Kids veteran Bob Higgins leaves Boat Rocker to head Trustbridge Global outfit

Boat Rocker Media’s exec VP of kids and family Bob Higgins has left the company to become president of Trustbridge Global Media (TGM)’s newly launched kids and family entertainment business.

Bob Higgins

The new company will source, develop and produce premium kids and family programming based primarily on the library of titles inside TGM’s publishing houses.

Higgins will run day-to-day operations, reporting to TGM’s MD John String. He begins his role immediately, based in New York.

TGM is a global children’s content company formed in 2016 by Trustbridge Partners, a global equity firm.

TGM has acquired and expanded a portfolio of children’s publishing houses, including Candlewick Press, Holiday House, Peachtree Publishing, Pixel + Ink and Walker Books, with a focus on bringing high-quality content to global audiences through multiple platforms.

Its bestselling titles include Alex Rider, Because of Winn-Dixie, Judy Moody, Maisy Mouse and Where’s Waldo?.

“We are aggressively expanding our kids and family content business with both eyes on building the platform of choice for creators of exciting and high-quality content,” said String.

“Bob’s track record and expertise, particularly his success working with talented storytellers to bring fresh perspectives to original series and beloved titles, make him an exceptional hire to lead our entertainment group.”

Higgins joined Boat Rocker in 2018, where he led programmes such as A Tale Dark & Grimm for Netflix, Amber Brown for Apple TV+, Dino Ranch for Canada’s CBC and Disney Jr, and Love Monster for CBeebies in the UK and HBO Max.

Before Boat Rocker, Higgins was exec VP of FremantleMedia Kids & Family for eight years, where his credits included Danger Mouse and My Babysitter is a Vampire.

His other previous roles include chief creative officer at WildBrain, senior VP of progamming and development at Cartoon Network and director of development at Nelvana. He began his TV career in the early 1990s.