Cartoon Network Studios Hires Lauren Martinez, Promotes Kelly Crews To Executive Team

Cartoon Network Studios (CNS) has bolstered its executive team with two new additions, Lauren Martinez (image at top, left) and Kelly Crews (right).

The pair join the team as the studio ramps up its production of content for young viewers, especially girls.

Here are the details:

Lauren Martinez has joined the studio as vp, series. She reports to Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and CNS.

Her main role will be to develop programming focused on the kids 6–11 and family/co-viewing audience.

Martinez spent almost 13 years at Disney, where she was most recently director of development for Disney Television Animation. Among the series she helped launch are Amphibia, The Owl House, and The Ghost and Molly McGee. She also developed the studio’s Creative Mentorship Program, which paired up-and-coming artists and writers with seasoned studio veterans.

Kelly Crews has been promoted to vp, production. She will report to Ed Adams, executive vp and general manager, Warner Bros. Animation and CNS.

Crews was previously a supervising producer at CNS, but had been serving in her new role on an interim basis since the fall. She will formally take oversight of all elements of main production across the studio.

A 19-year veteran of CNS, Crews started as a producer on The Powerpuff Girls. She has gone on to produce many of the studio’s series, including Ben 10, Adventure Time, Samurai Jack, and Craig of the Creek. She was previously a producer at Nickelodeon on the series Hey Arnold!.

Last August, CNS was placed under the same leadership as sister studio Warner Bros. Animation as part of a broader restructuring at parent company Warnermedia. Sam Register was put in charge of both.

At an upfront for advertisers last week, Warnermedia fleshed out its strategy for the highly competitive kids’ space, in which the Cartoon Network channel and CNS productions will play a central role.

By ALEX DUDOK DE WIT/Cartoon brew