Steven Landry stepping down from Board of Directors
HALIFAX, NS, April 28, 2022 /CNW/ - WildBrain Ltd. ("WildBrain" or the "Company") (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids' and family entertainment, announces that its Board of Directors has appointed Youssef Ben-Youssef, Head of Ad Platform and Partnerships at Roku, as an independent Director of the Company, effective May 5, 2022. Youssef Ben-Youssef fills a seat on the Board being vacated by Director Steven Landry, who remains one of the largest individual shareholders of the company.
Youssef Ben-Youssef is an ad-tech veteran with an extensive background in strategy, tech and business management. As Head of Ad Platform and Partnerships at Roku, he oversees programmatic monetization, data licensing and activation initiatives. Youssef also leads the platform's privacy and vendors policies.
Prior to Roku, Youssef Ben-Youssef led the Publishers Solutions team at IPONWEB where he launched a comprehensive publishers' monetization platform. Youssef Ben-Youssef's ad tech experience extends to strategy and product roles as he was the Sr. Director of GTM and Strategy Operations at AppNexus and Turn. Youssef Ben-Youssef holds an MBA from Université Laval and a Master in Computer Science from Bentley University.
Eric Ellenbogen, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chair of WildBrain, said: "With his many years of experience and deep expertise in ad tech, Youssef is an ideal addition to our Board of Directors as we continue to build out and optimize our capabilities in monetizing IP across AVOD and other platforms. We welcome Youssef to the Board and look forward to benefitting from his oversight and strategic insights."
Don Wright, Chair of WildBrain's Board of Directors, said: "We would like to thank Steven Landry for his time on the Board and the considerable energy and passion he has brought in representing the best interests of WildBrain's shareholders. Steve's counsel and guidance have made a valuable contribution to WildBrain's turnaround over the last few years, and we wish him well for the future."
Landry added: "WildBrain is in a much stronger position than when I joined the board in 2018, and I am confident in the strategy and course forward set by current management. I have no doubt Youssef Ben-Youssef's expertise in ad tech will be an asset to help build on this progress. As one of the Company's largest individual investors, I am excited and compelled by the significant opportunity in WildBrain shares."
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations to run wild, engaging kids and families everywhere with great content across all media. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world's most extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba! Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. At our 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animation studio in Vancouver, BC, we produce such fan-favourite series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Chip & Potato, Carmen Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go! and more. Our shows are enjoyed worldwide in more than 150 countries on over 500 streaming platforms and telecasters, and our AVOD business – WildBrain Spark – offers one of the largest networks of kids' channels on YouTube, garnering billions of views per month from over 245 million subscribers. Through our leading agency, WildBrain CPLG, we also license consumer products and location-based entertainment in every major territory for our own properties as well as for our clients and content partners. Our television group owns and operates four family entertainment channels that are among the most viewed in Canada. WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at WildBrain.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws with respect to the Company including, without limitation, statements regarding the business strategies and operational activities of WildBrain, the future financial and operating performance of WildBrain, and the value of WildBrain's shares. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the current outbreak of COVID-19, the magnitude and length of economic disruption as a result of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, market factors, and risk factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
SOURCE WildBrain Ltd.
