Kim Mackey and Jessie Carbonaro join the studio as EVP of Production Talent and VP of Production Talent, respectively, while company executive Susan Akinbola is promoted to VP of Development.
Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (WBPA) has announced the expansion of its executive team under company president Bill Damaschke. Kim Mackey and Jessie Carbonaro has joined the studio as EVP of Production Talent and VP of Production Talent, respectively, while development executive Susan Akinbola has been promoted to VP of Development.
“At a such an exciting time in our company’s history, where we are ramping up and building a slate and culture that we are incredibly proud of, we are thrilled to welcome such well-respected and accomplished executives to the team and promote one of our talented team members from inside the company,” said Damaschke. “Kim, Jessie, and Susan are an integral part of our stellar team that also includes EVP of Theatrical Animation Chris Leahy.”
Mackey’s responsibilities include recruiting and developing talent strategies across the division, attracting, and retaining top talent, and managing and training for the feature film animation division. A 25+ year animation industry veteran, she most recently served as Netflix Animation’s head of recruiting, overseeing hiring across the film, series, and adult animation divisions.
Prior to Netflix, Mackey served as global head of recruiting for DreamWorks Animation, where he spent more than 20 years. Prior to working in recruiting, she contributed to the studio’s features in both production and executive roles for Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Shark Tale, and Flushed Away. As a talent acquisition studio executive, she managed resource needs across the production slate, including the studio’s franchises Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and How to Train Your Dragon.
Carbonaro collaborates closely with Mackey, overseeing the production talent team and contributing to the cultivation and maintenance of relationships within the animation communities. In addition, she manages recruitment to attract talent to join WBPA. She previously served at Netflix as director of Talent Acquisition for Feature Animation. Carbonaro’s career in television began as a producer/writer, transitioning to DreamWorks in 2004.
At DreamWorks, she served as a production supervisor, contributing to Madagascar, Madagascar 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, Puss in Boots, and Home. In 2015, she moved from production into talent acquisition and has since held positions and executive roles at DreamWorks Animation, Skydance Media, and Netflix Animation.
As vice president of development, Akinbola is responsible for developing a diverse slate of original and IP-based features for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. She joined WBPA in January 2020 as a development executive, returning to the studio where she began her career on the LEGO Movie franchise.
Source: Warner Bros. Animation
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
