The Wonder Project Strengthens Executive Team

The Wonder Project has expanded its executive leadership team with the addition of industry veterans Tom McAlister, Neil Varghese and Rina Yano.

McAlister joins The Wonder Project as chief marketing officer and will establish the company’s brand and content marketing practices. He joins from BECK Media & Marketing, where he was president and partner and led campaigns for clients including Meta, National Geographic and ZipRecruiter.

Varghese joins The Wonder Project as senior VP of finance and corporate development and will lead the studio’s finance team. He joins from Crooked Media, where he served as chief financial officer for five years and played an integral role during a period of growth, leading the company into a partnership with SiriusXM.

Yano joins as senior VP and co-head of business and legal affairs, following an extensive career at Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Media. There, Yano was responsible for business affairs, production, clearance, licensing and the distribution of various TV programs.

“At The Wonder Project, we want to entertain the world with courageous stories that inspire hope and restore faith in things worth believing in,” said The Wonder Project CEO Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten. “I’m humbled and honored that our new company’s mission has drawn such accomplished industry leaders to our cause. Tom, Neil and Rina have already made an impact on our new company, and I am so excited to welcome them.”