The streaming wars are heating up, as Netflix snapped up former Disney Executive Vice President Nancy Kantor just one day after she left her position with Disney Channels Worldwide.
Kantor played a critical role at Disney, having launched and operated Disney Junior, a channel for preschool children, and acting as the EVP of Content and Creative Strategy for Disney Channels Worldwide.
Netflix is very clear that the move is part of their quest to play catch up with Disney+ in terms of family and children’s entertainment. “We’re very fired up about catching them in family animation—maybe eventually passing them, we’ll see, a long way to go just to catch them—and maintaining our lead in general entertainment that’s so stimulating,” Netflix’s founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings said on the company’s earnings call two weeks ago.
In her new role with Netflix, Kanter will develop and produce animated and live-action projects—both feature films and series—targeted at kids and families through her company Available Light Productions.
The news doesn’t come as a complete surprise, as Kanter let it be known in April last year that she would be leaving Disney and looking for new opportunities, but for Netflix the partnership is a major win.
Kanter is joining Netflix after two decades working at Disney where she produced several popular franchises. They include Emmy winning show Sofia the First, the Emmy nominated Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the Owl House, the Peabody Award winning Doc McStuffins, and other hit series including Vampirina and Elena of Avalor. Kanter played key roles in High School Musical: the Series, Monsters at Work, The Secret Society of Second Born Royals and two upcoming movies for Disney+, Spin and Sneakerella.
Not surprisingly, Netflix is crowing over the partnership with Kanter this week.
“We want Netflix to be the home of the world’s best storytellers and creative visionaries, and few embody that more than Nancy Kanter,” said Melissa Cobb, VP of Original Animation at Netflix. “She’s already made a lasting impact on a generation of kids—creating opportunities to see their lives on screen and inspiring them to feel connected to something bigger than themselves. We can’t wait for her to bring new stories to life at Netflix, and continue to entertain and inspire audiences around the world.”
The transition to a new company was a long time coming as she agreed with her division’s President and Chief Creative Officer Gary Marsh on a long transition period, which would give Disney time to put together a comprehensive plan for the future of Disney Channels. Kanter had made it clear she was looking for new challenges, and this week said she’s happy to be working on new projects with the world’s largest streamer.
Prior to joining Disney Channel, Kanter was president of Bluecow.com, an internet site for children’s entertainment and early learning. She was also an executive producer for Sesame Workshop, where she supervised development and production of more than 30 Sesame Street specials and direct-to-video projects, including the Emmy Award-winning Elmo Saves Christmas.