Illumination announced Thursday that it has appointed Peter Schube as Chief Operating Officer, Scott Broock as Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation, and Latifa Ouaou as Executive Producer.
Schube will work alongside the animation studio’s founder and CEO, Chris Meledandri, and oversee all core business operations. Schube was previously the COO at The Jim Henson Company.
“We are fortunate to have someone as experienced as Peter, who led The Jim Henson Company brand for more than a decade, join the team as our new COO. The addition of Scott and Latifa, each a leader in their field, will enable us to creatively innovate in both the theatrical and digital-first environments,” Meledandri said in a statement.
Schube is replacing Natalie Fischer, who became the studio’s first COO when it was founded in 2007. Illumination announced that Fischer is scaling back her role in the company after the release of their next film, “Despicable Me 3,” this June. She will remain with the company as a strategic advisor to Meledandri.
“From our inception, Natalie has played a crucial role in shaping our identity and building our brand,” said Meledandri. “We are so fortunate she has agreed to stay in the extended Illumination family.”
Broock is joining Illumination from YouTube, where he helped oversee the development of original VR programming for the site. Ouaou is moving to Illumination from Dreamworks, where she produced films like “Puss In Boots” and “Monsters vs. Aliens”
In 2016, Illumination released two films, “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Sing,” which combined to gross $1.4 billion worldwide. Their upcoming slate includes sequels to those films, as well as an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”