Moonbug Expands Global Brand Partnerships Business with EMEA & APAC Leadership Hire

Fran Hale joins to scale international ad sales and partnerships as demand grows for family-focused advertising

LONDON – March 26, 2026 – Moonbug Entertainment, the company behind global kids’ sensations CoComelon and Blippi, has appointed Fran Hale as Head of Ad Sales and Brand Partnerships for EMEA & APAC.

Based in the UK, Hale will report to Dan’l Hewitt, Global Head of Brand Partnerships, and work to shape and execute Moonbug’s global brand partnerships strategy with the team’s leaders. She will focus on accelerating growth across key international markets, with an immediate priority of expanding the regional team.

The hire comes as Moonbug continues to scale its global brand partnerships business, helping brands connect with families across YouTube and streaming in ways that are transparent, compliant, and measurable.

“Kids and family content is one of the most engaged audiences in media today, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood,” said Dan’l Hewitt, Global Head of Brand Partnerships at Moonbug Entertainment. “Brands want to show up for families, but there’s been a lot of confusion around how to do it responsibly. What we’ve proven is that when it’s done right - when it’s transparent, compliant, and genuinely useful to parents - it works. Fran has spent her career building that kind of business across markets, and she’s exactly the right leader to help us scale that globally.”

Hale brings 20 years of experience driving international revenue growth across digital ad sales and brand partnerships. She has held senior leadership roles at Warner Music Group, Little Dot Studios, Brave Bison, and Vevo, where she built and led commercial teams across multiple markets and delivered sustained growth across YouTube ad sales, content partnerships, and channel management.

Most recently, she served as VP Sales, EMEA at Warner Music Group, where she launched and scaled the WMX Media & Creative Content division internationally, achieving triple-digit revenue growth and expanding into six new markets.

“Kids’ content has never been more culturally relevant, but the way it’s funded hasn’t kept up,” said Fran Hale. “There’s a real opportunity for brands to show up for families in ways that are thoughtful, responsible, and genuinely useful - and to see real business impact as a result. Moonbug has already proven what’s possible here, and I’m excited to build on that momentum across EMEA and APAC.”

About Moonbug

Moonbug is an award-winning global entertainment company inspiring kids everywhere to laugh, learn and grow. The company is behind some of the biggest kids’ entertainment brands in the world, including CoComelon, Blippi and Little Angel. Moonbug believes every child should have access to entertaining and enriching content, making its shows available on more than 150 video platforms globally including Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer and YouTube Kids. The company is also a global leader in pre-school music and audio experiences, available on 100+ audio platforms globally. Moonbug brands extend far beyond the screen to include streaming music, games and interactive, consumer products, and live events.

Moonbug is part of Candle Media, an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community, and commerce, it helps to position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. Candle is run by its Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs, leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and backed by investment capital from funds managed by Blackstone’s flagship private equity business.