DeAPlaneta Entertainment has hired Alessandra Dematteis as head of media sales for its kids and family division. She will oversee sales in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Asia. 

Based in Italy, Dematteis started with the company at the beginning of October and reports to Carlos Biern, distribution and content director of DeAPlaneta’s kids and family division. She succeeds Lucia Vismara, who left in August.

Dematteis is well-versed in the distribution of animated kids and family content. She previously spent 11 years at Atlantyca Entertainment (Geronimo Stilton), where she rose up the ranks from distribution assistant to distribution manager. 

During her tenure, Dematteis oversaw the acquisition of Berry Bees (52 x 12 minutes) and season two of Bat Pat (52 x 12 minutes) by HappyKids in February 2023.

In a release, Dematteis noted that she’s excited to negotiate presales for upcoming DeAPlaneta titles such as zany, book-based comedy Monster Shaker. But she’ll also be focused on expanding existing IPs like Milo, one of the company’s fastest-growing kids brands. This preschool toon launched on Channel 5’s Milkshake! in the UK in 2021, and has been picked up by buyers including Mango TV (China), ABC Kids (Australia), JimJam and Majid (Middle East), Kidzone (Netherlands) and Cartoonito (Latin America).