Sam Register to Depart Warner Bros. Animation After 18-Year Run
Sam Register, the long-serving president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, is leaving the company as his contract expires next week. The news was announced internally Tuesday by Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, to whom Register reported.
“It's with mixed emotions that I announce the studio and our head of animation, Sam Register, have mutually agreed not to renew his contract," Dungey wrote in a memo to staff, as reported by Deadline and Variety. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Dungey acknowledged the move likely comes as a surprise to many in the company.
Register's exit marks the end of more than three decades at the company. He joined Warner Bros. Animation as a producer in 2007 stub, was named executive vice president of creative affairs in 2008 rank, and became president in 2014. He added Cartoon Network Studios to his oversight in 2020 and took on Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe the following year, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Prior to his time at the studio, he spent 10 years at Cartoon Network, beginning his career there in 1994 and launching the network's first website in 1998, according to Variety and Deadline.
Register's résumé spans a wide range of animated projects. During his tenure, Warner Bros. Animation produced series including "Looney Tunes Cartoons," the "Animaniacs" revival, "Harley Quinn," "Young Justice," "Teen Titans Go!," "Primal" and "Unikitty!," as reported by Variety. He also executive produced the films "Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" and the live-action/animated hybrid "Tom and Jerry" movie, according to the same outlet. The Hollywood Reporter noted his earlier work as executive producer on series such as "Ben 10," "The Looney Tunes Show," "Teen Titans" and "Teen Titans Go!," as well as "Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated." A character in the Teen Titans comics is named after him, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dungey's memo, which Variety published in full, said that Register's exit was a mutual decision. "It's with mixed emotions that I announce the studio and our head of animation, Sam Register, have mutually agreed not to renew his contract," Dungey wrote. Register offered his own statement: "It's time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life, and I'm grateful to have Channing's support as I exit Warner Bros. Animation. It's been an amazing ride, and I want to thank all the talented people I've had the privilege to work with — we built something extraordinary together. I wish everyone the very best going forward, and I'm excited about what lies ahead."
A search for Register's replacement is already underway, Dungey said. In the interim, Matt Matzkin will continue to lead business operations, while creative department heads Jay Bastian (current series), Audrey Diehl (kids and family), Sarah Fell (Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe), Peter Girardi (alternative programming/adult) and Sammy Perlmutter (long-form and specials) will lead their respective departments, according to the memo.
Register's career at Warner Bros. began in 2007 when he joined the company as a producer, before being named executive vice president of creative affairs in 2008 and president in 2014. His tenure also included oversight of Cartoon Network Studios starting in 2020. His overall time at the company spans more than 30 years, including his earlier stint at Cartoon Network. During his leadership, the studios produced a steady stream of animated hits, with current projects including "Adventure Time: Side Quests," "Batman: Caped Crusader," "Creature Commandos," "My Adventures With Superman" and "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball," as listed by Variety.
The news was first reported by Variety. It remains unclear whether Register's departure is linked to Warner Bros. Discovery's pending acquisition by Paramount, a topic that was not addressed in Dungey's memo.