Clark, we are not in Metropolis anymore. In the continuing evolution of DC Entertainment into a pillar of the Warner Brothers library, Amit Desai has just been named to the new position of Senior Vice President, Franchise Management — which means he’ll “develop and implement the individual franchise plans for Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, Vertigo titles, and other DC properties. This will include driving wider cross-promotional support across all Time Warner divisions.”
Desai comes from the Warner Home Video division, where he oversaw the successful launch of DC’s series of direct to DVD movies, such as JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER and BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD, giving the division the #1 market share.
Based on a bit of Googling, it’s clear Desai is no stranger to dealing with comics characters. Hopefully, he’ll be able to deal with the cries and laments of fanboys and girls when their favorite character shows up wearing the wrong belt buckle.
Amit Desai has been named Senior Vice President, Franchise Management for DC Entertainment at Warner Bros. The announcement was made today by John Rood, EVP of Sales, Marketing and Business Development. Desai will be based in Burbank and report directly to John Rood.
“Amit is coming to DC Entertainment with a proven track record in building brands both inside and outside Warner Bros.,” said Rood. “That he’s already well-versed in our characters and brands from his experience working on the DC Universe animation business is an added bonus.”
In his new role, Desai will develop and implement the individual franchise plans for Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, Vertigo titles, and other DC properties. This will include driving wider cross-promotional support across all Time Warner divisions.
Amit Desai joined Warner Bros. in 2004. Most recently, he was responsible for Warner Home Video’s non-theatrical family and animation business. During his tenure with Warner Home Video, Desai helped grow non-theatrical family & animation revenue +45% and secured #1 studio market share position for first time in business history. Among his accomplishments, Desai is credited with the launch of new franchises such as DC Universe – a series of animated original movies inspired by DC Comics graphic novels.
Desai came to Warner Bros. from the Walt Disney Company where he was responsible for brand management and marketing/synergy activities on behalf of feature films. Prior to Disney, Desai also served in marketing roles at Nestle and American Express.
Desai is a native Californian and was raised in Santa Barbara. He earned a B.A. in Economics and History from UC Berkeley, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. Desai resides in Pasadena with his wife and daughter.
