Sam Register is adding a new role to his credits. The president of Warner Bros. Animation is now also the president of Cartoon Network Studios. In the new role, Register will report to president of Warner Bros. global kids and young adults and classics, Tom Ascheim.
“By aligning two of the industry’s most powerful animation studios, we will unleash incredible opportunities for artists to flourish and an unprecedented amount of animation for fans to devour,” said Register in a statement. “Together we have a shared opportunity to create a new culture of collaboration – one built on both the historic importance of Warner Bros. Animation and the commitment to new original voices that is the trademark of Cartoon Network Studios.”
Register will oversee both animation studios, which will function as separate entities, but will be united by a commitment to creative excellence, new voices, and a culture of inclusion and collaboration, as per the company.
“The legacy of each of these great studios is long, with remarkable contributions to culture and the world of animation. There is no one better to usher in this exciting new period in these studios’ history than Sam,” said Ascheim. “We owe Rob a huge debt of gratitude for building the Cartoon Network brand to what it is today, creating a long list of imagination-capturing hit shows. He’s one of the most talented executives in our industry, someone who has changed the content game many times over, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next for us.”
Meanwhile, previous Cartoon Network Studios head Rob Sorcher will shift to an overall production deal with Warner Bros. Television Group where he plans to create animated and live-action properties. Additionally, Amy Friedman takes over Sorcher’s programming responsibilities for Cartoon Network. She reports to Ascheim.
Register has been president of Warner Bros Animation since April 2014. He also runs the Warner Bros Television Group’s digital studio, Blue Ribbon Content, formed in 2014 which produces original series and content for digital platforms. He began his animation career with Cartoon Network in 1994 and went on to run Cartoon Network Online, creating the company’s first website in 1998.