Fox Entertainment‘s Bento Box Entertainment has brought on board two new executives to help expand its content development and creation goals, naming Brooke Keesling as the newly created role of head of animation talent development and Caitlin Winiarski as creative executive.
“With the business continuing to evolve and platforms’ demand for quality animated content expands with it, now more than ever it is important to have a deep bench of and direct line to the best talent in the space,” said Bento Box CEO and co-founder Scott Greenberg. “And as we strategically grow our output to broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, Brooke and Caitlin’s unique backgrounds, longstanding relationships and creative vision will play an important role in keeping Bento Box the premier destination for established and up-and-coming talent to do their best work.”
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Keesling, who will report to Greenberg and Bento Box COO Brett Coker, will oversee the development of artistic talent acquisition and internal artist relations. On top of building relationships with art and animation colleges and universities, Keesling will also recruit new talent at art and animation conventions, comic-cons and other events.
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She has spent decades as an artist, in production, education and talent development in the animation and VFX industries. Keesling, who has an MFA in animation from CalArts and has worked in practical and miniature visual effects on “Inception,” “Hugo,” “The Dark Knight” and other films, has scouted animation talent for Cartoon Network, Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros., among others. She is an instructor in the character animation department at CalArts, the vice president of ASIFA-Hollywood, an active member of Women in Animation and is on the advisory board of the GLAS Animation Festival.
Winiarski, who will report to Bento Box creative director Ben Jones, is tasked with the hunt for pilot proposals, scripts, and pitches, as well as for source material for development. Prior to Bento Box, she was the creative executive in television at Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sancehz Productions, developing projects from emerging and diverse comedic voices. Winiarski. a Wesleyan grad who started in the mailroom at William Morris Endeavor, also performs with her all-women improv team at various theaters in Los Angeles.
Both Keesling and Winiarski are based at Bento Box’s Los Angeles headquarters.
