Vancouver-based Thunderbird Entertainment Group has recruited former Kidscreen editor and content director Lana Castleman as its first-ever director of marketing and communications.

In her newly created role, Castleman will support Thunderbird’s efforts to keep expanding its original kids content business and build a bigger international presence. Based in Toronto, she now heads up trade marketing and communications for all of the company’s divisions, including Atomic Cartoons. The kids and family animation studio has done service work on projects including Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends, but has been focused on original production of late, generating such successful shows as The Last Kids on Earth.

Reporting to Richard Goldsmith, president of global distribution and consumer products, Castleman will work to promote this new division that’s tasked with distributing Thunderbird’s proprietary content and representing third-party IPs—the first of which is a kids property that Castleman says will be announced soon. 

Goldsmith’s team is also focused on taking the company’s shows beyond the screen and turning them into 360-degree brands. A former Cyber Group executive, he joined Thunderbird in January 2021.

Castleman, who started on January 31, will also work to broaden the international profile of Thunderbird’s scripted division and factual prodco Great Pacific Media.

Prior to joining Thunderbird, Castleman worked at the Writers Guild of Canada, promoting the national industry and policy interests of the guild’s more than 2,500 members to the Canadian TV and film industry.