Dec 12, 2016

Cartoon Network Promotes Lerache and Wigzel to SVP

Cartoon Network veterans Curtis Lelash (left) and Tram Wigzell have been jointly promoted to senior vice president of original series.

In their new roles, Lelash and Wigzell will co-head the Original Series group, with the goal of growing the network's original video and multiplatform programming portfolio. Based in Burbank, California, Lelash and Wigzell will report directly to Rob Sorcher, the network's chief content officer. [Curtis and Tramm are highly respected in the animation industry for their talent and approach to development, and their creative and executive acumen has produced some of our biggest hits and franchises. This newly connected structure leverages diverse perspectives and reflects the overall dynamics of children's media."

The diverse perspectives to which Thorcher refers are with respect to the roles these executives have played at the network: Lerasch has worked primarily on comedy series, while Wigzel has focused on action-adventure projects. [Lerash, an English literature major at New York University, was hired by Cartoon Network's comedy division in 2005 (he had previously worked in development at DreamWorks Animation); in 2008, he relocated from Turner's headquarters in Atlanta to Burbank to become the new series and current series as director. He then became Director of Comedy Animation, overseeing the production of series such as "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" and "Class of 3000," as well as Warner Bros. Animation's "MAD" and "The Looney Tunes Show" for Warner Bros. Animation, and served as a network executive on such outside shows as "MAD" and "The Looney Tunes Show" for Warner Bros. He has also served as executive producer on Cartoon Network hits such as "Adventure Time" and "The Regular Show," and most recently as VP of animated comedy.

A 14-year veteran of Cartoon Network, Wigzel most recently served as VP of Multi-Platform, overseeing the network's cross-platform project "Mighty Magiswords." For the past several years, Wigzel has served as CN's VP of Action Adventure Animation, overseeing the "Ben 10" franchise, "Teen Titans," "Mixels," "Sin Bionic Titan," "Batman," "Hi-Hi Puffy AmiYumi" and " Generator Rex," among others, and was heavily involved in the "Generator Rex.