Jul 21, 2022

Karen Tolliver Promoted to Head of Animated Films at Netflix Melissa Cobb Shifts to Producer Position

Questions swirled yesterday after the shocking announcement that Netflix had acquired leading independent animation studio Animal Logic.

We answered as many questions as we could in our article announcing the acquisition, but an internal memo shared anonymously by Cartoon Brew provides a clearer picture of the scale of the reorganization that will accompany the acquisition.

According to Scott Stuber, Netflix's VP of Global Films, following the acquisition, the company decided to make some significant changes to its animation leadership team.

To that end, Karen Tolliver, who was just appointed VP of Animation Films this past February, has been named head of the Animation Films division, reporting directly to Stuber. With Tolliver's appointment as Head of Animated Films, Melissa Cobb will leave her position as Vice President of Animated Films and instead remain at Netflix as a producer.

Cobb, who joined Netflix in September 2017 as head of the Kids and Family division, is largely credited as the architect of building Netflix's animation studio from the ground up. Early on, her team was able to attract some of the industry's biggest talent to the studio with the promise of unprecedented creative freedom. However, the studio's recent struggles and cancellations of high-profile productions are well documented, and with original animated films often inferior to low-budget acquisitions, Netflix now appears to be planning to go in a different direction.

Other executive changes include Greg Taylor, vice president of animated films, who has been a Netflix Animation veteran for four years, shifting to a producer role at the company as well. Taylor was instrumental in launching the studio's animated feature creative team and has directed animated film slots over the past several years, including the Academy Award-nominated "Klaus" and the current most popular "Kaiju."

Vice President of Animation Production Bruce Deitch is leaving Netflix as his role has been made redundant. However, he will remain for the next few months to assist with the transition period.

Tracy Baltazor, VP of Animated Film Production, and Mike Karafilis, Director of Animated Series Production, will be responsible for the production strategy and day-to-day operations of their respective teams, reporting to Amy Reinhard, VP of Studio Operations.

There will be no changes to Netflix's series animation, and John Derderian will continue to serve as Vice President of Series Animation.

The full "Netflix leadership changes" letter can be found at:

Hello everyone

With the planned acquisition of Animal Logic, we are simplifying our structure and preparing for the next phase of our growth We have decided to make some changes to our animation leadership team to simplify our structure and prepare for the next phase of our growth.

I am pleased to tell you that I (Scott Stover) will be reporting directly to me with Karen Tolliver assuming responsibility for Animation Films. Our commitment is to build a world-class animation studio, and Karen is a strong creative leader with a wealth of experience in delivering our ambitious animation portfolio. She is well-loved in the animation community and has made an immediate impact in just a few short months at Netflix.

With this change, Melissa Cobb has accepted an offer to transition from her current role as Head of Animated Films and remain at Netflix as a producer. more than four years ago, Melissa joined to lead the animation team and has since built the studio from the ground up She has built the studio from the ground up. She has attracted top filmmakers and delivered a diverse slate of award-winning animated films. Greg Taylor (VP of Animated Films) will also be transitioning into the role of Producer; in his 4+ years at Netflix, Greg has been integral in building the creative team, most recently directing and spearheading an impressive slate of films to date, including "Kaiju. We are excited to have the two of them continue to be part of the Netflix family as creative producing partners.

On the production side, I (Amy Reinhard) have made the difficult decision to eliminate the role of Vice President of Production Operations. Tracy Balthazor (VP of Animated Film Production) and Mike Karafilis (Director of Animated Series Production) will be responsible for the production strategy and day-to-day operations of their respective businesses and will report directly to me. This change will simplify our team structure and allow us to be more nimble as we continue to grow. Traci has proven to be an excellent leader and collaborator and has quickly adapted to the demands of increasing business size and scope. I am confident that her experience will make her a strong partner for Karen as she leads our animated film team. Bruce has spent the last two years putting together our animation production, managing the production pipeline, toolset, and infrastructure, while helping us launch two new animation production studios during the pandemic. Bruce will remain for the next few months to help the team make a smooth transition.

There will be no changes to the series team, with John Derderian remaining as Head of Animated Series and Mike Karafilis as Director of Animated Series Production.

We are aware that there have been many changes over the past few months, and we believe this is an important step in the long-term success of Netflix Animation. It's great to see this organization built from the ground up and now producing some of the most beloved animated films and series of all time.

We will be announcing this news in the press shortly, so please keep it confidential until then.

Best,

Scott Staber, VP Global Film, Amy Reinhard, VP Studio Operations