It’s been a wonderful day in the neighborhood for Matthew Shiels, who was promoted this week from director to VP of Business and Legal Affairs at Fred Rogers Productions.
As a major part of that promotion, Shiels now takes on the responsibility of overseeing licensing activities for the Fred Rogers brands. Those include not just the iconic show Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood, but also the Emmy Award-winning PBS KIDS series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, and Peg + Cat, along with the just-launched Donkey Hodie and upcoming Alma’s Way. Shiels will report directly to COO Christopher Arnold.
“Matt is a valued member of our senior executive team,” said Arnold. “He has formed and strengthened relationships with our partners while shaping and implementing our strategic vision for international distribution, licensing, and merchandising. Most importantly, Matt models our core values of thoughtfulness, respect, and dedication to his craft.”
Shiels joined Fred Rogers Productions in 2017. He advises the company on general corporate matters and is responsible for agreements covering program development, production and distribution, merchandise licensing, intellectual property, copyright and trademarks, and the administration of an extensive music library. Previously, Shiels handled a broad range of legal services, such as patent and trademark counseling and litigation services, for the Pittsburgh-based law firm Reed Smith LLP. Before that, he was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, LLC in Chicago.
Fred Rogers Productions was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS. In the years that followed, it created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program and extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health while supporting parents, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals in their work with children.
“I feel privileged to work with such a talented and dedicated team who is committed to advancing our mission of providing quality, meaningful content for children and their families around the world,” said Shiels.