King Features Syndicate today announced several exciting new hires to support an aggressive vision for the company that includes expansion into entertainment platforms and new artist and IP acquisition. The new team includes, Ricky Li and Christina Nix Lynch, Directors of Licensing, Bridgette Bek, Senior Director of Digital Marketing, Erinn Smart, Director of Business Development, Sam Scholl, Licensing Coordinator, Kristin Conte, Marketing Project Manager, Stephen Zelin, Brand Assurance Associate and Saydee Villarruel, Office Manager and Assistant to President, C.J. Kettler.
The new staff comes on the heels of the appointment of Kettler as President of King Features Syndicate. Since taking the reins in December, Kettler has been focused adapting King Features’ stable of popular brands for a variety of entertainment platforms, while keeping an eye open for unique talent and brands in the space. To that end, King Features recently signed Argentinian cartoonist Ricardo “Liniers” Siri spanning syndication for print and digital, entertainment, and consumer product licensing for his hugely popular international daily strip, Macanudo.
I’m not sure how long the new team has been in place, but they may be responsible for today’s news of
Popeye launching his first new adventures in more than a decade in new animated originals slated to debut on the brand’s YouTube channel.
And earlier this month Amid Amidi reported:
King Features, the worldwide licensing agent for Betty Boop proprietor Fleischer Studios, announced over a dozen deals in new territories across the globe, and the character’s first entrance into new categories such as sportswear, fine arts, and home decor.