Kartoon appoints Fox, Disney execs

US kids’ media company Genius Brands International has appointed former execs from Fox and Disney to head its upcoming network Kartoon Channel!.

Margaret Loesch

Margaret Loesch has been named executive chairman of the network, while David Neuman is taking the role of chief creative officer.

Loesch was the founding president and CEO of Fox Kids Networks Worldwide before it was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2001.

Prior to this, she was president and CEO of Marvel Productions, president of The Jim Henson Company and founding president and CEO of the Hallmark Channel and Crown Media in the US.

Most recently, Loesch was president of Hub, a joint venture between Hasbro Toys and Discovery Communications.

Neuman, meanwhile, was formerly president of Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television, before which he was VP of comedy at NBC.

Kartoon Channel!, which launches on June 15, was formed through the merger of Genius Brands’ digital networks Kid Genius Cartoon Channel and Baby Genius TV. Caroline Tyre is general manager, while Mark Shoeman is director of content and acquisitions.

The channel will provide kids aged 2-11 with access to more than 4,000 episodes of shows including Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, Gummi Bears, Dino the Dinosaur, Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 and Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab.

David Neuman

“I have known and admired Margaret and David for many years. There are no two more accomplished executives in our industry,” said Andy Heyward, CEO of Genius Brands.

Explaining the move to launch the channel, he said: “There is a huge appetite for quality children’s content that is family-friendly and safe. No less important is having it available for free and with no subscription fees.”

This will make it “compelling now to more and more parents who are looking to provide quality children’s entertainment options for their kids,” Heyward added.

“It will be equally important to advertisers, who are increasingly finding fewer channels to reach viewers in a universe dominated by pay services such as Netflix and Disney+. Kartoon Channel! will be like a Netflix for kids, except it is free.”