EXCLUSIVE: Moonbug Entertainment is making a move into the consumer products space with the hire of Ashley Maidy.
The Riot Games industry veteran has joined the CoComelon company as Managing Director of Consumer Products. In the role, she’ll be responsible for expanding the Candle Media-owned company’s CP business, connecting licensing and retail partners to its brands.
She’ll also lead the consumer products team, developing strategies for Moonbug’s kids brands, which has developed huge online followings while branching out on to services such as Netflix.
Maidy will report to Moonbug founder and CEO Rene Rechtman.
A former studio exec, she was previously Global Head of Consumer Products at Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, VALORANT and Emmy winner Arcane. Before that, she spent nine years at Activision Blizzard, leading licensing and partnerships for the Call of Duty, Skylanders and Candy Crush brands.
At Fox Family Worldwide and Sony Pictures Entertainment, she worked on numerous film and TV brands, and was part of the team that turned the Spider-Man franchise into a massive retail business.
“What makes Moonbug shows like CoComelon and Blippi so special is their ability to inspire kids to learn and grow while having fun,” said Maidy. “Millions of families around the world have fallen in love with these stories and characters, resulting in passionate fandoms. I’m thrilled to bring my expertise building franchises to Moonbug, connecting more families to these brands through toys, apparel, books, and more.”
“Consumer products are instrumental to how we engage with fans, as more and more families want to bring the Moonbug stories and characters they love into their daily lives,” said Rechtman. “Ashley understands how to build deeper connections with fans. It shows in her track record of building global franchises for some of the most iconic games and movies in the past two decades. Her vision and expertise will bring our consumer products offering to the next level.”
For Moonbug, the news comes days after it hired Manuel Reveiz to lead a new Miami office to service Latin America. The company’s shows are available on more than 150 platforms worldwide, mainly catering for pre-schoolers on the likes of Disney+, BBC iPlayer and YouTube Kids. It also operates in streaming music, consumer products and live events.
Former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs paid around $3B through their Candle Media vehicle to buy Moonbug.
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