Hollywood, Calif., May 2, 2018 – Shane Mang has been appointed as Executive Director of Global Consumer Products for The Jim Henson Company. The announcement was made today by Chris Lytton, COO & Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Affairs, to whom Mang will report.
In his new role, Mang will oversee licensing activities for the Company’s beloved children’s brands, fan- favorite classic franchises, and several as-of-yet unannounced properties.
The portfolio includes Dot., recently renewed for a second season launching fall 2018 (produced by Industrial Brothers in association with The Jim Henson Company and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation); the Emmy®-nominated series Dinosaur Train, which airs in the U.S. on PBS KIDS®; Doozers, a Hulu Original series for kids with season two to debut this summer; the Emmy®-nominated series Splash and Bubbles (co-produced with Herschend Studios, the media arm of Herschend Enterprises) that also airs on PBS KIDS®; and Word Party a Netflix Original series for the youngest viewers. Mang will also oversee programs for popular fan-favorite titles like Farscape, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, and The Dark Crystal.
“Shane is a best in class executive with a deep knowledge of the licensing and merchandising industry and the key players in the field. His expertise and enthusiasm are sure to drive growth across the Company’s entire global consumer products lineup,” said Lytton.
Mang joins The Jim Henson Company from DHX Media where he served as Business Development Manager – Americas. During his tenure he managed a portfolio of global entertainment properties including Teletubbies, Mega Man, Caillou, Slugterra, Massive Monster Mayhem, Inspector Gadget, Degrassi, and more, managing a network of partners including licensees and manufacturers, licensing agencies, sales teams, toy distributors, and mass and specialty North American retailers. Mang served as Manager, Licensing and Distribution at Nerd Corps Entertainment.
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 60 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world-famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix), Dot. (Sprout/Hulu), Splash and Bubbles (PBS), Word Party (Netflix), Doozers (Hulu/ Sprout), and the Emmy®-nominated Sid the Science Kid (PBS), Dinosaur Train (PBS), and Pajanimals (Sprout). Television productions include Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller and the sci-fi cult series Farscape. Features include Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as well as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, MirrorMask, and Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow. The Company is currently in production on the feature The Happytime Murders, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the upcoming Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Projects in development include the highly anticipated film Fraggle Rock.
With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. The Company is home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television, theme park and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of- the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand is currently touring Puppet-Up! – Uncensored, a live puppet improvisational show.
Yannina Diaz
The Jim Henson Company
ydiaz@henson.com
