PARIS – Gaumont’s Animation and Family division is set for an expansion with new promotions and shifting of roles, as announced by division President Nicolas Atlan.
Terry Kalagian will be promoted to SVP for the group, while Kimberly Dennison has been appointed to the newly created role of VP of Creative Development in the US office, to work alongside Gaelle Guiny, VP of Creative Development, France.
The new appointment signifies the growth of the animation division following recent news that several high-profile properties are in development as animated series and theatrical features.
“Since joining Gaumont in March 2016, we have been actively pursuing a whole range of compelling and engaging animation projects that will become part of the Gaumont heritage. I am super excited about our team,” commented Atlan.
Atlan, Kalagian and Guiny have played significant roles in attracting multiple new projects for development including Touch the Earth and Heal The Earth from New York Times bestselling children’s book authors Julian Lennon and Bart Davis; creator, writer, and illustrator Stan Sakai’s comic book series Usagi Yojimbo; Molly and the Cryptos, with France Television; Bionic Max, with Gulli; and The Star Shards Chronicles, based on the YA novels by The New York Times best-selling author Neal Shusterman.
Other projects include Do Re & Mi, an animated musical series for preschoolers featuring original tracks performed by executive producers and creators Kristen Bell, Jackie Tohn and other surprise guests.
On the adult side, Atlan and Kalagian are developing ground-breaking animated shows with such talent as Colin Quinn and Maz Jobrani. Projects in development for theatrical release include the animated feature High in the Clouds, based on the book authored by Sir Paul McCartney and Philip Ardagh and illustrated by Geoff Dunbar, and Plunder, a family treasure hunting adventure from award-winning writers, Leo Chu and Eric Garcia.
Dennison joins the Gaumont team as VP, Creative Development, Animation and Family working on series and movie projects for a range of audiences, reporting to Kalagian. Prior to joining Gaumont, Dennison served as Director, Development for Walt Disney TV Animation where she developed both original and Disney-branded properties.
Over the course of her career, Dennison has served as a network executive, and has developed, produced and voice directed a wide range of animated projects for studios and networks including Walt Disney, the Hub Network and Rainmaker Entertainment.
