Category: People

TIME WARNER INC. has named Warner Bros. current chief operating officer BARRY MEYER as the new chairman and chief executive of the film studio, and Castle Rock Entertainment Chairman ALAN HORN as its president and chief operating officer. The new team, which takes over October 4, replaces Warner Bros. co-chairmen Robert Daly and Terry Semel, who announced last month that they would step down from the studio they have run together for nearly twenty years. Meyer joined Warner in 1971 as a director of business

The Surrey Institute Of Art & Design has awarded an honorary fellowship toClare Kitson, Channel 4's animation commissioner, for her contribution toBritish Animation. Films commissioned by Kitson at Channel 4 include AlisonSnowden and David Fine's BOB'S BIRTHDAY and ACHILLES by Barry Purves.

Toronto-based NELVANA has hired Cathy Laughton as managing director of itsLondon-based operations. Laughton will be responsible for the overallmanagement of the UK office. Her responsibilities include the acquisitionof new properties for production/licensing development, sales to the UK,Germany, Scandinavia, and Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemborg),and securing co-production opportunities. Laughton joins Nelvana from theJim Henson Company where she served as director of international televisiondistribution.

Walt Disney International Europe and Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG) havepromoted Andrew Barron to executive vice president of new media andbusiness development for Walt Disney International Europe; and Chafic Najiato senior vice president and managing director of Buena Vista InternetGroup Europe. Barron joined WDTV-I in 1995 as director of businessdevelopment. Since then he has been responsible for identifying andnegotiating several Disney Channel agreements, as well as equity

Sydney, Australia-based SOUTHERN STAR SALES has appointed TELERI ROBERTS asthe first General Manager of its business unit Southern Star Kids, andKATHERINE KAUFMAN to the position of Sales Executive for Latin America.Roberts has most recently been working as Sales Head of Cascade, theinternational sales division of Scottish Television Enterprises based inGlasgow, and prior to that worked in several sales positions at Channel 4Wales. As General Manager of Southern Star Kids, she will be based in the

Director John Adams has signed to be represented by Santa Monica,California-based AREA 51 Films. Prior to launching his commercial directingcareer last year, Adams was director of broadcast production at DDBNeedham, Dallas.

Vienna, Virginia-based ITS (The Association of Imaging Technology andSound) has named Katy O'Grady Marketing and Communications Manager. O'Gradywill be responsible for producing the ITS monthly newsletter, managing thewebsite/e-mail list, membership and conference marketing, coordinatingpress trade agreements and advertising, and compiling the ITS annualreport. She comes from The American Association for Marriage and FamilyTherapy in Washington, D.C. where she was Marketing Specialist.

Vancouver-based Mercury Filmworks has promoted Michael O'Brien to theposition of Production Manager for Mercury's Digital Animation Group.O'Brien has been with the company as co-ordinator since July of 1998,shortly after Mercury Filmworks opened its doors. Prior to joining Mercury,O'Brien worked at Marv Newland's animation studio Rocketship International.

Los Angeles-based DNA Studio has named David Badagliacca as its Head ofSales, Marketing & New Business Development, and Jane Greenstein, as afull-time producer. Previously, Badagliacca supervised the launch ofMaverick Records' Clio Award-winning Web site while at the label. He alsooversaw efforts for other popular, unconventional sites, including a newsite for recording artist Alanis Morissette and a music video madeexclusively for the Web. Jane Greenstein will produce original content for

Cartoon Network has promoted Gary Albright to senior vice president oftrade creative services. Albright will oversee the graphic design of salesmaterials, licensed promotions, network print collateral, and eventenvironments. He will also supervise the development of both theinternational and domestic style guides for Cartoon Network properties usedby both individual licensees and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Albrighthas been art director at Hanna-Barbera's Orbit City Art Company, design

Sirius Thinking, Ltd. has hired Sharon Lerner as senior vice-president ofcreative development and animation producer for the new series BETWEEN THELINES, a series for children that is scheduled to premiere on PBS in April2000. Lerner was one of the first ten people hired by Children's TelevisionWorkshop to create SESAME STREET, and was, until recently, thevice-president and publisher of the Random House Children's Media Division.