Spin Master Entertainment appoints Cartoon Network veteran Vishnu Athreya as president

Paw Patrol producer Spin Master Entertainment has hired Cartoon Network and Warner Bros veteran Vishnu Athreya as its executive VP and president.

Vishnu Athreya

Athreya joined the Toronto-based company last month to lead global entertainment content strategy, development, and production across all platforms, including oversight of hit preschool series Paw Patrol.

Athreya has more than 20 years of experience in driving global content strategy, programming and production for iconic brands and original IP.

Most recently, he served as senior VP of content strategy and current series at Warner Bros Animation, guiding the creative direction of series including Batwheels, Craig of the Creek, Bat-Fam, Adventure Time: Side Quests and the upcoming anime series Yokoso Scooby-Doo!.

He also oversaw adult animation projects such as Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake and the Batman Knightfall trilogy.

Prior to Warner Bros Animation, Athreya held several senior leadership roles at Cartoon Network.

As senior VP of programming, based in Atlanta, he oversaw content strategy, scheduling, and acquisitions for Cartoon Network and Boomerang, including helping bring the series Teen Titans Go! to audiences worldwide.

Earlier, as executive director of programming in Hong Kong, he led programming and content strategy across Turner’s children’s networks throughout the Asia-Pacific region, helping to drive audience growth and strengthen the company’s international content portfolio.

It comes after the content arm of toyco Spin Master appointed former Cartoon Network president Christina Miller as CEO just over a year ago. Nickelodeon owner Paramount Animation, meanwhile, hired Jennifer Dodge, the previous president at Spin Master Entertainment, as its new president towards the end of 2025.

As well as Paw Patrol – which remains one of the world’s most popular pieces of preschool IP and claimed the number one position on Netflix by hours of kids’ content viewed in the second half of 2025 – Spin Master Entertainment produces series such as Unicorn Academy, Vida the Vet, Abby Hatcher and Bakugan.

Created by Keith Chapman and produced by Spin Master Entertainment, with animation provided by Guru Studio, Paw Patrol is made for TVOntario in Canada and Paramount-owned Nickelodeon in the US.