Highly respected veteran animation executive Ed Adams will retire from his current role as Executive Vice President & General Manager, Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), Cartoon Network Studios (CNS), Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (HBSE), this September.
Adams has served in this role since July 2018, adding Cartoon Network Studios to his portfolio in August 2020 and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe in April 2021. As the studio’s top business and operational executive, Adams is responsible for the day-to-day management of business affairs, production, operations, legal affairs, finance, strategic planning, and administration related to all of the programming produced by WBA, CNS and HBSE.
“When I first arrived at Warner Bros. Animation, Ed was one of a few individuals I knew I had to have join me at the studio, and he has been an invaluable and trusted partner ever since,” said Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. “Fifteen years and thousands of hours of programming later, I thank him for all of his contributions in growing our studios and making them a place where the art and artists can thrive.”
Adams commented, “For someone who was such a huge fan of animation throughout my childhood and young adult years, I never dreamt I might someday make a career in the field. Of all the things I have done in the legal, animation, and entertainment industries, playing a part in the history of these three storied studios will go down as the most enjoyable and rewarding experience of my career.”
Adams joined WBA in 2009 and was promoted to Senior Vice President & General Manager in 2015. He came to WBA after more than a decade of business affairs, legal, and operations experience at leading companies in the animation industry. Immediately prior to joining the Studio, he was Head of Legal Affairs at DreamWorks Animation. Prior to DreamWorks, Adams was Vice President, Business Affairs, Business Development & Sales at Cookie Jar Entertainment.
Before that, Adams maintained his own development, business affairs, and business development consultancy, providing counsel across a broad range of subjects to a number of clients in film and television production, as well as publishing. He also served as Senior Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs, for Cartoon Network Studios, as well as Senior Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs, for Turner Television. Prior to that, Adams was an associate attorney in the entertainment and intellectual property practice of the law firm then known as Katten Muchin & Zavis, after beginning his entertainment career as an associated at Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler.
Matt Matzkin, currently Executive Vice President, Business Operations & Production, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, will be joining the animation team to assume a majority of Adams’ responsibilities, including oversight of main production. (Bobbie Page, current head of production for WBA and CNS, will be departing the studio).
Under his new title, Executive Vice President, Operations, Unscripted Television & Warner Bros. Animation, Matzkin will continue in his role on the Unscripted team and dual report to Brett Paul, President, Warner Bros. Television, and to Register.
Matzkin was named to his current post in July 2023, after having served as Executive Vice President, Business Affairs, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, since August 2020. In this role, he is the top business executive, lead dealmaker, and head of production for all programming produced by the Studio’s three unscripted labels: Warner Horizon, Telepictures, and Shed Media. He is charged with negotiating or supervising negotiations for all pacts with creative talent, as well as spearheading series license agreements with streaming platforms, cable channels, broadcast networks, and local station groups. He also oversees all aspects of physical production, including budgeting, scheduling, staffing and more.
