John F. Hardman Is Promoted To Senior Vice President, Kids’ WB!, Rising To The #1 Position For The #1 Kids’ Broadcaster

(January 30, 2003 – Burbank, CA) – John F. Hardman has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Kids’ WB!, it was announced today by Jed Petrick, The WB’s President and Chief Operating Officer to whom he reports. Mr. Hardman, who has been with Kids’ WB! for four years, most recently served as Vice President, Programming and Development, Kids’ WB!. In his new capacity, Mr. Hardman oversees all aspects of the development, scheduling and programming of animated and live-action series for the #1 broadcast network for kids. “John has been here since the beginning of our ascension as a key executive responsible for the creation and development of our biggest hits, including ratings behemoth `Yu-Gi-Oh!’” said Mr. Petrick. “He played an essential role developing `Ozzy & Drix,’ `iMucha Lucha!’ and `What’s New Scooby-Doo?,’ shows with long-term growth potential that have made our schedule consistent across every time period. With John at the helm, I’m confident Kids WB! will continue to be a strong youth platform for our primetime programming.” This season, Mr. Hardman played an essential role in putting together the production and talent teams for three new series, including the innovative buddy-cop comedy “Ozzy & Drix,” the ground-breaking “¡Mucha Lucha!,” and the all-new “What’s New Scooby-Doo?” He also serves as the current programming executive on Kids’ WB!’s hit series “Jackie Chan Adventures” and “X-Men: Evolution,” among others. Mr. Hardman also works closely with The WB’s research department to find out what kids want to watch, and with other divisions within AOL Time Warner such as Features, Consumer Products, Publishing, and New Media in order to create synergistic programming that can succeed on multiple platforms. Before joining Kids’ WB!, Mr. Hardman was Head of Development and Current Programming for the TV Animation Division of Dreamworks SKG where he was responsible for developing all of the studio's television animation projects, including children's programs and primetime animated series. He also served as a current programming executive on the animated comedy “Toonsylvania.” Prior to that, Mr. Hardman was Director of Creative Affairs at Klasky Csupo Studios and was responsible for all development of their new series, as well as a current programming executive. While at Klasky Csupo, he developed the now hit series “The Wild Thornberrys,” “Rocket Power” and “As Told By Ginger,” as well as numerous pilots for Nickelodeon. # # #