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Warner Bros. Discovery announced a new global structure for the company’s worldwide studio tours, retail destinations, touring exhibitions, and all location-based experiences, bringing together the existing licensed entertainment and owned and operated teams into a single worldwide division called Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences.
The new organization led by Simon Robinson, chief operating officer of WBD Studios, will be charged with strategically expanding the company’s fan facing experiences and pursuing new businesses that capitalize on IP like those with Universal Destinations & Experiences and Miral, and operated businesses including Warner Bros. Studio Tours in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo.
“WBD has an incredible mix of location-based experiences for fans around the world, from theme parks and tours to exhibits, retail and more,” said Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer. “Bringing these two teams together under one roof gives us an opportunity to leverage and coordinate the talent and resources across all of our experiential businesses to better delight our consumers through offering even more truly authentic and engaging in-person experiences and events in every market.”
Specifically, WBD Global Experiences combines the company’s existing global themed entertainment licensing group, and the Studio Tours & Retail owned and operated businesses into a new cohesive and unified division. The new team will develop and execute on global strategies that offer partners the right mix of both models, putting WBD in a position to drive growth worldwide in the creation, development, licensing and operating of location-based entertainment inspired by Harry Potter, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, Friends, Discovery and more.
Robinson will report to Campbell for Experiences and will continue reporting into WBD’s CFO Gunnar Wiendenfels for his studio and content operations and financial roles.
He named two veteran to his new organization, who will report to him.
Peter van Roden, EVP of Global Themed Entertainment, will continue in his role leading the licensed location-based entertainment and theme parks businesses as well as the division’s global business development. His team will continue to manage the partnership with Universal Destinations & Experiences for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter locations, Miral for Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and The WB Abu Dhabi, and the company’s other licensed exhibitions.
And Sarah Roots. EVP, Worldwide Studio Tours & Retail, will continue in her role leading WBD’s owned and operated experiences including the award-winning Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and the Harry Potter flagship and other retail stores.
“Peter and Sarah are experts in curating and executing global location-based experiences at the very highest caliber. Our teams have an obsession for detail that we bring to each project and together, we will be able to bring partners – and fans – even more of what they’ve come to expect from a Warner Bros. experience,” Robinson said.
