Visual effects and animation studio Cinesite has hired former Laika and NBCU exec Bradley Wald as its first animation COO. In this newly created role, Wald will head up Cinesite’s animation business operations in Vancouver, Montreal and London.

Based in LA, Wald joined the company earlier this month and reports to CEO Antony Hunt. Cinesite’s animation slate includes new Nigerian science-fiction series Iwaju for Disney Animation and Nigeria’s Kugali Media; it will premiere in 2023 on Disney+. The company is also working on animated adventure film Hitpig, based on characters from author Berkeley Breathed’s picture book Pete & Pickles.

Before joining Cinesite, Wald worked at animation studio Laika as CFO and SVP of business operations. He managed the release of stop-motion feature films Kubo & the Two Strings and Missing Link and worked on TV adaptations of the company’s movies, as well as overseeing its business in consumer products, brand extensions and live exhibitions.

Wald also previously worked in the C-suite at NBCUniversal, where he oversaw brand expansion and commercial business for the series Downton Abbey in distribution and home entertainment as SVP of business development and operations.