HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

HIT Entertainment Creates Brand And Regional Management

London and New York

Jeff Dunn, CEO of HIT Entertainment, one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights owners, has today announced several internal changes to better focus the company for growth.

Dunn, who was appointed CEO of HIT Entertainment earlier this year, said that the change will better align the organization with two of the company's strategic priorities: enhanced geographic focus and coordinated brand management for HIT's stable of iconic properties.

Peter Byrne will now be dedicated exclusively to expanding the International business, which is already the largest and fastest growing part of the company. Byrne will focus on expanding developing markets, third party licensing and acquisitions and further increasing the Company's footprint in International Consumer Products, Home Entertainment and he continues to have global responsibility for Live Events and Attractions and Publishing. Byrne, EVP Consumer Products and Home Entertainment, International will be based in London and reports directly to Dunn.

To complement Byrne's role, Pam Westman has been promoted to EVP of Consumer Products and Home Entertainment, The Americas. Westman will take responsibility for Consumer Products, Home Entertainment, Retail Development, Marketing and Creative Services in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Dunn has today also announced the creation of a new Global Brand Management function across the Company and has promoted Natasha Fishman and Rick Glankler to Senior Vice Presidents, Brand Management. In this role, Fishman and Glankler are responsible for the long-term planning and strategic direction for HIT's portfolio of world class brands and will be complemented by the existing regional marketing teams in New York, London and Toronto. The Global Brand Management team will report directly to Dunn.

In addition, the Company has centralized its legal department with the appointment of Joseph Salvo as SVP Global General Counsel. Salvo joins HIT Entertainment from the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges and prior to that, Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Salvo will be based in New York.

In making these changes, Dunn commented: "As we developed our strategic vision for the company, two opportunities became very clear. We had a large opportunity to further grow our international business and we could benefit from having brand plans that unite our different business platforms into a coordinated overall vision for each of our properties. These management changes will create key executives to focus on those opportunities."

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment, owned by private equity investment group Apax Partners, is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment's Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America and Japan, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as a worldwide representative for The Jim Henson Company's library of classic family brands and as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS SproutSM, and international preschool channel JimJam, (outside of the US, UK and China). For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.