Two key marketing executives in the kids, young adults and classics division of Warner Bros. Discovery are the latest to depart the recently merged company, Marketing Chief Tricia Melton and Senior VP at Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Jill King, according to multiple reports. They’ll be gone by the end of the year.
“We are grateful for Tricia and Jill’s contributions to the legacy KYAC businesses and their leadership across these teams,” U.S. networks marketing chief Karen Bronzo wrote in a memo to staffers on Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Both Tricia and Jill will be here through the rest of the year, working with me as we realign the teams through this transitional period. I plan to announce the new marketing leadership structure for these networks prior to their departures.”
Melton joined Warner Bros in June 2020 after more than five years at Disney’s Freeform, reuniting her with former Freeform president Tom Ascheim. She led the rebranding of the Cartoon Network and launched the Cartoonito label on cable and streaming platforms.
Ascheim, who served as president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classic, left in May, among the top execs who departed shortly after the April combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc.
King has been with WarnerMedia since 2013, having helped build hits like “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Steven Universe” and “Craig of the Creek.” She also led development of Adult Swim Upfront events and Adult Swim Festivals and played a major role in developing and establishing marketing and content-oriented diversity initiatives.
News of the departures comes amid the latest round of layoffs across the company, which have hit hundreds of rank-and-file workers, along with multiple executives, including several top execs at OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network) in August.
One Wednesday, TheWrap reported that 82 staffers across all departments in Warner Bros. Television Group would be laid off in the latest cost-cutting efforts, part of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s moves to reduce costs by up to $3 billion. An additional 43 open positions will be eliminated, resulting in a 26% overall reduction in the division.
Hundreds of other workers on the business side, mainly ad teams, are also in the sites of cost-cutters as they trim the ranks.
