WildBrain’s digital kidsnet WildBrain Spark has hired Clare Bennett in the newly created role of head of paid media. In the new position, Bennett will launch marketing campaigns focused on building awareness for the company’s third-party brands.

Based in London and reporting to WildBrain Spark’s managing director Jon Gisby, she is also responsible for supporting the network’s own marketing and commercial teams, with the goal of building up WildBrain’s brands and IP, such as Peanuts, Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake.

Bennett joined WildBrain Spark this week, but prior to that she was the group account director at London-based marketing and advertising firm 360i Europe, where she led the branding, creative and paid media or marketing campaigns. She’s also held a variety of account director roles at other marketing and ad agencies, including Vizeum, Unique Digital and iProspecct.

Increasing the network’s monetization efforts has been a focus for the digital network this year, such as when it hired former Disney exec Elia Bouthors as director of strategy and innovation. Before that, Lara Ilie was hired as rights strategy VP to implement monetization strategies for the company’s IPs.

All of WildBrain Spark’s recent efforts to monetize its brands seem to be paying off as it has been driving growth for the whole of WildBrain in the past few months. In the three months that ended on September 30, the digital offshoot revenue grew 37% to US$16.6 million, according to the company’s Q1 2020. This helped propel the whole company to an 8% revenue increase to US$84.6 million.

DHX Media rebranded itself as WildBrain in September and the company’s AVOD business unit—formerly known as WildBrain—was renamed WildBrain Spark. The name change is meant to highlight the company’s increasing emphasis on digital growth.