August 16, 2023
Toy and game company Hasbro has announced the newly appointed leadership team of Hasbro Entertainment, a division that will be dedicated to leveraging Hasbro’s most valuable brands to develop and produce premium content across platforms for audiences of all ages, following the close of Hasbro’s sale of eOne’s film and television business to Lionsgate.
The new division unifies Hasbro’s film, television, animation, and digital media expertise under one umbrella as the company increases investment in its priority brands.
Olivier Dumont will serve as president of Hasbro Entertainment, with Zev Foreman and Gabriel Marano serving as head of film and head of television, respectively. Foreman and Marano were primarily focused on Hasbro IP projects while at eOne and will continue this work in their new expanded roles directly for Hasbro. Dumont also comes from eOne.
“Entertainment is core to Hasbro’s strategy and its mission to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play,” Tim Kilpin, Hasbro president, toy, licensing and entertainment, said in a statement. “Audiences can count on Hasbro to keep creating compelling and fun entertainment that brings to life our wide array of iconic brands, including Peppa Pig, My Little Pony, and Transformers, reaching audiences through varied platforms in ways that resonate in today’s fast-paced world.”
“We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter, building upon our rich heritage of storytelling to continue delighting audiences across generations,” Dumont said in a statement. “Gabe, Zev, and I look forward to working with the industry’s best creative talent, studios, and distribution platforms to push the envelope with innovative storytelling that will let fans engage with their favorite brands like never before, while also building exciting new worlds and the next wave of Hasbro franchises for a growing audience.”
Hasbro Entertainment is actively developing and producing more than 30 projects and is focused on priority brands including Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Nerf, Play-Doh, Magic: The Gathering, Peppa Pig and My Little Pony. Upcoming titles include Transformers One, directed by Academy Award winner Josh Cooley and starring Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth and Jon Hamm; a live-action “Dungeons & Dragons” series for Paramount+; and a broad slate of ongoing animated series, including “Peppa Pig,” “Transformers: EarthSpark,” “Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes” and “My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale.”
Dumont is an established family entertainment executive who most recently served as president of family brands for eOne, overseeing content creation and distribution for a combined portfolio of Hasbro and eOne’s family brands driving more than $2 billion of annual retail sales. Previously, Dumont held a number of key roles in domestic and international children’s entertainment, including heading acquisitions and co-production for a major kids’ network, leading an animation studio, and managing a distribution business.
Foreman served as president of film production for eOne, overseeing projects including Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. While at eOne, Foreman led all aspects of creative development and production. Foreman brings to Hasbro Entertainment an expertise accrued through his production work on numerous films, such as DC’s Blue Beetle, the Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton-led All the Old Knives, Blue Bayou, and three-time Academy Award winner Dallas Buyers Club.
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Marano was co-head of scripted development for eOne, overseeing development and strategy, primarily on Hasbro IP such as Paramount+’s upcoming “Dungeons & Dragons” series from Rawson Marshall Thurber and Drew Crevello, and Netflix’s “Power Rangers” series, from Jonathan Entwistle and Jenny Klein. Previously, Marano served as SVP of drama programming and development at Fox Entertainment, where he supervised the development and production of new and returning scripted series, including “9-1-1,” “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “Marvel’s The Gifted” and “Lucifer.” Earlier in his career, Marano was with A&E Network and Fox Television Studios, developing and overseeing such titles as “Bates Motel,” “Longmire” and “Burn Notice.”