WildBrain has appointed veteran entertainment and securities lawyer Mark Trachuk, an alum of Entertainment One (eOne), as general counsel.
Trachuk will oversee all matters related to corporate and securities legal affairs and will also serve as corporate secretary to WildBrain’s board of directors. He brings 35 years of experience to the role, including several years at eOne, where he was worldwide group general counsel and corporate secretary.
Most recently, Trachuk served as counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright, where he practiced corporate and securities law with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances and corporate governances.
He worked at eOne from 2018 to 2020 and provided legal oversight across the company’s global platform, including public company compliance and regulatory matters within the Canadian broadcasting and content system. He was part of the executive team that conducted the sale of eOne to Hasbro in 2019 for approximately $4 billion.
Trachuk also previously sat on numerous boards in the entertainment industry and other sectors, including Playmaker Capital, Thunderbird Entertainment and eOne. He currently serves as the lead director on the board of Almonty Industries.
In his new role at WildBrain, Trachuk will report directly to Josh Scherba, president and CEO. He succeeds James Bishop.
“Mark’s reputation as a highly accomplished legal and governance professional precedes him,” Scherba said. “His depth and range of experience in the entertainment industry and capital markets has given him a skill set across business, strategic and regulatory matters that makes him uniquely suited for our company. I’m delighted to welcome a professional of his distinction to the WildBrain team, and we look forward to benefiting from his expertise and counsel.
“I would also like to thank James Bishop for his years of service to WildBrain. As trusted counsel, James played an integral role in navigating some of our most transformative moments, always bringing a highly strategic, professional and gracious approach to the role. On behalf of the management team, I wish James every success for the future.”
Trachuk commented, “I am thrilled to be joining the WildBrain team at such an exciting time in their evolution. Their outstanding portfolio of world-class IP, including Peanuts, Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake, and unique capabilities across content creation, audience engagement and global licensing positions Wildbrain as a global leader in family entertainment, and I look forward to working with the entire team on the exciting journey to unlock value for the company and its stakeholders.”