DHX adds Ellenbogen as senior advisor

DHX Media in Canada has named veteran entertainment industry executive Eric Ellenbogen as a senior advisor.

Eric Ellenbogen

Ellenbogen, a non-executive director of DHX Media, will advise the children’s content company on key strategic planning and business development across multiple business units.

He will also continue to serve on DHX Media’s board of directors, which he joined last year, with the consultancy agreement running to the end of 2019.

Ellenbogen is a former co-president of NBCUniversal Studios-owned Classic Media and has spent more than 30 years running entertainment companies.

He has previously held the role of president at companies including Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video Entertainment, Golden Books Family Entertainment and Marvel Enterprises, of which he was also CEO prior to its acquisition by Disney.

Ellenbogen co-founded Classic Media in 2000, which through a series of acquisitions and divestitures ultimately became owned by DreamWorks Animation (DWA).

At DWA, Ellenbogen was appointed to the senior management team as co-head of DreamWorks Classics and DreamWorks International Television.

Following DWA’s sale to NBCUniversal, Ellenbogen was asked to become co-president of Classic Media, which was restarted as a business unit of NBCUniversal.

“Given his deep experience in the entertainment industry, especially in launching and managing brands, we decided the company would benefit further from his counsel as an advisor,” said Michael Donovan, CEO and executive chairman at DHX Media.

Ellenbogen added: “DHX Media has some of the most enduring brands in kids’ and family entertainment, more than a few of which that I wish I had acquired at my former companies. That makes it all the better to be helping Michael and his executive team to advance not only those brands, but also many other company initiatives.”

DHX was formed in 2006 through the merger of Decode Entertainment and Halifax Film Company and has since become one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of children’s shows. It also operates Canadian networks Family Channel, Family CHRGD, Family Jr and Télémagino.

The firm concluded a strategic review in September last year, resulting in the reduction of its development slate, a focus on premium originals and greater investment in shortform for its YouTube business WildBrain.