Following up Disney Television Animation’s most successful year ever, the company has made several key executive appointments to help further the content development pipelines at Disney Junior, Disney Channel and Disney XD.
Eric Coleman has been named Senior Vice President – Original Programming and General Manager, Disney Television Animation. Additionally, Jonathan Schneider has been promoted to Vice President – Strategy, Aaron Simpson joins Disney as Vice President – Development, Shane Prigmore is now Vice President – Creative Affairs, and Bonnie Lemon has joined the company as Vice President – Production. The announcement was made by Disney Channels Worldwide President & CCO Gary Marsh.
Eric Coleman will lead the TV animation studio, development, casting and music for series on Disney Channel and XD. Coleman has spearheaded the development of Emmy and Annie-winning Mickey Mouse shorts and Gravity Falls and breakout hit Star vs. The Forces of Evil. He will continue to report to Marsh.
Aaron Simpson joins the company from Mondo Media, where he was head of development and exec-produced Fusion TV’s sketch show Like, Share, Die. He has also produced animation for WB, Jib Jab and Sony and is the founder of the Cold Hard Flash and Line Boil animation sites. In his new role, he will oversee all development activity, manage team and work closely with current series to ensure a smooth pilot-to-production flow. Simpson will report to Coleman.
Shane Prigmore joined Disney TVA in 2014 to develop and serve as co-EP and creative director on the upcoming Tangled series. He will now provide creative input across multiple departments including development, current series and production. An Annie-winning character designer, Prigmore’s credits include The LEGO Movie, How to Train Your Dragon, Coraline and The Croods. He will report to Coleman.
Bonnie Lemon joins Disney from DreamWorks Animation, where she most recently served as production executive for features including Kung Fu Panda 3, How to Train Your Dragon 3 and The Penguins of Madagascar. At TVA, she will manage both in-house and outside productions across the Disney Junior slate, streamlining the process from development through post-production. She will work closely with key execs, department heads and creative teams and will report to Lisa Salamone Smith, SVP – Production for Disney Television Animation.
