Webtoon Entertainment, the media company that spearheaded the mainstream embrace of webcomics, is rebranding and reorganizing the structure of its North American entertainment and intellectual property business as it aims to scale up the adaptations of its many titles.
Effective immediately, Wattpad Webtoon Studios is morphing into Webtoon Productions, with David Madden elevated to president of the production company. He was previously head of global entertainment.
Additionally, Maximilian Jo, general counsel and corporate secretary for Webtoon Entertainment, will take on a new concurrent role as vp, head of strategy for the company’s global IP business team. Meanwhile, Tina McIntyre has been named head of the newly-formed Webtoon Consumer Goods division, in a sign that the company will seek to monetize on the mountain of popular titles and IP it has created over the years.
All three will report to Webtoon Entertainment chief strategy officer and head of global Webtoon Yongsoo Kim.
“Our platforms are a staple of Gen Z culture and our entertainment teams are working with some of the most exciting voices in Hollywood,” said Kim in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We have hits on every global streaming platform, and people all over the world know that Webtoon means incredible content and passionate fandoms. Our rebrand as Webtoon Productions highlights our global Webtoon brand, signaling the incredible format, creator voices, and world-class IP that makes up our ecosystem. With the leadership of some of the most talented executives in the industry, we’re here to usher in a new era of entertainment and bring more Webtoon adaptations to the North American market.”
As Webtoon Productions president, Madden will continue to oversee the development, production, and sales for the company’s U.S. and international feature film, TV, and animation slate of adaptations from Webtoon and Wattpad. He joined Wattpad Webtoon Studios in 2022 as head of global entertainment, developing hit projects that bridge traditional Hollywood and creator-driven storytelling. Madden previously acted as president of programming, entertainment networks at AMC Networks; president of Fox Television Studios; president of entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Company; and president of television for Berlanti Productions.
In his new role, Jo will develop new strategic initiatives for Webtoon Productions and Webtoon Entertainment’s global IP ecosystem. He joined the company in 2021 as general counsel and was appointed to the concurrent role of corporate secretary in 2024. Before the exec joined Webtoon, he served as general counsel for Yeezy and general counsel & head of business & legal affairs for CJ Entertainment America, the U.S.-division of Korea’s largest entertainment conglomerate.
McIntyre, meanwhile, will oversee the company’s publishing business, including the Wattpad Webtoon Book Group of imprints, as well as the merchandising and licensing teams. (The company relaunched its online retail destination, Webtoon Shop, in 2024 as it began veering into merchandizing.) She previously held marketing and publishing roles at Scholastic; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; and Hachette, leading campaigns for brands such as the Twilight Saga, Goosebumps and Gossip Girl; developing digital strategies for Harry Potter; and working with bestselling authors James Patterson, Julie Andrews and Patrick McDonnell.
Recent projects from Webtoon Productions include the Tubi hit movie Sidelined: The QB and Me, which premiered at number one and is said to have brought in the most new viewers for any title to date to the streaming service; international Netflix hit Mala Influencia; and Through My Window (A traves de mi ventana), one of Netflix’s most-watched non-English film of all time.
Among its upcoming slate are Sidelined 2: Intercepted and Kissing is the Easy Part, both for Tubi, an animated take on its sensation Lore Olympus, and Death of a Pop Star, being developed by Diablo Cody and Mason Novick.
Webtoon Productions Logo
Courtesy of Webtoon
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hollywoodreporter.com ’
