Stephen Davis Joins Hasbro

PAWTUCKET: Stephen J. Davis, a former president of Granada America, has joined Hasbro’s newly formed Los Angeles-based studio as president, producing titles for the company’s new joint-venture network with Discovery Communications that launches in the fall of 2010.

Hasbro Studios will produce shows based on Hasbro’s brands, deliver new branded content and produce programs from third-party content creators. This content will be made for the still-unnamed Hasbro/Discovery channel that replaces Discovery Kids in the U.S. next fall, but Hasbro will retain all global programming rights, including DVD rights, for distribution to the global marketplace. Content will also be available digitally, including online through Hasbro.com and the network’s website.  

Davis takes up his post in September, leading a team of internal and external creative talent in a range of genres, including animated, live-action and game show programming, as well as content designed for digital and mobile extensions. Hasbro Studios is set to develop content based on Romper Room, Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Cranium, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe and Transformers, among other brands.

Davis was most recently the CEO of Family Entertainment Group and is currently serving as a producer on a teen-oriented series called Young Buc’s in development at ABC Family, among other projects. He previously headed up mobile and online media at InfoSpace and was president of Granada America.

“We are very pleased that Steve Davis has come on board to head up Hasbro Studios,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s president and CEO. “Steve has an excellent track record in all facets critical to the long-term success of this venture. He has a strong creative background while also bringing us the full-range of skills necessary to run a studio. He is absolutely the right person to begin leveraging Hasbro’s brands to their fullest potential as we look to create immersive entertainment experiences globally.”

“The opportunity to lead Hasbro’s creative team in providing original and branded content for the Hasbro-Discovery joint venture network and international markets couldn’t be more exciting or gratifying,” Davis added. “Hasbro owns an amazing portfolio of brands that have only scratched the surface in terms of the potential for creating great programming. It is now my job to ensure that we build a dynamic team and that we attract the best and brightest creative talent from the community to maximize this potential. This is the dream opportunity—I can’t wait to get started.”