Mattel, Thunderbird alum Nelson Huynh to lead APAC, UK sales for Nelvana

Nelson Huynh

Former Thunderbird and Mattel distribution exec Nelson Huynh has joined Corus Entertainment-owned Nelvana to lead sales across Asia-Pacific, the UK and Ireland.

He will be charged with growing licensing revenue in those territories for the company’s 5,000-episode catalogue, in addition to forging new broadcast and streaming partnerships. He will report to Julia Dodge, director of global strategy and distribution at Nelvana.

Nelvana titles to be licensed by Huynh include Babar, Franklin, Max & Ruby and The Hardy Boys. He is set to attend next month’s Asia TV Forum on behalf of the Toronto-based company.

Huynh was most recently the senior manager at Mattel Studios, overseeing US, Canada and Latin America sales for titles and franchises including Barbie, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Pingu, Polly Pocket and Masters of the Universe.

Prior to that, he was director of distribution sales at Thunderbird Entertainment, where he oversaw global sales for a slate of titles across the company’s catalogue. Before that, he was the associate publisher at children’s brand Kidscreen, leading sales and sponsorship initiatives for the publication and the conference Kidscreen Summit.

Nelvana is expanding its distribution team after its parent company, Corus Entertainment, completed a recapitalisation transaction through which some of its lenders took control in a debt-for-equity exchange.

Through the deal, which has put Corus on significantly surer financial footing, the company’s lenders agreed to forgive around C$500m (US$352m) in debt in exchange for a 99% stake in a newly formed entity, Corus Entertainment Holdings, which houses Corus’s TV and radio assets.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Nelson represent Nelvana’s world-class catalogue across APAC, the UK and Ireland,” said Dodge.

“His extensive distribution experience and strong industry relationships make him a valuable addition as we build on Nelvana’s longstanding presence in these important markets.”