Former Disney Execs Join Age of Learning

A pair of former Disney executives have joined Age of Learning, the company behind the ABCMouse and Adventure Academy online learning platforms.

Bonnie Matosich steps into the role of executive vice president, brand, and Rob Gilby assumes the position of executive vice president and managing director, international. Both will report directly to Age of Learning CEO Paul Candland.

“I worked with both Bonnie and Rob during my time at The Walt Disney Co., and was equally impressed by their strategic thinking and proven track records of driving results,” says Candland. “They will be tremendous assets to our company as we look to further scale our brands globally, with the goal of helping educate more children around the world.”

Matosich was with Disney for more than 20 years, most recently serving as vice president brand development. She was responsible for leading global consumer and brand strategies across the Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars franchises, as well as Disney Media Networks.

For more than 10 years, Gilby managed all of Disney’s businesses in Southeast Asia.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.