Wattpad Webtoon Studios Rebrands, Names David Madden President

Webtoon Entertainment—parent company of the Webtoon platform and Wattpad—announced a reorg of its North American entertainment and IP business on July 10. 

Wattpad Webtoon Studios is rebranding as Webtoon Productions, with David Madden (pictured) as president. Maximilian Jo will serve as VP and head of strategy for the global IP business. Madden and Jo will both report to Yongsoo Kim, Webtoon Entertainment chief strategy officer and head of global.

Madden joined Wattpad Webtoon Studios in 2022 as head of global entertainment after executive-level stints at AMC Networks and Fox Television Studios, among other entertainment leaders. As president, he will continue to oversee the development, production, and sales for Wattpad Productions’ U.S. and international feature film, TV, and animation slate of adaptations from Wattpad and Webtoon. He replaces Wattpad Webtoon Studios president Aron Levitz, who stepped down in April to focus on leading the Wattpad platform. 

Jo will retain his current role as general counsel and corporate secretary for Webtoon Entertainment, which he joined in 2021. As VP, Jo will develop new strategic initiatives for Webtoon Productions and Webtoon Entertainment’s global IP ecosystem.

In a statement, Kim said the reorg will help them “usher in a new era of entertainment and bring more Webtoon adaptations to the North American market.”