WildBrain Appoints Steve Manners Vice President of Business Development

WildBrain appointed Steve Manners to the newly created role of vice president of business development for WildBrain CPLG and WildBrain Spark.

Manners will lead a new business development initiative that is “designed to maximize opportunities for brand licensors and content creators to reach consumer audiences through YouTube.” The new initiative will enable clients to build brand management programs that leverage the blended capabilities of WildBrain’s established consumer products licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, and its digital network and studio, WildBrain Spark, as part of a 360-degree approach to brand management and monetization.

“There is a huge opportunity for IP owners in harnessing the expertise, tools, and reach of both WildBrain CPLG and WildBrain Spark — it’s a very exciting time to be at the forefront of this bold new world,” Manners says. “We are uniquely positioned to offer combined expertise and services that benefit those coming from the AVOD-first space to consumer products, as well as those licensors looking to leverage YouTube as a tool.”

Prior to joining WildBrain in 2010, Manners held senior roles at 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Beanstalk.

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.