DreamWorks Animation (DWA) today announced the appointment of Katie O’Connell Marsh as Head of Global Live Action Television, a role in which she will oversee the expansion of DWA’s television business into the live-action genre. Ms. Marsh will be based at the Company’s Glendale headquarters and begin her duties in January 2016.
“Television has quickly grown into one of our most successful businesses and, as the demand for kids and co-viewing content continues to rise, extending the DreamWorks Animation brand to live-action TV in a strategic and financially disciplined way will spur even further growth,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. “Katie’s proven track record of developing hit live-action television programming, coupled with her success in quickly building television businesses from the ground up, makes her the perfect executive to lead us into this new genre.”
“Our move into live-action will enable DWA to further capitalize on the evolving television landscape by creating new opportunities on both traditional and emerging platforms for our branded series,” said Ann Daly, President of DreamWorks Animation. “Moreover, live action will give us yet another creative lens with which to explore our library of rich storytelling and memorable characters that have resonated with audiences for the past two decades.”
“When Jeffrey and Ann approached me, I was impressed by the endless possibilities and unique specificity of the opportunities that lie ahead, as I have always admired the iconic and global DreamWorks Animation brand,” said Ms. Marsh. “The existing library of brands, coupled with a desire for original content, makes this opportunity incredibly special. I look forward to working with Jeffrey, Ann and everyone at DWA.”
Marsh joins DreamWorks Animation, having served since 2010 as the CEO of Gaumont International Television (GIT), a division of Gaumont SA she built from the ground up. Under her leadership, GIT quickly established itself as a leading global programmer, with critical and commercial hits such as “Hannibal” (NBC), “Narcos” (Netflix), “Hemlock Grove” (Netflix) and the upcoming “F is for Family” (Netflix), among others. Previously, Marsh was an executive at NBC, where she first served as Senior Vice President of Development in New York, developing, among other shows, “Lipstick Jungle” and the Emmy Award-winning “30 Rock.” Marsh was ultimately elevated to Executive Vice President of Drama Programming, a role in which she oversaw all aspects of NBC’s Drama series, including development and current programming. Prior to NBC, Marsh was Executive Vice President of Development and Current Programming at Imagine Television, where she developed numerous comedy and drama projects, including the Emmy Award-winning “Arrested Development,” while also overseeing series such as “24,” “Quintuplits” and others. She is currently a professor in the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and is a regular lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, from which she earned a B.A. in American Studies.
