{"id":6603,"date":"2026-08-25T22:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6603"},"modified":"2026-08-25T22:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:37:03","slug":"sam-register-to-depart-as-head-of-warner-bros-animation-cartoon-network-studios-and-hanna-barbera-studios-europe-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6603","title":{"rendered":"Sam Register to Depart as Head of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tLongtime Warner Bros. animation boss Sam Register is departing the company next week as his contract expires, Warner Bros. TV Group chair Channing Dungey announced in a memo to staffers this afternoon. Dungey said she and Register \u201cmutually agreed not to renew his contract,\u201d and that he will be exiting his long-running role as president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network\u00a0Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6601\">Dolly Parton Tribute Specials Set on CBS, CMT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life, and I\u2019m grateful to have Channing\u2019s support as I exit Warner Bros Animation,\u201d Register said in a statement shared by Dungey. \u201cIt\u2019s been an amazing ride and I want to extend my sincere thanks to all the great people I\u2019ve worked with \u2014 we\u2019ve built some incredible things together.\u00a0I wish you all the best moving forward, and I\u2019m excited to explore all the possibilities in my future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn her memo, Dungey acknowledged that news of Register\u2019s exit likely comes as a surprise, and that a search is now underway for his replacement. In the meantime, she added that Matt Matzkin\u00a0will continue to lead\u00a0business operations, while creative department heads \u2014\u00a0Jay Bastian (current series), Jason\u00a0DeMarco (anime and action series), Audrey\u00a0Diehl (kids and family), Sarah Fell (Hanna-Barbera Studios, U.K.), Peter Girardi (alternative programming\/adult) and Sammy\u00a0Perlmutter\u00a0(long form and specials)\u00a0\u2014\u00a0will lead their respective departments.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRegister has run Warner Bros. Animation for 18 years, first joining the studio as a producer in 2007 and taking over (first as exec VP of creative affairs) in 2008. He added Cartoon Network Studios to his oversight in 2020. Prior to Warner Bros. Animation, Register spent 10 years at Cartoon Network \u2014 which means his tenure inside Warner Bros. Discovery actually spreads out over more than 30 years.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRegister began his animation career with Cartoon Network in 1994, developing and producing animated series such as \u201cChowder,\u201d \u201cFlapjack,\u201d \u201cClone Wars\u201d and \u201cBen 10.\u201d He also launched Cartoon Network\u2019s first website in 1998. Under Warner Bros. Animation, shows produced under his watch have included \u201cLooney Tunes Cartoons,\u201d the \u201cAnimaniacs\u201d revival, \u201cHarley Quinn,\u201d \u201cYoung Justice,\u201d \u201cTeen Titans Go!,\u201d \u201cGenndy Tartakovsky\u2019s Primal,\u201d \u201cUnikitty!\u201d and more. <\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn film, Register executive produced \u201cTeen Titans Go! to the Movies,\u201d the feature adaptation of \u201cTeen Titans Go!,\u201d and the live-action\/animated \u201cTom and Jerry\u201d movie. Current Warner Bros. Animation\/Cartoon Network Studios series include \u201cAdventure Time: Side Quests,\u201d \u201cBat-Fam,\u201d \u201cBatman: Caped Crusader,\u201d \u201cCreature Commandos,\u201d \u201cMy Adventures With Superman,\u201d \u201cPrimal,\u201d \u201cRegular Show: The Lost Tapes\u201d and \u201cThe Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6599\">Veteran Hollywood Publicist Leonard Morpurgo Dies at 93<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tHere\u2019s a copy of Dungey\u2019s memo to staff:<\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Dear WBA Team,<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>It\u2019s with mixed emotions that I announce the studio and our head of animation,\u00a0Sam Register,\u00a0have mutually agreed not to renew his contract. Sam,\u00a0our president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network\u00a0Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe,\u00a0is a great talent and we thank him for all the enormous contributions he\u2019s made over his 18 years heading up our animation efforts. We\u00a0wish him the best in all future endeavors.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Sam asked me to share this with you:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>\u201cIt\u2019s time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life, and I\u2019m grateful to have Channing\u2019s support as I exit Warner Bros Animation. It\u2019s been an amazing ride and I want to extend my sincere thanks to all the great people I\u2019ve worked with \u2014 we\u2019ve built some incredible things together.\u00a0I wish you all the best moving forward, and I\u2019m excited to explore all the possibilities in my future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>While we search for Sam\u2019s replacement, Matt Matzkin\u00a0will continue to lead\u00a0Business Operations, and the current creative department heads \u2014\u00a0Jay Bastian (Current Series), Jason\u00a0DeMarco (Anime &amp; Action Series), Audrey\u00a0Diehl (Kids &amp; Family), Sarah Fell (Hanna-Barbera Studios, U.K.), Peter Girardi (Alternative Programming\/Adult), and Sammy\u00a0Perlmutter\u00a0(Long Form &amp; Specials)\u00a0\u2014\u00a0will lead their respective departments.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Needless to say, this will be a time when we\u2019ll need everyone to step up, stay focused and keep delivering the excellence for which our animation studios are so justifiably revered.\u00a0I have every confidence our superb team will emerge from this transition stronger than ever.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<em>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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6597\">Dolly Parton\u2019s Musical Will Still Open on Broadway \u2018As Was Dolly\u2019s Wish\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sam Register is leaving as head of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe after three decades at the company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[2589,2590,5117,2412],"class_list":["post-6603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-cartoon-network-studios","tag-hanna-barbera-studios-europe","tag-sam-register","tag-warner-bros-animation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sam Register to Depart as Head of Warner Bros. 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