eOne hires new Peppa Pig franchise lead

The former WarnerMedia and Disney exec will drive the IP's growth, with the goal of making Hasbro one of the biggest preschool toycos in the world next year.

Former NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia marketing director Robin Gay has joined Hasbro-owned Entertainment One as VP of global franchise strategy management for Peppa Pig.

Based in London, Gay is now responsible for spearheading the popular brand’s growth worldwide through new content, consumer products and marketing initiatives. He will set a long-term vision for the preschool IP, as well as overseeing all of its content activity, and tracking its international success.

Gay started in his role on Dec. 13 and reports to Esra Cafer, Entertainment One’s SVP global brand management for family brands.

He previously served as WarnerMedia’s director of marketing and communications for Cartoon Network and Boomerang across northern Europe. Prior to that, Gay worked as an international marketing director at NBCUniversal Media, where he focused on its network and SVOD brands. He also spent several years at Disney EMEA, most recently in a senior franchise manager role that saw him oversee marketing and budgeting for kids brands including Mickey Mouse & Friends and Winnie the Pooh.

With more than $1.28 billion in annual retail sales, the Peppa Pig brand is a key part of Hasbro’s strategy to become one of the biggest preschool toy companies in the world next year, according to a job posting for the role.

Earlier this year, a creative reorganization for the brand was announced, with Astley Baker Davies handing over development and production responsibility to Karrot Animation through to 2027. Karrot will also create 104 new Peppa Pig episodes that eOne ordered this past March, bringing the series up to a total volume of 485 x five minutes.

Hasbro has been busy expanding Peppa’s reach with new partnerships in recent months, including the launch of a bedtime story in the Calm mindfulness app. It also rolled out an early education learning app and a new publishing range as part of its “Learn with Peppa” program.

– This story originally appeared in Kidscreen