Jean MacCurdy

As an executive in charge of animation, first at Hanna-Barbera and then at Warner Brothers, Jean MacCurdy has had a large impact on children's programming. Known for her hands-off production style, MacCurdy liked to take a chance on young talent. She insisted that Bruce W. Timm and Eric Radomski, who were just beginning their careers as animators, should be entrusted with the animated "Batman" series, and she gained a reputation as one of the most "artist friendly" execs in television animation. The show went on to win both an Emmy in 1992 and a Daytime Emmy in 1996. From 1987 to 1988, MacCurdy was a production manager on the classic cartoon "Muppet Babies" series, and as a producer she presided over superhero classics "Batman" and "Superman" as animated series. During her stay at Warner Brothers, the company raked in many Emmys for their animated shows, and she finally stepped down as division president in 2001. In 2010 MacCurdy was hired by Technicolor Motion Picture Company, along with Fonda Snyder and Steven Wendland, to head future development and original production content.