Toca hires Sesame exec for TV

US-based digital studio Toca Boca has appointed a former Sesame Workshop executive to oversee the company’s new video division focused on TV projects.

J Milligan

J Milligan, who becomes executive producer at Toca, is a former creative director of the content innovation lab and digital media group at Sesame Workshop and has been in the industry for two decades.

Toca has focused previously on kids’ apps but plans to unveil its first shows from the video division in the second half of 2015. Milligan will be based at the company’s studio in New York, which opens shortly, and will lead its operations.

Björn Jeffery, CEO at Toca Boca, said Miligan’s “industry experience, combined with his thorough understanding of the children’s media space, makes him the perfect person for this new role.”

“Streaming services like Netflix and YouTube have transformed how kids define TV and video,” he added. “Video as a medium separates itself from TV with new formats, fewer constraints and different consumer expectations and we’re excited to dive into this new landscape.”

Milligan said: “Kids today won’t limit themselves to the schedules and formats of traditional broadcast television. There are enormous opportunities for companies to bring new video experiences to kids with content they can touch and connect to.”