Licensing agency WildBrain CPLG has launched a location-based entertainment (LBE) division to move its portfolio of kids brands further into this global business sector through a mix of new theme parks and entertainment centers. 

The plan is to focus initially on building out WildBrain’s brands in the APAC region, so former Paramount exec Evi Sari has been recruited to join the agency’s senior leadership team and run the new division out of Shanghai as VP of LBE. Sari will spearhead the company’s APAC and GCC strategy, as well as developing new themed entertainment opportunities for both WildBrain’s proprietary franchises and partner brands including Teletubbies and Peanuts. She reports to Maarten Weck, WildBrian CPLG’s EVP and managing director. 

WildBrian CPLG has kicked off its LBE efforts in China by signing several deals with Shanghai-based theme park developer and operator Max-Matching Entertainments. Max will start building family entertainment centers and themed hotel rooms for Peanuts, Teletubbies and In the Night Garden. These attractions are planned to roll out over the next five years in Beijing, Zhongshan City, Guangdong and one more additional city to be announced at a later date. 

WildBrain CPLG is also enlisting the help of veteran licensing executive Kevin Suh as a consultant to help the LBE team define its global strategy. During his tenure as president of themed entertainment and consumer products at Paramount (2019 to 2022), Suh managed more than 20 themed entertainment programs worldwide that encompassed theme parks, resorts, restaurants and stage plays. 

WildBrain CPLG’s decision to get into themed entertainment in a bigger way was driven by accelerated growth and demand for these experiences in China, said Weck in a release. According to a report published by Texas-based research and consultancy firm AECOM in 2021, China is the second-largest market globally for theme parks. More than 80 new parks are set to open by 2025, representing an investment totalling more than US$47 billion. 

The APAC region is a target area for broader business expansion right now at WildBrain CPLG, which last year opened offices in Singapore, Mumbai, Taipei and Seoul to join its existing regional headquarters in Shanghai.