Wild Brain, Inc. Appoints Charles Rivkin as Chief Executive Officer

Wild Brain, Inc. Appoints Charles Rivkin as Chief Executive Officer

Former CEO of The Jim Henson Company

Brings Rich Expertise and Leadership to Award-Winning Animation Studio

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wild Brain, Inc. ("Wild Brain"), the award-winning animation studio that develops and produces content for the global film, television and advertising market, announced today the appointment of entertainment executive Charles Rivkin as chief executive officer.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050928/LAW048 )

Rivkin, 43, formerly served as president and chief executive officer of legendary family entertainment leader The Jim Henson Company, known worldwide for its creation of The Muppets, as well as its television, film and video production, visual effects, character licensing and children's publishing businesses. Rivkin was the only non-Henson family member to ever serve in the role of CEO.

"Wild Brain is a well capitalized, artist driven company that has the potential to become one of the most important players in CG animation," said Mr. Rivkin. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with such an extraordinary group of people and I believe that Wild Brain will be a magnet for some of the most creative writers, directors and producers in the animation industry."

Sam Humphreys, Wild Brain board member and chief executive officer of Syntek Capital AG, noted, "We are ecstatic that Charlie has chosen to make Wild Brain his new home. He is well liked by the creative community and has world class business and leadership skills. He was our prototype candidate, and we are thrilled to have him leading the team".

Rivkin pioneered a business model with multiple revenue streams for The Jim Henson Company, creating video, TV and film labels while greatly expanding the Henson and Muppet brands around the world. Notably, he led the Henson family to optimize its holdings by first selling the company to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for more than $1 billion in market value, and later helping the Henson family re-purchase certain intellectual property and character rights and then reselling them to The Walt Disney Company.

"Charlie was instrumental at helping build and grow The Jim Henson Company into a dynamic entity that produced great family entertainment while creating enormous value for its shareholders. The vision for Wild Brain we all share needs to be driven by a strong leader -- we found that in Charlie Rivkin," added Jim Caccavo, Wild Brain board member and Managing Partner of Valence Capital Management.

The CEO search was performed by Eve Coquillard of c2cmedia, a technology and media consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles and New York.

About Wild Brain:

Wild Brain, Inc. (www.wildbrain.com) is an award-winning animation studio that develops and produces content for the global film, television and commercials markets. Founded in 1994, Wild Brain's client list includes the biggest names in media and entertainment: Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, DreamWorks, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Oxygen. Wild Brain is the top U.S. producer in the animated commercials sector, with a client list that includes Nike, Coca-Cola, Ford, Nabisco, Sony, McDonald's, Target, Nestlé, The Wall Street Journal, Chevrolet, Mattel and Levi Strauss, among others. The company has animated some of the best-known icons in advertising, from the Hershey's Kisses to the KFC Colonel and more. Renowned for blending traditional animation methods with state-of-the-art tools, the work of the studio's talented artists has garnered nominations and awards from every major design and animation organization in the industry. Syntek Capital AG and Valence Capital Partners, prominent European and U.S. private equity firms, are Wild Brain's principal shareholders.

Contact: Gary Caloroso Porter Novelli 310-444-7098

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050928/LAW048 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN 1 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Wild Brain, Inc.

CONTACT: Gary Caloroso of Porter Novelli, +1-310-444-7098, for Wild Brain, Inc.

Web site: http://www.wildbrain.com/

------- Profile: Ent