Brookman will retain responsibility, alongside Sam Register, for Hanna-Barbera Studios in London and Adult Swim in EMEA.
Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the promotion of Vanessa Brookman to the position of General Manager of Kids, Global Streaming, and International Networks. In her expanded role, Brookman will spearhead the development of global children’s content franchises, overseeing both original productions and commissions and acquisitions for this demographic.
Based in London, Brookman will continue to report to Gerhard Zeiler, the President of International at Warner Bros. Discovery. Additionally, she will collaborate closely with Michael Ouweleen, President of Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, Discovery Kids, and the US networks team. Brookman’s direct reports now include Pablo Zuccarino, General Manager of Kids for WBD LatAm, and Chris Ho, Vice President of Kids Programming in APAC.
Brookman, who joined WarnerMedia in 2015, has an impressive background, including roles at MTV as Vice President of Programming and BBC Television as Head of Fiction and Children’s. Over the past three years, she has served as the Head of Kids for WBD EMEA and has been pivotal in overseeing content for the UK and Northern Europe.
The promotion was announced by JB Perrette, President and CEO of Global Streaming and Games at Warner Bros. Discovery, in an internal memo. The memo also revealed a broader executive shuffle, with Meredith Gertler and Lisa Holme departing from their streaming-focused positions. Gertler, with two decades of experience at the company, focused on HBO, Max, and Discovery+, while Holme, who joined Discovery in 2020, held the position of Group SVP of Global Content Strategy, Merchandising, and Podcasts at WBD Streaming.
To address these changes, Warner Bros. Discovery has expanded Josh Walker’s responsibilities as Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, adding content strategy/planning and EMEA acquisitions to his remit. Furthermore, Pato Spagnoletto, the Global Chief Marketing Officer for DTC, will now oversee content merchandising and scheduling with his marketing team.
