qubo appoints President/GM & Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales.

qubo announced the appointments of Rick Rodriguez as President and General Manager and Kerry J. Hughes as Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales and Sponsorships, effective immediately. Mr. Rodriguez will be initially based in Los Angeles while Ms. Hughes will be based out of qubo’s offices in New York.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Rick and Kerry, whose experience and knowledge in the kids space will be critical assets to the growth and development of qubo,” said Brandon Burgess, CEO of ION Media Networks. “We’ve already seen positive traction across markets with qubo’s targeted audience and look forward to building on this momentum and advancing the mission of the network under Rick and Kerry’s leadership.”

“Rick and Kerry’s deep experience with children’s media combined with their personal commitment to providing families with television and internet experiences that entertain as well as reinforce literacy and values, make them the right people to lead this venture,” said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media.

“qubo is a milestone for kids and families on commercial television,” said Eric Ellenbogen, CEO of Classic Media. “The addition of Rick and Kerry to the qubo team will further enhance our mission of reaching kids through values-based entertainment.”

Mr. Rodriguez, who will be responsible for strategic and day-to-day operational oversight of qubo, brings over 20 years of experience within the multi-channel television programming and production industry. During his ten-year career with Discovery Communications, Inc., Rodriguez oversaw the creation of the Discovery Kids network, first in Latin America and later throughout the rest of Discovery’s international markets as Executive Vice President of Content. From 2003 to 2004, Rodriguez served as Executive Vice President and General Manager for the Travel Channel. He left Discovery in July 2004 to form Los Angeles-based Island Dreamer Enterprises, a television production company and consulting firm. There he successfully managed the launch of Discovery Kids en Español and Discovery Travel & Living for the U.S. Hispanic market, as well as the launch Discovery’s HD Channels in Europe and Asia.

“The commitment from the partners and qubo’s early successes demonstrate the opportunity that exists in the kids category for a fresh, distinctive destination for children and families,” said Mr. Rodriguez. “I am thrilled at the prospect of leading qubo’s rollout and development, and I look forward to working with the partners, each of whom is a leader in the children’s programming category, on advancing the mission of the network.”

With 25 years of sales and marketing experience in the television industry, Ms. Hughes joins qubo as Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales and Sponsorships. Prior to joining qubo, Hughes was National Sales Director, Advertising and Custom Publishing at Warner Bros./DC Comics and Mad Magazine, where she effectively developed and implemented strategic plans for the sale of advertising space in DC Comics publications and custom publishing projects. Previously, Hughes was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Walt Disney Company/Disney ABC Kids Networks, overseeing all advertising and promotional marketing activities related to the division’s ad-supported kids platforms, as well as non-commercial partnership opportunities on Disney Channel.

“qubo is redefining the quality of programming choices for children and presenting new opportunities to advertisers who seek a fresh and trusted environment for kids and families,” said Ms. Hughes. “I look forward to working with Rick and the qubo team on developing integrated, multi-platform programs that are attractive for our advertisers and our audience.”