- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Turner Broadcasting’s Young Adults & Kids Media Group has aligned content, digital and gaming, with executives at Cartoon Network and Adult Swim earning promotions with the reorganization.
Mike Lazzo has been named executive vp/creative director at Adult Swim, while Rob Sorcher has been tapped exec vp/chief content officer at Cartoon Network, Turner announced Monday.
In their new roles, both will oversee each network’s digital and gaming business while spearheading development and production of original and acquired content, as well as supervising Cartoon Network Studios and Adult Swim’s Williams Street Studios. They will report to Stuart Snyder, president and COO at Turner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media Division. Sorcher will be based at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, while Lazzo will be at Williams Street Studios in Atlanta.
“In order to build on our continued success, it is imperative that we have a structure in place that will allow us to think and execute more strategically and will also set us up for growth and new business opportunities,” Snyder said in a news release announcing the moves. “By bringing together all content on one team for each network, we will improve communication and promote idea sharing even more and align strategic initiatives. Rob and Mike have both had tremendous creative success and will now be able to drive all of the efforts around linear, online, mobile, games and apps for each of their areas, putting us in a better position to leverage all of our assets across every platform in a more cohesive way for the consumer and in the marketplace.”
Sorcher was chief content officer at Cartoon Network and was charged with driving the network’s original content development and supervising its program acquisition strategies. Since assuming the post in 2008, he has helped develop Regular Show, Adventure Time, Annoying Orange and LEGO Ninjago. Previously he was exec vp programming and production at AMC, where he helped develop Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Broken Trail.
Lazzo, meanwhile, was senior vp programming and production at Adult Swim and its studio, overseeing development and production of original programming and acquisitions. He started his career with Cartoon Network when it launched in October 1992 and has been responsible for the evaluation and planning of all animated content. He has supervised the development of series including Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Courage the Cowardly Dog and more. In 2001, he launched Adult Swim as a twice-a-week, two-hour block that has evolved to feature buzzy fare including Emmy darling Robot Chicken, Childrens Hospital and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, among others.
The promotions come after Adult Swim head of development Nick Weidenfeld exited his post to take on Fox’s upcoming Animation Domination High-Def block.
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day