Former Disney, DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox
executive to drive strategy and growth of Peanuts' licensing
business
NEW YORK, July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Peanuts
Worldwide is pleased to announce that the highly accomplished
consumer products and brand executive Tim
Erickson has been named Executive Vice President of Brand,
Peanuts Worldwide. Erickson will oversee the seasoned professionals
at Peanuts Worldwide who manage the brand's global licensing
business. Working together with the family of Peanuts creator
Charles M. Schulz, WildBrain's
content and management teams and brand co-owners Sony Music
Entertainment (Japan), Erickson
will be responsible for sustaining a strategy true to the great
heritage of the Peanuts brand – opening new licensing, partnership
and retail opportunities, supporting brand marketing, and
leveraging new content launches – all to expand the global presence
of the Peanuts brand and build momentum towards its 75th
anniversary in 2025. Based in New
York, Erickson reports to Eric
Ellenbogen, CEO of WildBrain, the majority owner of
Peanuts.
Ellenbogen said: "I'm delighted that Tim has joined the team at
this important moment for the Peanuts brand. The response to our
original series The Snoopy Show and Snoopy in Space
on Apple TV+ and to our 'Take Care With Peanuts' initiative has
been nothing short of fantastic. With lots more new content rolling
out worldwide in the coming years in partnership with Apple TV+,
the Peanuts gang has never been more popular. Working in tandem
with our Peanuts content team, Tim will bring a breadth of
experience at the intersection of family entertainment and consumer
products that makes him the ideal person to lead the evergreen
Peanuts licensing business."
Erickson said: "As a lifelong Peanuts fan, I'm elated to join
Peanuts Worldwide. I've long admired Charles Schulz's storytelling, both personally
and professionally, so I look forward to engaging with the
team and our partners to continue telling meaningful Peanuts
stories through content, products and experiences that will engage
fans for generations to come. I'm so excited about the opportunity
to connect the Peanuts content pipeline with fan engagement around
the world."
Erickson brings over 20 years of experience in consumer products
and brand building, having worked for such notable media and IP
companies as Twentieth Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney and LEGO. He most recently held the
position of Chief Operating Officer at the media company
GoldieBlox, creating innovative STEM-focused brand experiences for
girls through consumer products, retail and storytelling, as well
as overseeing the company's business development and
operations. Prior to GoldieBlox, as Senior Vice President of
Global Licensing and Operations at Twentieth Century Fox, Erickson
was head of the global merchandise licensing business where he
drove double-digit growth across the company's film and television
brands. Before that, Erickson held the position of Global Head of
Licensing & Operations at DreamWorks, expanding the company's
global merchandise licensing business to realize triple-digit
growth. At DreamWorks, Erickson was part of the team that launched
and accelerated the highly acclaimed film and TV franchises
Trolls, Spirit and How to Train Your
Dragon. Prior to DreamWorks, Erickson spent several years
driving consumer products and sales strategies at Disney and LEGO.
For more information, please contact:
Melissa Menta,
212-293-8506, melissa.menta@peanuts.com
About Peanuts
The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are
owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain
Ltd. (TSX: WILD), 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment
(Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the
family of Charles M. Schulz, who
first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic strip
debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of
the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular
culture. In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials
on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand
worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as
amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media,
and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to
digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space
Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration
and STEM among the next generation of students
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" under
applicable securities laws with respect to WildBrain and its
subsidiary Peanuts Worldwide, including, without limitation,
statements regarding the business strategies and operational
activities of WildBrain and its subsidiary Peanuts Worldwide and
results therefrom. Although WildBrain believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are
based on information currently available. Actual results or events
may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results
or events to differ materially from current expectations, among
other things, include risk factors discussed in materials filed
with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to
time, including matters discussed under "Risk Factors" in
WildBrain's most recent Annual Information Form and annual
Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking
statements are made as of the date hereof, and WildBrain assumes no
obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or
circumstances, except as required by law.
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SOURCE Peanuts Worldwide