Encantos Appoints Steven Wolfe Pereira as CEO; First 'Canticos' Consumer Products to Launch During Fall 2019

Encantos Appoints Steven Wolfe Pereira As Chief Executive Officer

The accomplished marketing, media and technology industry leader joins the premier direct-to-consumer multicultural family entertainment and education company to drive the next phase of growth and global expansion

Canticos, the award-winning Latino-inspired bilingual nursery rhyme brand from Encantos

March 11, 2019 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

CULVER CITY, Calif.--Encantos Media Studios, PBC (“Encantos”), the leading family entertainment and education company building direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands for today’s multicultural world, today announced that Steven Wolfe Pereira has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

Named by Adweek as one of the "50 Most Indispensable Executives in Marketing, Media and Tech" as well as one of the top Chief Marketing Technology Officers, Mr. Wolfe Pereira has more than two decades of experience building brands at the intersection of technology, entertainment, advertising, media and marketing. A Co-Founder of Encantos, Mr. Wolfe Pereira will assume day-to-day leadership of the Company and will also continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He will be based in Culver City, California.

“This is the perfect time for Steven to become Encantos’ Chief Executive Officer. There has never been more demand for family brands that are culturally authentic and focused on engaging diverse audiences,” said Marlon Nichols, Managing Partner of Cross Culture Ventures. “The growing importance of multicultural audiences coincides with the other key trend, the rise of direct-to-consumer brands. Direct brands are digitally-native, data-driven, customer-obsessed and use content as a differentiator with the company’s mission at the heart of their story. With their unique fusion of culture, cause, connectivity, content and commerce, we couldn’t be more excited about the brands they are building and Steven joining will help take Encantos to the next level.”

“I’m delighted to see Steven step into the role of CEO for Encantos,” said Melanie Healey, Encantos Board Advisor. “He is a visionary leader who deeply understands the needs of today’s consumers. Now more than ever, brands matter – especially for kids and families. I'm looking forward to seeing him drive the next chapter of growth for Encantos.”

Founded in 2015, Encantos’ mission is to build family entertainment and education brands from the perspective of people of color. Focused on kids 14 and under, Encantos designs and develops global brands inspired by a world of cultures crafted by diverse creators telling authentic character-driven stories with universal appeal. Using a direct-to-consumer approach with an intellectual property to consumer products strategy, kids and families experience Encantos brands in multiple ways including content, publishing, e-commerce and consumer products. As a public benefit corporation (PBC), each Encantos brand supports a social benefit cause, giving back to the community.

The first Encantos property is Canticos, the award-winning Latino-inspired bilingual nursery rhyme brand. The 2019 Kidscreen winner for Best Digital Preschool Web / App Series, Canticos first launched in spring 2016 with apps, books and digital videos. Encantos later partnered with Nickelodeon to launch its acclaimed bilingual digital video series in spring 2018 across its digital preschool platforms including NickJr.com, the Nick Jr. app and Noggin, its video subscription service. Encantos and Nickelodeon are also developing the first Canticos collection of consumer products to launch in fall 2019, spanning categories including layette, toys, accessories, home, publishing and more.

“I’m thrilled by the opportunity to join Encantos during this pivotal moment when there is so much demand for diverse and purpose-driven family entertainment and education,” said Wolfe Pereira. “The two most important growth drivers of the 21st century will be diversity and digital. However, despite people of color being the majority of the world’s population, we still have a huge gap in having multicultural audiences accurately represented across content and commerce in an authentic way. Millennials may be the most diverse generation in history, but the children of millennials known as “Generation Alpha” are even more diverse. These are the kids born after 2010 who are immersed in technology from the beginning of their life. Their families want trusted brands that reflect their values, their culture and their tech-savvy lifestyle, and Encantos is uniquely positioned as a next-generation direct-to-consumer company fusing data, IP and CP to build beloved global brands that can be both fun and educational. As CEO, I can’t wait to work with our incredibly talented team so we can launch new brands and accelerate our momentum while creating long-term value for our all of our employees, customers, partners, investors and stakeholders.”

Before joining Encantos, Mr. Wolfe Pereira was the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Quantcast. Previously, he also served as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Neustar (acquired by Golden Gate Capital) and at Datalogix (acquired by Oracle). Mr. Wolfe Pereira has also held executive roles at Publicis Groupe, Univision and Akamai Technologies. He began his career in finance, focused on technology, media and telecom mergers and acquisitions, working at firms including The Blackstone Group, Salomon Smith Barney (Citigroup) and Violy, Byorum & Partners. A passionate supporter of women and diversity initiatives as well as STEAM education, Mr. Wolfe Pereira serves as a board director of the Ad Council, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Kapor Center’s SMASH program and the Presidio Graduate School. He earned a B.A. from Tufts University, was a Fulbright Scholar and completed the Greater Boston Executive MBA Program at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Mr. Wolfe Pereira succeeds Nuria Santamaria Wolfe, an Encantos Co-Founder who has been serving as Chief Executive Officer since 2015. Ms. Santamaria Wolfe will continue serving as part of the Company’s executive team becoming Encantos’ new Chief Marketing Officer, effectively immediately. Ms. Santamaria Wolfe along with Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Susie Jaramillo have been the driving force behind the successful launch of Encantos’ first brand Canticos.

Encantos also announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from San Francisco, California to Culver City, California, effective April 1, 2019. Known as “The Heart of Screenland”, Culver City has a storied history as a hub for creativity, technology and innovation and is home to such firms as Amazon Studios, Beats Electronics (Apple), PTTOW!, Sony Pictures Studios (originally MGM Studios) and XPRIZE.

About Encantos:

Encantos Media Studios, PBC (Encantos) is the leading family entertainment and education company building brands for today’s multicultural world. Dedicated to helping kids of diverse backgrounds see the very best of themselves, Encantos creates culture-inspired content that is nurtured into beloved global brands. Using a direct-to-consumer (DTC) approach, kids and families experience Encantos brands in multiple ways including content, publishing, e-commerce and consumer products. As a public benefit corporation (PBC), each Encantos brand supports a social benefit cause giving back to the community. For more information, visit www.encantosmedia.com. For more information on Encantos’ Canticos brand, visit www.canticosworld.com.

Watch Canticos now on NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. App!

More Nick: NOGGIN, Nickelodeon’s Preschool Subscription Service, Expands Educational Offerings with Addition of New Spanish-Language Content!

H/T: SYS-CON MEDIA.

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