COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT NAMES ANN AUSTEN SENIOR VP, DEVELOPMENT AND TELEVISION/VIDEO SALES
Industry Veteran to Lead Company's Creative Development Initiatives
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES , CA (February 8, 2007) - Cookie Jar Entertainment has appointed Ann Austen Senior Vice-President, Development and Television/Video Sales. The announcement was made by Toper Taylor, Cookie Jar Entertainment President and COO.
"As Cookie Jar Entertainment develops its growing portfolio of properties, we are seeking out the best executive talent to oversee all areas of development and sales," said Taylor. "We are pleased to welcome Ann to Cookie Jar and we look forward to utilizing her production and development expertise as we continue to deliver quality programming."
In her new position, Austen will be responsible for developing Cookie Jar's original properties and television/video sales within the United States. Based in Cookie Jar's Los Angeles office, Austen will report to Taylor.
A seasoned executive in children's program development, Austen joins Cookie Jar Entertainment with more than 15 years of experience, having worked on such shows as "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers," the top-rated kids' series of all time, Humanitas-nominated "Johnny Tsunami," and "Motocrossed."
Austen began her career at Fox Broadcasting Company and then moved to Fox Kids Network where she served as Director of Programming of "Fox Clubhouse," the successful and innovative pre-school programming block. She also oversaw the development and production of "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers," "Animaniacs" and "Tom & Jerry's Kids".
Following her tenure at Fox Kids Network, Austen co-produced the "Power Rangers," "VR Troopers" and "Masked Rider" for Saban Entertainment. She went on to serve as the co-executive producer of the critically-acclaimed NBC series for teens, "SK8".
Austen has written and produced numerous movies of the week for the Disney Channel, including "Johnny Tsunami" and its sequel, which is currently in production. Most recently, Ann developed series for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and The N.
Austen graduated from USC's School of Cinema-TV with a master's and bachelor's degree in critical studies.
About Cookie Jar Group
Cookie Jar Group develops, produces, distributes and markets quality products to children, their caregivers, parents and teachers. Cookie Jar Group's products reflect its commitment to providing the best in children's published content, animated and live action programming and innovative educational and entertainment-driven products worldwide. The group of companies consists of Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. and Cookie Jar Education Inc.
Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc., Cookie Jar Group's entertainment operation, is a leading, global, independent producer, marketing and brand manager of such renowned children's properties as "Spider Riders", "Johnny Test", "The Doodlebops" and "Caillou". Combining globally-renowned intellectual properties with an industry-recognized management team, Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. is a market-driven, brand building company that is committed to children first and foremost and is dedicated to the development and production of quality programming that embraces the whole child, with animated and live-action series that entertain, inspire and enlighten children and family audiences worldwide.
