Animation studios will remain separate entities; Rob Sorcher moves from CNS leadership role into overall production deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.
WarnerMedia veteran and current President of Warner Bros. Animation, Sam Register, has been promoted to President of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, it was announced today by Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics (GKYAC).
Reporting to Ascheim in his new role, Register will lead both animation studios as unique and separate entities. Between the two Studios, the GKYAC animation operation currently produces more than 30 series, including hits like Teen Titans Go! and Looney Tunes Cartoons at WBA, and Craig of the Creek and We Bare Bears at CNS.
With Register’s promotion comes news of Rob Sorcher, who previously served as head of Cartoon Network Studios, moving into an overall production deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, where he’ll create both animated and live-action properties.
In addition, Ascheim has appointed Amy Friedman to assume Sorcher’s programming responsibilities for Cartoon Network. Friedman has joined GKYAC as a senior advisor providing creative, strategic and inclusive programming guidance for the Cartoon Network brand. She reports to Ascheim. Ed Adams, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Warner Bros. Animation, will now have an expanded role to serve both studios alongside Register, to whom he will continue to report.
“The legacy of each of these great studios is long, with remarkable contributions to culture and the world of animation,” said Ascheim. “Each embodies vibrant, distinct cultures and missions, and I believe this realignment will enable them to continue to innovate and thrive for new generations of artists and fans. There is no one better to usher in this exciting new period in these studios’ history than Sam. We owe Rob a huge debt of gratitude for building the Cartoon Network brand to what it is today, creating a long list of imagination-capturing hit shows. He’s one of the most talented executives in our industry, someone who has changed the content game many times over, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next for us.”
“By aligning two of the industry’s most powerful animation studios, we will unleash incredible opportunities for artists to flourish and an unprecedented amount of animation for fans to devour,” said Register. “Together we have a shared opportunity to create a new culture of collaboration – one built on both the historic importance of Warner Bros. Animation and the commitment to new original voices that is the trademark of Cartoon Network Studios.”
“I am honored to have played my part in producing the artistry, innovation and heart of Cartoon Network Studios, bringing joy to generations of young people around this world,” Sorcher added. “I would like to thank Warner Bros. Television Group for embracing my wide-ranging interests, and I’m energized by the potential of this next chapter.”
Register has served as president of Warner Bros. Animation since April 2014, supervising the studio’s television animation unit and overseeing creative efforts related to the development and creation of new programming, including traditional animated series, original shorts, and original movies. He also runs the Warner Bros. Television Group’s digital studio, Blue Ribbon Content (BRC), which was formed in 2014 and produces original series and content for digital platforms.
Current series produced by WBA under Register’s leadership include Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Jellystone, Little Ellen and Looney Tunes Cartoons for HBO Max, Green Eggs and Ham for Netflix, Animaniacs for Hulu, Harley Quinn and Young Justice for DC UNIVERSE, DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, ThunderCats Roar and Unikitty! for Cartoon Network, and Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who, The Tom and Jerry Show and Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs! for Boomerang. Register also executive produced Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, the first-ever feature film adaptation of WBA’s highly successful Teen Titans Go!” television series.
Prior to his role at Warner Bros. Animation, Register developed and produced many animated series for both Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, including Chowder, Flapjack, Clone Wars, and Ben 10. He began his animation career with Cartoon Network in 1994 and went on to run Cartoon Network Online, creating the company’s first website CartoonNetwork.com in 1998.
Amy Friedman has previously held senior creative management positions at Nickelodeon, Noggin, TeenNick, Scratch (Viacom’s in-house Millennial innovation lab), Sprout and Universal Kids, is the founder and president of Redhead Consulting, a brand creation and content development company focused on kids, teens and families. Her work in branding, inclusive storytelling and pro-social content has earned multiple Peabody, Beacon, Cable Ace and Creativity Awards.
Ed Adams joined Warner Bros. Animation in 2009, was promoted to General Manager in 2015, and again to Executive Vice President & General Manager in 2018 with oversight of all of the division’s non-production activities. He came to WBA after more than a decade of business affairs, legal and operations experience at leading companies in the animation industry, including DreamWorks Animation and Cookie Jar Entertainment.
Source: WarnerMedia
