HBO Max sets up kids and family team

HBO Max has set up its animated and scripted originals kids and family team, which includes an exec from WarnerMedia-owned TBS and the VP of original series development at Nickelodeon.

Billy Wee

Billy Wee has been named senior VP of original animation at HBO Max and will oversee all original animated programming for the WarnerMedia direct-to-consumer (D2C) offering, including adult animation, kids and family and anime.

Previously, Wee was VP of original programming at TBS, having joined in 2016. There he developed both live-action and animated shows including The Last OG, anthology comedy series The Guest Book and animated space epic Final Space for TBS and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

Prior to TBS, Wee was a producer at Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks TV and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison, where he developed and produced The Goldbergs for ABC. At DreamWorks TV, he oversaw drama series The Borgias for Showtime and Terra Nova for Fox.

Nikki Reed, meanwhile, has been named VP of kids and family scripted originals at HBO Max.

Both execs will report to Jennifer O’Connell, executive VP, original non-fiction and kids while Wee will also report to Suzanna Makkos, executive VP of original comedy and animation.

With more than 20 years experience developing feature films and television series, Reed will lead premium original scripted programming in the kids and family space.

Most recently, Reed was VP of original series development for Nickelodeon. Prior to that, she worked at Disney, overseeing Disney Channel and Disney XD, where she was responsible for development of all live-action series, including Shake It Up, Lab Rats and Girl Meets World.

During that time, she also identified the Hyperion book series which served as the inspiration for the original movie Descendants.

Together, the group will create a deep slate of family-oriented, animated and scripted originals for Cartoon Network owner WarnerMedia’s D2C offering scheduled to launch in spring of 2020, the company said.

“The kids and family space has a long history at WarnerMedia, from our legendary animation to classic motion pictures, and is now an essential part of HBO Max,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, and president, TNT, TBS and truTV. “We now have a top-notch team to create a slate of original content appealing to kids, tweens, young adults and the whole family.”