Rich Morris joins Carl Reed’s animation studio Composition Media in the new role of SVP, Content & Brands

EXCLUSIVE: Former Rock the Bells and Paramount executive Rich Morris has been named to the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Content and Brands at Composition Media, the animation studio led by Their love Producer Carl Reed.

Morris will be responsible for leading licensing and merchandising initiatives related to all intellectual property owned by Composition Media and its joint production companies. Additionally, he will be tasked with identifying potential partnership opportunities from both traditional and non-traditional entertainment perspectives to drive brand integration across projects and direct marketing efforts for the company and its portfolio.

Also joining the company are Issac “Ike” Reed, an enthusiastic transmedia and digital researcher, and illustrator and artist Anthony Piper, who will serve as creative director and senior art director, respectively.

The new additions follow a busy year for the company. Recently, the company announced an anime production partnership with Manuel and Geiszel Godoy’s Black Sands Entertainment, a leader in black comics publishing. Their first project together will be an anime series adaptation of the comic Black Sands: The Seven Kingdoms. Other developments at Composition Media include 2D animated adult comedy Bad grandmothersa feature film co-produced with Steve Harvey’s East 112; Sky and Luna, the first film in an eight-film collaboration with Labid Aziz’s People of Culture Studios and Man of Action Entertainment; And Slinger skin feudA TV series based on the critically acclaimed board game of the same name.

Company founder Reed said of the new hires: “At Composition Media, we believe in the power of diverse voices coming together to create stories that resonate with a broad audience. We understand that a company is only as good as the talent it has. The addition of Rich, Ike and Anthony’s extensive expertise and experienced backgrounds will strengthen Composition Media’s unwavering commitment to sharing innovative and inclusive stories.”

Morris added: “It is an honor to join Composition Media and bring my unwavering passion and experience to this dynamic team. Carl Reed’s profound vision aligns seamlessly with my unwavering commitment to advancing inclusive storytelling. I am thrilled to embark on this journey with a collective that not only creates compelling content, but also empowers and inspires voices through its powerful storytelling.”

Morris came to Composition with nearly two decades of experience in marketing, branding and strategic business solutions. Previously, he was vice president of global merchandising at Rock the Bells, the entertainment brand led by LL Cool J. During his tenure, he built the brand’s licensing business. and Merchandising Vertical, restructured the e-commerce activities and developed strategies for both areas that led to long-term growth. He also held various VP positions at Paramount, where he executed major global commercial campaigns and events and transformed intellectual property into revenue-generating franchise powerhouses, including BET’s expansion into consumer products.

Reed began his career at Brainfreeze Interactive before founding the digital arm of Reed’s Lion Forge Comics, where he launched stories such as Unbelievable And Trimaxx. Dedicated to supporting emerging storytellers, he also founded Big Fat Hero, which is described as “a geektainment developer that combines geek culture with groundbreaking entertainment.”

With more than two decades of experience across television, digital platforms and print media, Piper’s portfolio includes comics, animated films and campaigns for Netflix, Brisk and The New York Times. He has been involved with iconic Marvel IPs such as X men, Guardians of the universeAnd spider manwhile doing animation work for Facebook, Warner Bros. and Fox did.

Prior to joining Composition Media, Reed co-founded Lion Forge Comics and Lion Forge Animation, where he served as President and Chief Creative Officer. While at Lion Forge, he produced Matthew Cherry’s Academy Award-winning animated short Their love – from which the Max series was born Young love, of which he is also the producer. Other projects there include Annie and the NAACP Image Award-nominated animated series Stand up, sing along and the Emmy-nominated animated series Rhymes through the ages. Reed won an Emmy for his work on the PBS short series Nine Withdrawn earlier in the year.