Wildbrain Appoints Veteran Entertainment And Securities Lawyer Mark Trachuk As General Counsel
Former eOne General Counsel brings more than 35 years of experience in corporate and securities law, strategic negotiations and governance for public companies
TORONTO, April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - WildBrain Ltd. ("WildBrain" or the "Company") (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids' and family entertainment, has appointed leading entertainment and securities lawyer Mark Trachuk to the role of General Counsel. Trachuk brings more than 35 years of experience working as legal counsel and as a director for various public companies, with a key focus on the media and entertainment industry. Working alongside WildBrain's Executive Leadership Team, Trachuk will oversee all matters related to corporate and securities legal affairs, and he will also serve as Corporate Secretary to WildBrain's Board of Directors. Based in Toronto, Trachuk reports to Josh Scherba, WildBrain's President and CEO. He succeeds James Bishop in the role, who has accepted another opportunity.
Prior to WildBrain, Trachuk served as counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright, a leading global law firm, where he practiced corporate and securities law with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances and corporate governance. From 2018 to 2020, Trachuk was Worldwide Group General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for Entertainment One, Ltd. ("eOne") (LSE: ETO), providing legal oversight across eOne's global platform including public company compliance and regulatory matters within the Canadian broadcasting and content system. Trachuk was part of the executive team that conducted the sale of eOne to Hasbro in 2019 for approximately US$4.0 billion. Prior to eOne, Trachuk was a Senior Partner in the Business Law Group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, a leading Canadian law firm, where he practiced from 1989 to 2018.
Scherba said: "Mark's reputation as a highly accomplished legal and governance professional precedes him. His depth and range of experience in the entertainment industry and capital markets has given him a skillset across business, strategic and regulatory matters that makes him uniquely suited for our Company. I'm delighted to welcome a professional of his distinction to the WildBrain team, and we look forward to benefiting from his expertise and counsel.
"I would also like to thank James Bishop for his years of service to WildBrain. As trusted counsel, James played an integral role in navigating some of our most transformative moments, always bringing a highly strategic, professional and gracious approach to the role. On behalf of the management team, I wish James every success for the future."
Trachuk said: "I am thrilled to be joining the WildBrain team at such an exciting time in their evolution. Their outstanding portfolio of world-class IP, including Peanuts, Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake, and unique capabilities across Content Creation, Audience Engagement and Global Licensing positions Wildbrain as a global leader in family entertainment, and I look forward to working with the entire team on the exciting journey to unlock value for the Company and its stakeholders."
Trachuk is an experienced public company director, having previously sat on numerous boards in the entertainment industry and other sectors, including Playmaker Capital (TSX-V: PMKR), Thunderbird Entertainment (TSX-V: TBRD) and eOne. He currently serves as the lead director on the board of Almonty Industries Inc. (TSX: AII), a global miner of tungsten and other critical minerals. He has also sat on the boards of various non-profits including Michael Garron Hospital, where he was Chair.
Trachuk holds an LL.M. in Corporate Law from the London School of Economics, a J.D. from the University of Ottawa and a B.A. in Economics from Carleton University. He received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors through the University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management. Trachuk is called to the bar in Ontario and British Columbia and is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales.
For more information, please contact:
Investors: Kathleen Persaud – VP Investor Relations, WildBrain
kathleen.persaud@wildbrain.com
+1 212-405-6089
Media: Shaun Smith – Sr. Director, Global Communications & Public Relations, WildBrain
shaun.smith@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7230
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° franchise management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands with kids and families around the world. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library—one of the world's most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain's mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart.
Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let's Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered over 1 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada's most-viewed family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide.
WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws with respect to the Company including, without limitation, statements regarding executive appointments at WildBrain and expected benefits therefrom, the business strategies and operational activities of WildBrain, the growth and future financial and operating performance of WildBrain, and the market position of WildBrain and value of its shares. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include the availability of and cost of financing, general economic and market conditions and the impact of such conditions on the industries in which WildBrain operates, competition and the potential impact of industry mergers and acquisitions, market factors, WildBrain's ability to identify and execute anticipated production, distribution, licensing and other contracts, contractual counterparty risk, the ability of WildBrain to realize the expected value of its assets, supply chain and other related disruptions, and risk factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form and annual Management Discussion and Analysis. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
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