MOONBUG ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF SUSAN VARGO AS HEAD OF LIVE EVENT
LONDON – 16 February, 2022 – Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. announces the appointment of Susan Vargo as Head of Live Events at Moonbug Entertainment where she is responsible for live events across all the Moonbug properties, including Blippi, CoComelon and Little Baby Bum.
Susan’s newly created role will lead, oversee, manage and drive all of Moonbug’s brand and franchise specific live shows, branded areas, character events and experiences in locations such as theme parks, water parks, attractions and more. Susan will be based in the UK head offices working closely with the Moonbug team in the USA.
Vargo is the Tony Award nominated and Drama Desk Award winning executive producer of The SpongeBob Musical on stage and for television. Before joining Moonbug, Vargo oversaw global creative development for Nickelodeon live entertainment including stage adaptations, theme park programs and resort entertainment. During her time at Nickelodeon she was also responsible for the strategic expansion of the live theatrical business from one domestic US touring theatrical to multiple simultaneous domestic and international tours, including preschool megahit adaptations of Paw Patrol Live! and Dora The Explorer Live!. Previously, Vargo managed licensing of stage adaptations for Paramount Pictures including Ghost the Musical, The First Wives Club, Mad Hot Ballroom, Leap of Faith, and Clueless.
Earlier in her career, Vargo worked on Broadway general management for shows including Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam,Beauty and the Beast, Chicago and more. She has also advised theatrical producers Fiery Angel Productions, Limelight Productions and Cinema Gypsy Productions on creative development, global licensing expansion and property acquisition and continues to develop independent projects for the stage.
Susan Vargo comments; “I am thrilled to be joining Moonbug at such an exciting time of the company’s growth. There are so many opportunities to bring the joy of our brands to parents and preschoolers across the globe via events and attractions. I can’t wait to get started.”
Simon Philips, Managing Director Global Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, comments; “In just three years we have become an award-winning global entertainment company with a portfolio of leading children’s brands. Susan’s Vargo’s recent appointment is a key role in our continued growth and reflects our commitment to bringing the best quality content both online and offline to parents and preschoolers across the globe. Susan has a wealth of experience and expertise, and we are excited for her to join us on the next stage of the Moonbug journey.”
Vargo holds a theatre management and business administration degree from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago.
Moonbug specializes in creating and acquiring IP and turning it into global entertainment franchises, by rapidly scaling the brand using data to increase and enhance the content, distribute broadly across Moonbug’s vast global distribution network, and creating new avenues for interaction through licensing and merchandising, original productions, and brand partnerships.
For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.
About Moonbug Entertainment
Moonbug Entertainment is an award-winning global entertainment company behind some of the most popular kids’ titles in the world. Moonbug’s lineup includes global sensations CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, Little Angel, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime with Twinkle, Gecko’s Garage, ARPO and many more.
Moonbug’s shows are on more than 100 platforms globally, including YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sky, Super RTL, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Tencent, Youku and Roku. In May of 2020, Tubular Labs named Moonbug one of the leading digital kids’ entertainment companies in the world based on the total number of minutes watched worldwide.
The company’s YouTube channels are viewed over 9 billion times on average every month globally and has more than 440m subscribers. Its portfolio currently stands at 29 IPs and 100+ brand partners and is available in 32 languages.
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.
