WB TV Veteran Jeffrey Schlesinger Joins Kartoon Studios Board of Directors

Producer-distributor Kartoon Studios today announced the appointment of Jeffrey Schlesinger — former President of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution — to its Board of Directors.

“Kartoon Studios has assembled one of the most dynamic current portfolios of kids and family IP in the industry, and I’m excited to help guide its next phase of global expansion,” said Jeffrey Schlesinger. “With a strong foundation of owned content, strategic partnerships, and scalable distribution platforms, the company is well-positioned to capture significant market share and deliver outsized growth.”

Jeffrey Schlesinger brings more than three decades of operational, strategic, financial and deal-making expertise, having built Warner Bros.’ worldwide television business into a division spanning more than 220 territories and thousands of content partnerships. Under his leadership, Warner Bros. generated recurring revenue in syndication, licensing and streaming from some of the most valuable television properties of all time, including Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, The West Wing and Game of Thrones, as well as  directing the international expansion of Warner Bros. Animation, managing the world’s largest animation library of over 10,000 episodes, featuring Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies, Hanna-Barbera and MGM Animation, as well as numerous classic properties including Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones and Justice League.

Beyond the distribution of television series, Schlesinger oversaw the global rollout and monetization of the WB new releases and library feature films to all linear and non-linear outlets worldwide, including the Batman, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises.

“Jeff Schlesinger is one of the most impactful executives in modern media history, and we’re honored to welcome him to the Kartoon Studios board, where I know his impact will be significant and immediate,” said Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Kartoon Studios. “Jeff is like a five-sport varsity player, who is adept in distribution, finance, technology, content creation and regulatory matters. With experience scaling a major global distribution business, expertise in global IP monetization, and a proven track record in building high-margin revenue streams from premium content, we believe that Jeff is uniquely qualified to help accelerate Kartoon Studios’ growth strategy. His insights will be instrumental as we seek to expand our global footprint, grow recurring revenue, and unlock significant shareholder value.”

Schlesinger’s appointment comes as Kartoon Studios advances an ambitious growth plan aimed at capturing a larger share of the global kids’ entertainment market. The company is focused on expanding distribution for its IP portfolio — including new franchises based on A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, Stan Lee Universe, Rainbow Rangers and Bitcoin Brigade — while building new revenue streams across consumer products, global licensing, FAST/AVOD platforms and streaming.

The studio expects Schlesinger’s addition to the board to accelerate this business model transformation by:

• Expanding Global Distribution Channels: Leveraging Schlesinger’s deep relationships and deal-making expertise to secure high-value platform partnerships across linear, streaming and FAST markets worldwide.
• Driving Revenue Growth: Applying proven strategies to scale recurring revenue from existing and new IP through syndication, licensing and international co-productions.
• Enhancing IP Monetization: Structuring and optimizing content exploitation across television, theatrical, digital and consumer products to maximize long-term asset value.
• Strengthening Strategic Positioning: Positioning Kartoon Studios as a leading consolidator of high-value children’s entertainment IP and a partner of choice for global media companies.