Composition adds Paramount & Rock The Bells alum Rich Morris as SVP content & brands

Rich Morris

Composition Media, the US animation studio headed by Hair Love producer Carl Reed, has appointed former Paramount and Rock The Bells exec Rich Morris as SVP of content & brands.

In this newly created position, Morris will be responsible for spearheading licensing and merchandising of Composition Media’s wholly owned IP as well as its joint production properties. He will also be tasked with seeking out potential collaborative opportunities, helping to drive brand integrations into projects, and steering marketing efforts for the company and its portfolio.

Prior to joining Composition Media, Morris served as VP of global commerce for Rock The Bells, the entertainment brand led by LL COOL J. While there, Morris built the brand’s licensing and merchandising vertical, restructured the ecommerce business and built the strategies for both areas. Morris also served as VP of consumer products global trade marketing and VP of consumer products franchise management at Paramount, where he executed global trade campaigns and events and expanded BET into the consumer products arena.

Alongside Morris, Composition has also hired Issac “Ike” Reed, a researcher of transmedia and digital media, as creative director and illustrator and artist Anthony Piper has joined as senior art director.

Reed started his career at Brainfreeze Interactive before founding Lion Forge Comics’ digital arm, working on Quincredible and Trimaxx. He also established Big Fat Hero, a Geektainment Developer “merging geek culture with cutting-edge entertainment.” Piper, meanwhile, has a career spanning more than two decades across TV, digital platforms, and print media, with a portfolio encompassing comic books, animated films, and campaigns for the likes of Netflix, Brisk and The New York Times.

“At Composition Media, we believe in the power of diverse voices coming together to create stories that resonate with a wide audience,” said Composition Media founder Carl Reed. “We understand that a company is only as good as the talent it has. The addition of Rich, Ike, and Anthony’s profound expertise and seasoned backgrounds will amplify Composition Media’s tireless commitment to share innovative and inclusive narratives.”

Reed, producer of the Oscar-winning short Hair Love, launched St Louis-based Composition Media earlier this year, describing the firm as a “diverse and forward-thinking animation studio.” Reed recently shared his thoughts on the use of AI in animation with TBI.

Composition launched with a slate that includes two animated features and an animated kids TV series – 2D animated adult comedy Bad Grandmas, a feature film co-produced alongside Steve Harvey’s East 112; Sky & Luna, the first movie in a a co-production with PoC Studios and Man of Action Entertainment; and Catapult Feud, a TV series based on the board game of the same name.