The home to characters like Popeye and Betty Boop, King Features Syndicate has tapped C.J. Kettler as president. King Features (a member of the Hearst Entertainment & Syndication group) distributes comics, columns, puzzles and games to print and digital outlets, and licenses both brands and comic characters for entertainment programs, as well as consumer products.

Kettler will focus on new initiatives for King Features’ stable of brands in digital video entertainment across multiple platforms, introducing its classic characters to a new generation. She succeeds T.R. “Rocky” Shepard III in the position.

Previously EVP of consumer brands and strategy at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Kettler developed a media literacy curriculum for Channel One News and launched preschool subscription app Curious World and served as executive producer of Carmen Sandiego (debuting on Netflix in 2019).

Earlier this year, King Features appointed eight new licensing agents. Partners include Vertical Licensing (Brazil), Segal Licensing (Canada), Medialink (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia), Licensing Dynamics International (Israel), Asiana Licensing (Korea), Copyright Licensing Agency (the Middle East), AMV Licencias (Peru), and Mon Entertainment (Mexico, Latin America). The appointments are part of a larger plan to expand King Features’ licensing program into new merchandising categories and territories globally.