OV Entertainment announces strategic board appointments to drive cross-media expansion
London, UK – 06 January 2025 – OV Entertainment, a cross-entertainment holding company at the forefront of gaming and entertainment, is taking bold steps to fuel its subsidiaries’ growth by establishing key new roles focused on strengthening relationships with strategic clients and securing high-value projects. These appointments are designed to enhance OV Entertainment’s ability to deliver exceptional gaming development and entertainment solutions while driving growth and innovation across its first subsidiaries, Kokku and The OGS.
“Our goal is to empower our companies by leveraging what we do best: solid processes, finances, structure, and business development. To ensure an optimal experience for our valued partners, we strive to eliminate the need for them to interact with multiple business developers across our talented teams”, explains the OV Entertainment’s CEO, Thiago de Freitas. The company has established a centralized Client Relations department that serves as a bridge between its companies and their largest partners.
Enhancing strategic partnerships
Carlos Estigarribia, previously Head of Business Development at Kokku, has been promoted to Vice President, Client Relations. In this role, Estigarribia will oversee relationships with OV Entertainment’s most strategic clients, ensuring their evolving needs are met while identifying new business opportunities for subsidiaries Kokku and The OGS.
“During my career, I always focused on establishing long-term relationships with Publishers, going beyond just closing the deal and thinking of how the partnership could evolve into a bigger partnership between the studios”, explains Estigarribia.
This appointment underscores OV Entertainment’s commitment to nurturing partnerships that are essential to the company’s success. With more than 25 years in the games industry, Carlos’ strategic thinking and business development expertise will be instrumental in scaling operations and securing new high-profile projects: “I have been involved in several projects that involved not only games but IPs, Brands, and audiovisual production, which is what OV is all about: bringing all sectors of the entertainment industry together”.
His responsibilities include driving growth through tailored solutions aligned with each subsidiary’s unique expertise, guaranteeing the group’s aim of mitigating risks with a structure of collaborative companies. As justified by Estigarribia: “The main difference is that each company on OV’s portfolio is on a different stage and offers different solutions. What we want to accomplish is to make these companies collaborate but also grow independently, so there will be a custom strategy for each of them, making sure our partners and clients can benefit from the best of each company inside OV Entertainment”.
With Carlos Estigarribia’s transition to his new role, Mea Nilimaa, a seasoned business developer, has been promoted to Head of Business Development at Kokku. Mea will lead efforts to grow Kokku’s client portfolio, reinforcing its reputation as a leading co-development studio in the global gaming industry.
Fostering industry expertise
JF Carrier, formerly Head of Art at Kokku, takes on the role of Senior Client Partner. Leveraging his extensive experience in the gaming industry, JF will focus on positioning OV Entertainment’s subsidiaries as references in game development, with a particular emphasis on expanding growth within North American studios.
“This new role brings me back to where I was in my career before – understanding the market and focusing on building the best collaboration possible. It’s about equipping people to be successful, not through micromanagement, but by having individuals in positions where they truly understand the process and can put the right systems in place”, says JF.
As Senior Client Partner, Carrier will act as a primary liaison for clients, offering strategic guidance and collaborating with internal teams to ensure the highest standards of service.
With over 25 years in the gaming industry, JF’s deep understanding of the video game development lifecycle, from art production to co-development, will solidify OV Entertainment’s role as a trusted partner in the industry. “It’s about finding ways for our culture to blend with our partners’ cultures, working together to ensure success”.
To align with this transition, Tamir Nadav, currently Head of Creative at Kokku, will now also serve as Acting Head of Art, unifying leadership across both departments to enhance synergy and innovation.
Securing business foundations
Joining OV Entertainment as General Counsel, Marina Maranhão brings a wealth of legal expertise in corporate law – negotiating deals, contract review, and ensuring compliance.
More than just providing certainty and clarity in client dealings – which for sure is fundamental – the general counsel is a professional with a comprehensive view of the entire company. We address labor relations and associated risks, help to explore business opportunities, handle tax issues, and deliver thorough legal advisory services to all areas of the organization.”, explains Marina. “The goal is to support both internal and external stakeholders while ensuring compliance with corporate documents”.
Marina has over 15 years of experience, graduated in Salamanca (Spain), has worked in several specialized law firms in Brazil and served as a corporate lawyer for a NASDAQ- listed company.
“As a legal professional, the General Counsel must understand the company in its entirety, including its services, processes, and vulnerabilities. By doing so, we help shareholders and leadership achieve their objectives while offering strategic legal support”, she finishes.
Marina’s addition to the leadership team reinforces the company’s commitment to excellence in business dealings and gender equity in leadership, furthering its inclusive and progressive culture.
Driving growth and unifying benefits
The new department and the new roles align the holding’s operations to emphasize a unified, project-based revenue model where contributions and revenue are recognized across all companies involved, rather than isolated to individual entities. According to De Freitas, OV Entertainment CEO, “this centralized approach not only relieves our dedicated business development teams at Kokku and The Original Gangsters, allowing them to focus on nurturing new relationships, but also enhances communication and client focus”. This streamlined structure fosters mutual benefits for OV companies and its partners by improving collaboration and ensuring seamless project execution.
Carlos Estigarribia, JF Carrier and Marina Maranhão join OV Entertainment to drive the cross-media group expansion
About OV Entertainment: OV Entertainment is a cross-media holding company uniting gaming, film/TV, advertising, and technology, combining AAA talent and deepening cross-entertainment expertise. Its portfolio includes Kokku and The OGS, renowned for their excellence in game development. With a strategy focused on organic growth and profitability, the company diversifies its operations to drive innovation and reduce risks in the global entertainment market.
