Sam Register, the head of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios, is stepping down from his position at Warner Bros. Discovery. He will depart next week, when his current contract expires.
Warner Bros. TV Group chair Channing Dungey announced his departure in a memo and said that it was “mutually agreed” not to renew his contract.
Register began his career with Cartoon Network back in 1994 and it’s hard to overestimate the profound role that he has had in modern animation, first at Cartoon Network, then at Warner Bros. Animation and finally leading animation for Warner Bros. Discovery’s linear and streaming platforms.
Among Register’s many achievements was, through the Toonami programming block introduced to Cartoon Network in 1997, exposing early western audiences to Japanese anime decades before anime became mainstream and platforms like Crunchyroll existed. He would mostly show reruns but later help fund several anime projects, including new seasons of Kazuya Tsurumaki’s beloved cult hit “FLCL.”
He also, with the launch of the Adult Swim late-night programming block in 2001, introduced adult animation on a mainstream cable channel. This had a profound impact on western animation, which had largely been defined by family-friendly animated features and slightly risqué primetime sitcoms like “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” With Adult Swim, a flood of unique, creator-driven projects were allowed to blossom and with it some genuine crossover hits like “Rick & Morty,” “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” and “Primal.” (Incredibly, reruns of “Family Guy” and “Futurama” led to those series being resurrected on their respective networks.)
More recently, Register helped broaden the scope of Warner Bros. Animation by making shows that were then sold to other streamers, instead of the pipeline being straighter and going from linear exhibition on WBD-owned channels to the WBD-owned streaming service HBO Max. For instance, a new “Adventure Time” spinoff premiered on Disney+ and “Batman: Caped Crusader,” a spiritual successor to “Batman: The Animated Series,” aired two seasons on Prime Video (with more, potentially, to come).
Register helped genuine artists like Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, Pendelton Ward, Patrick McHale, Rebecca Sugar and countless others and inspired countless more with the unique sensibilities and storytelling fearlessness that helped define Cartoon Network and, to a larger extent, all of Warner Bros. Animation.
Another series championed by Register, “Teen Titans Go!,” an irreverent DC series, has been on the air since 2013 and has produced more than 450 episodes, along with an incredible, theatrically released feature film (“Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”). There are more episodes on the way.
It’s unclear what’s next for Register, but at Warner Bros. Animation Matt Matzkin will continue to lead Business Operations, and the current creative department heads — Jay Bastian (Current Series), Jason DeMarco (Anime & Action Series), Audrey Diehl (Kids & Family), Sarah Fell (Hanna-Barbera Studios, U.K.), Peter Girardi (Alternative Programming/Adult) and Sammy Perlmutter (Long Form & Specials) – will continue in their roles, according to the memo.
“It’s time for me to move onto the next chapter in my life, and I’m grateful to have Channing’s support as I exit Warner Bros. Animation. It’s been an amazing ride and I want to extend my sincere thanks to all the great people I’ve worked with — we’ve built some incredible things together. I wish you all the best moving forward, and I’m excited to explore all the possibilities in my future,” wrote Register in the memo Dungey shared.
You can read the rest of the memo, shared with TheWrap, below.
Dear WBA Team,
It’s with mixed emotions that I announce the studio and our head of animation, Sam Register, have mutually agreed not to renew his contract. Sam, our President of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, is a great talent and we thank him for all the enormous contributions he’s made over his 18 years heading up our animation efforts. We wish him the best in all future endeavors.
Sam asked me to share this with you:
“It’s time for me to move onto the next chapter in my life, and I’m grateful to have Channing’s support as I exit Warner Bros Animation. It’s been an amazing ride and I want to extend my sincere thanks to all the great people I’ve worked with — we’ve built some incredible things together. I wish you all the best moving forward, and I’m excited to explore all the possibilities in my future.”
While we search for Sam’s replacement, Matt Matzkin will continue to lead Business Operations, and the current creative department heads — Jay Bastian (Current Series), Jason DeMarco (Anime & Action Series), Audrey Diehl (Kids & Family), Sarah Fell (Hanna-Barbera Studios, UK), Peter Girardi (Alternative Programming/Adult), and Sammy Perlmutter (Long Form & Specials) — will lead their respective departments.
Needless to say, this will be a time when we’ll need everyone to step up, stay focused and keep delivering the excellence for which our animation studios are so justifiably revered. I have every confidence our superb team will emerge from this transition stronger than ever.
I know this comes as a surprise and you have a lot to digest. Please reach out to your supervisor with any concerns, and remember my door is always open.
