Tang Media Hires Blizzard Alum Gabriel VanHuss as VP of Franchise Management

Todd Spangler

Tang Media Partners, a global content financing and production company focused on forging ties between China and Hollywood, has hired Gabriel VanHuss as VP of franchise management in its content-development division.

VanHuss previously spent eight years at Activision Blizzard’s Blizzard Entertainment game label in various roles, including franchise programming manager where he developed extensions to such titles as “World of Warcraft,” “Overwatch,” “Starcraft,” “Diablo” and “Hearthstone.” After Blizzard, he worked briefly for digital network Tastemade to develop franchise-driven programming.

At TMP he reports to Sascha Hecks, EVP of franchise management and COO at Chaotic Good, and Luke Ryan, chief creative officer and CEO of Chaotic Good. TMP announced the acquisition of Chaotic Good in February.

VanHuss is in charge of managing TMP’s existing partnerships with studios, networks, game developers, publishers, and mobile and streaming companies to add value to their intellectual-property and franchise libraries. He also is tasked with forging new partnerships and expanding original IP being generated out of Chaotic Good’s Franchise Lab, aimed at generating multiplatform franchises via paid fellowships for established writers and creators. In addition, VanHuss will use the studio’s proprietary Fanalytics analytics tool for tracking audience engagement.

“Gabriel’s expertise in franchise development and generating content around immersive universes is second to none,” Hecks said in announcing his hire. “He will be an incredible asset to our ambitious franchise management plans.”

Added VanHuss: “The unique marriage of storytelling and data creates smarter content that directly engages fans where they live. This job is a compelling opportunity to build evolving franchises unbound by platform that capture the world’s imagination for years to come.”

Tang Media Partners, based in L.A. and Shanghai, last year acquired majority control of sales and production financing firm IM Global. TMP was founded in 2015 by Donald Tang, former chairman and CEO of Bear Stearns Asia.

Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter