Wattpad Webtoon Studios expands its TV exec team, creates animation division

Toronto-headquartered Wattpad Webtoon Studios is continuing to grow its content ambitions by expanding its television team and launching an animation division.

Sera Tabb

Following last month’s appointment of David Madden, the former president of television at Berlanti Productions, as head of global entertainment, he company has hired Sera Tabb as head of global television and promoted Lindsey Weems Ramey to head of global film.

In the new role, Tabb will oversee all aspects of development across Wattpad’s slate of web-novel adaptations and Webtoon’s IP catalogue.

She was formerly senior VP of development at Picture Perfect Federation, where she worked across film and TV and creatively contributed to several projects including the Oscar-winning feature CODA. She was also a TV development exec at Global Road and has held other roles at Skydance Media, Sony Pictures Television and United Talent Agency.

Weems Ramey joined Wattpad Studios in 2018 prior to its merger with Webtoon Studios. During her time with the company, she has worked on titles such upcoming feature film Float, which is based on a Wattpad romance story from author Kate Marchant.

Lindsey Weems Ramey

Both Weems Ramey and Tabb will report to Madden, who has oversight of development, production and sales for the studio’s TV, film and animation businesses.

With Wattpad Webtoon’s entry into the animation business, the company has appointed veteran exec Taylor Grant to lead the newly formed division. Before the merger, Grant was head of Webtoon Studios.

In the newly created position, Grant will oversee IP development on all animated TV and film projects, as well as serving as an executive producer on the upcoming Lore Olympus, an adaptation of Rachel Smythe’s Webtoon story which is being coproduced with The Jim Henson Company.

Grant’s team recently also hired Bento Box and Seriously Digital Entertainment alumna Sydney Bright as director of development.

Taylor Grant

Elsewhere, Wattpad Webtoon Studios appointed Criswell Fiordalis as head of finance and strategy; Austin Wong as head of legal and business affairs; Jess Brinder as director of international business development; Bego Robles as director of international development; and Ellen Kuni as production and entertainment publicity lead.

Wattpad Webtoon Studios is owned by South Korean conglomerate Naver, which acquired Wattpad for around US$600m last year. It later merged Wattpad Studios with Webtoon Studios.