Crayola has announced the addition of new team members that will help facilitate the continued growth of its global licensing and location-based entertainment (LBE) business—key growth vectors for the company.
Joining the Crayola Business Development, Global Licensing & Experiences team are Anna Roca, formerly of 20th Century Fox and The Walt Disney Studios, and Jonathan Linn, formerly with DreamWorks, The Walt Disney Studios and Universal.
“We are excited to welcome industry professionals Anna and Jonathan to the team. Both have excelled across multiple global enterprises and built strategic alliances with major brands. They will propel our expansion and increase engagement as we continue to foster meaningful consumer relationships with the Crayola brand,” said Warren Schorr, Senior Vice President Business Development, Global Licensing & Experiences.
Anna Roca joins Crayola as Head of Global Partnerships & Promotions. She is responsible for curating partnerships with brands eager to join Crayola in crafting a more imaginative and expressive world. Roca also is taking on the role of Director of Licensing for Mexico and Latin America to jump start the licensing business in Central and South America.
Much of Roca’s career was with 20th Century Fox working in diverse business units including International Theatrical and International TV, Sky Latin America, Global Home Entertainment, and News Corp. She has worked on some of the most successful influential campaigns such as Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Peanuts Movie, Trolls, Ice Age, Rio, X-Men, and Bohemian Rhapsody. Soon after the Disney acquisition in 2019, Anna became the SVP of Global Marketing Partnerships at Disney where she oversaw promotions for films under the Twentieth Century Fox, Pixar, Lucas, and Disney banners.
Jonathan Linn joined Crayola as Global Head of Location Based Entertainment (LBE) in March. He is responsible for global expansion, growth and management of Crayola’s LBE business.
Linn is an award-winning global innovator and brand strategist championing seven of the top 50 global brands, as well as a multi-genre global executive producer of live-action, location-based, and animation projects. His experience across global retailers, licensing, live-action, animation, live and location-based entertainment, theme parks, touring experiences, themed hospitality, cruise lines, and consumer product industries have created new entertainments, immersive experiences, and retail successes reaching more than 130 million guests annually world-wide.
Linn has worked with leading franchises and IP’s including Cars, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Shrek, DreamWorks Trolls, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Madagascar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ice Age, Rio and more. Some of his former companies include Disney, Universal, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Guess, Speedo, Banana Republic, and B.U.M. Equipment.
Also joining the team are Thomas Dimech as Crayola UK Licensing Manager, and Gabby Munoz as Crayola Licensing Project Manager.
Dimech is responsible for expanding licensed retail development in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and supporting EMEA licensees and agents. He comes from Retail Monster where he was the Senior Retail and Brand Manager. Munoz is responsible for overseeing product development for the Crayola’s licensees who produce fashion goods, stationary, social expressions, and crafts. She was previously at Marvel Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company, where she managed product development and creative approvals.
For 120 years Crayola has pursued its mission to help parents and educators raise creatively alive children. As part of that ongoing commitment, Crayola has continued to innovate and evolve new ways to interact and engage with consumers across its portfolio of art tools, crafting activities, and creativity toys, and more recently through content, digital activation, and location-based entertainment.
“These changes will enable new licensed promotions and partnerships, increase our focus on licensed retail development around the globe, and support the development of product categories and creative experiences internationally and domestically,” Schorr said.
