Snyder was president/coo of World Wrestling Ent. Inc., the television and sports entertainment franchise, where he directed the day-to-day operations of the company and played a key role in developing original programming, including film and television projects, such as Universal Pictures' THE SCORPION KING and MTV's TOUGH ENOUGH. He was president of USA Home Ent., where he oversaw the marketing and release of BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and was part of the management team that greenlit the Academy Award-winning film, TRAFFIC.
He also served as president/coo of Feld Ent., whose franchises included Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and Disney on Ice. Prior to that, Snyder led Turner Broadcasting's home entertainment division and held exec positions at Live Home Video and MGM/UA Home Ent.
Snyder was chosen to represent Turner Broadcasting on the board of directors of myvu, the leading supplier of eyewear viewers for the portable electronics industry, and serves on the board of Turnstile Ent., a New York-based company that creates and produces family entertainment programming featuring popular brands.
Cartoon Network (www.CartoonNetwork.com), seen in more than 91 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System Inc.'s ad-supported cable service offering original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Overnight from 11:00 pm-6:00 am Sunday-Thursday, Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.
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