- Funko has brought in Cliff Engle (pictured right) as SVP of distribution, logistics and operations. He joined on April 7 and is tasked with overseeing the toyco’s distribution centers in Arizona and the UK—at a time when the global supply chain landscape is bracing for the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. This is well within Engle’s wheelhouse, given that he has served in senior supply chain management roles at major companies like PetSmart, The Home Depot and Amazon during his 25-year-old career.
- Assemblage Entertainment has acquired Mikros Animation India’s core leadership team following the closure of Technicolor Group in March. Execs including creative director Sean Mullen, animation director Sanamani Singh, producer Mahendran Loganathan and head of production technology Siddharth Kumar will now be based out of Assemblage’s Bangalore studio.
- Apple TV+ has made an under-the-radar hire this month, recruiting Jonathan Melber as head of global licensing. Melber has been consulting on content acquisition strategy for the streamer since 2023, drawing from past experience working at Warner Bros. Discovery (2015 to 2022) and Hulu (2011 to 2015).
- Walker Books Group has poached Andrew Smith from Abrams Children’s Books to oversee three of its kids publishing divisions—Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree—as SVP and publisher. He will start on April 28, reporting directly to president and publisher Belinda Ioni Rasmussen. Owned by Trustbridge Global Media Group, Walker’s kidlit catalogue is mined for screen adaptations by Trustbridge Entertainment, which is run by president Bob Higgins.
- NBA star Steph Curry’s shingle Unanimous Media has hired former Chernin Entertainment producer Sharla Sumpter Bridgett as its chief content officer. She will work on developing content across multiple genres for the studio, including family-friendly projects. Unanimous has a first-look kids & family content development deal with DreamWorks Animation that dates back to 2021.
- In the APAC region, NBCUniversal’s international networks and DTC division has promoted Caroline Cleland (pictured left) from programming/acquisitions senior director to VP. Over the past five years, Cleland has overseen the launch of Aussie channels like DreamWorks and 7Bravo, as well as the Peacock hub for India’s JioStar. In her new role, she will report to APAC MD Chris Taylor, who started this February in his new post.
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