Cinesite appoints former LAIKA senior exec Bradley Wald as Animation COO
Skwigly
Bradley Wald (image via Cinesite)
Animation & VFX studio Cinesite has announced the appointment of Bradley Wald as Chief Operating Officer for animation. Currently based in Los Angeles he reports to Cinesite’s Group CEO Antony Hunt and the board of directors.
Wald will operate as part of Cinesite’s senior leadership team and brings over 25 years of senior-level experience to the newly created role which stretches across the company’s international animation operations in Vancouver, Montreal and London. Wald will be responsible for leading Cinesite’s animation business operations as the studio continues to grow its roster of animated feature films and series while also cultivating a broad range of growth opportunities.
As the former CFO and SVP of Operations at LAIKA, and prior to that the Chief Commercial Officer for NBCUniversal’s international TV production business in London, Brad has far-reaching, high-level business expertise, vast international experience, sensitivity to the creative process, and wise governance that will be invaluable to our ongoing evolution. Brad’s appointment is testament to the maturity and volume of animation work being created within the Cinesite group.
I am honored and excited to join Cinesite at such an electrifying time in the animation business as we continue collaborating with incredible filmmakers on commercial films and series with global appeal,” added Wald. “There is a lot of momentum around Cinesite and I’m taking on this new role knowing how well-positioned the studio is for continued success.
-Antony Hunt, Cinesite Group CEO
Wald’s career highlights include managing the release of LAIKA’s award winning feature films: Kubo & the Two Strings and Missing Link, as well as growing brand extensions and commercial opportunities through live exhibitions, consumer products and planning its move into tv adaptation, whilst developing the studio’s social media presence.
He also managed NBCU’s highly successful brand and commercial activities surrounding Downton Abbey via distribution, home entertainment as well as other ancillary revenue streams including a LIMA Award-winning consumer products portfolio, and other apps and games. Mr. Wald previously was SVP and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa, at Comcast International Media Group, where he led a team which developed and distributed E! and other Comcast television brands throughout the region, running all aspects of sales, business development, marketing and finance.
Brad’s appointment coincides with the studio’s decision to embrace and facilitate remote working permanently. It’s London HQ, Montreal and Vancouver studios will provide an optimal remote work set up while making the office easily accessible to employees wishing to make use of it. The decision was based on employee feedback and the studio’s ability to set up secure remote and cloud-based technologies. Flexibility and autonomy are key elements of hybrid working for Cinesite with crew structuring their daily tasks in a work-from-home environment, delivering high-quality work, and embracing the shifts spurred by the pandemic.
Cinesite’s current animation production slate includes Nigerian series Iwaju for Disney Animation & Kugali, Cinesite is one of the first studios to work on a Disney [animation] project outside of Disney, the series will premiere in 2023 on Disney+ . Hitpig, an Aniventure film from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Berkeley Breathed with a voice cast led by Peter Dinklage, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson and RuPaul. The studio is also developing several other unannounced projects with its Aniventure partners. These follow on from the success of Riverdance: The Animated Adventure which recently sat in the top ten films on Netflix and The Addams Family 2 for MGM. Audiences will next see Cinesite’s animation efforts in Blazing Samurai a comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier loosely inspired by Mel Brooks 1974 film Blazing Saddles. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on July 22, 2022.