Long-Time Warner Bros. Animation President Sam Register Departing
Sam Register, the long-serving president of Warner Bros. Animation, is departing the studio after 18 years in charge, in a move his boss Channing Dungey admitted came as a surprise to staff. Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and WBD US Networks, told employees in a memo that she and Register had "mutually agreed" not to renew his contract, which is due to expire next week. The exit marks a significant leadership change at one of the industry's major animation studios, whose output has shaped children's and family television for nearly two decades.
Register joined Cartoon Network in the late 1990s, helping launch its website, before rising to lead Warner Bros. Animation and later expanding his remit to include Cartoon Network Studios in 2020 and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe in 2021. He executive produced shows including Ben 10, Teen Titans, Teen Titans Go!, The Looney Tunes Show and Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated. While a successor is sought, business operations will continue under Matt Matzkin, with existing creative department heads overseeing their respective areas in the interim.
- Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register is leaving after 18 years
- Departure was "mutually agreed" and described as a surprise to staff
- Existing department heads to lead teams while a replacement is found
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Warner Bros. Animation is a major US studio that makes animated films and television programmes. It is part of Warner Bros. Discovery, a media company that also owns Cartoon Network and other entertainment brands.
Sam Register joined Cartoon Network in the late 1990s and went on to lead Warner Bros. Animation. He also took charge of Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, and worked on series including Ben 10, Teen Titans and Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated.
The studio’s output includes programmes for children and families, as well as well-known characters such as the Looney Tunes. Its leadership helps oversee the people and teams developing that work, so changes at the top can affect how the studios are organised.