Spin Master’s Jennifer Dodge Tapped as New Paramount Animation Prez

Jennifer Dodge has been named the new President of Paramount Animation, stepping into the role vacated by Ramsey Naito at the end of October during the sweeping Paramount Skydance layoffs of some 1,000 employees. Naito had served as President of both Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation since 2021.

In her new role, Dodge will report to Paramount Pictures co-Chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, and will oversee all operations of the studio. The studio heads shared in a statement: “Jennifer is an exceptional creative executive and producer with a proven track record of building franchises that connect with global audiences. Her deep understanding of storytelling, world-building, and brand development make her the ideal leader to shape the next era of Paramount Animation. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

 “I’ve always believed in the power of animation to inspire, entertain, and unite audiences of all ages,” said Dodge. “Paramount has a rich legacy of bringing bold, imaginative stories to life, and I’m honored to join Dana, Josh, and the entire team as we expand that vision and create the next generation of unforgettable animated films.”

Dodge was most recently President of Spin Master Entertainment and Consumer Products, where she helped lead the expansions of the Canadian studio’s hit properties like PAW Patrol and Unicorn Academy as an executive producer. Under her leadership, Spin Master released (through Paramount Pictures’ Nickelodeon Movies label) the box office successes PAW Patrol: The Movie and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie; the third installment, The Dino Movie, will release August 14, 2026.

Prior to her elevation to President, Dodge was Spin Master Ent.’s Executive Vice President, having served as Vice President and Executive Producer from 2009-2015 before a break from the studio as SVP of Development for Nickelodeon Preschool. Previous to joining Spin Master the first time, she was VP of Distribution and Sales Operations for Cooker Jar Ent. and Director of Production and Development for Decode Entertainment — both businesses are now part of DHX Media.

The news follows the post-merger Paramount Skydance TV Media division’s raft of appointments, which put Jules Borkent in charge of Nickelodeon Kids & Family and tapped Ashley Kaplan and Alec Botnick to lead Nickelodeon’s animation studio ops for TV, streaming and digital.

Paramount Animation will next release The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants on December 19 (with Nickelodeon Movies and Domain Ent.) Nickelodeon Movies’ upcoming animation slate includes The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender (Oct. 9, 2026), kicking off a trilogy collaboration with Avatar Studios; a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem with Point Grey Pictures (Sept. 17, 2027); and next year’s PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie with Spin Master.

[Source: Hollywood Reporter]