Under Ouweleen, Adult Swim finished out 2023 as a top 5 cable network among A18-34 and 18-49 and premiered the top three new animated series on cable: “Unicorn: Warriors Eternal,” “My Adventures with Superman” and “Royal Crackers.” Over at Cartoon Network, he shepherded the launch of preschool series “Jessica’s Big Little World,” a “Craig of the Creek” spinoff. Look for new series such as “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads,” Adult Swim’s first Spanish-language series, and “Rick and Morty: The Anime.”
Which industry executive do you wish was running for president and why? I think people with actual governing experience, preferably over decades, should run. Or Martin Sheen, obviously.
Biggest takeaway from the Hollywood strikes? That we should have all been more appreciative of the business models that were in place for the mid to late 20th century.
My prediction for the $42 billion BEAD program: That mountain cabin that we have purposefully kept off-grid will be 20% less charming. (But it’s still great and long overdue.)
What celebrity would you hire for your company? Ryan Reynolds, not because he’s a celebrity, but because he’s funny and a great marketing person.
The last thing A.I. got wrong was… One of my 20-something sons was repeatedly asking AI to make a Where’s Waldo type image, and it kept either hilariously making everyone Waldo, or making Waldo enormous compared to everyone else and then cheerily saying “Hope you have fun trying to find Waldo in this very crowded landscape!”
Business speak phrase or buzzword I find most annoying: “Double click” makes me want to control-alt-delete.
What emerging industry trend are you most excited by and why? New technology will unlock not just more creativity and possibility but will fully transform formats in ways we can’t predict. The next 18 months are going to be revolutionary.
Do you personally still have a traditional cable video package? Had a great cable package until (unnamed carrier) wouldn’t service it anymore. So vMVPD. Miss the ability to change channels.
TV series everyone should binge: “The Detectorists.” And “Rick and Morty,” obvi.
If you were a social media influencer, what product would you peddle? Nutrafol
Book, movie or TV series that greatly influenced my leadership style: “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater”
Favorite way to destress? Records
Fast food guilty pleasure: Taco Bell potato tacos (I’m vegetarian).
Summer Olympics event you most want to see in person? Breaking! No question!