Zigazoo, the social media platform for kids and teens, has promoted Ashley Mady from President to Chief Executive Officer, positioning the move as the start of an expansion beyond its core app into a broader media business for Gen Alpha.

Mady joined Zigazoo as President of Consumer Products in September 2022 and has more than two decades of experience in the toy and kids’ entertainment industry. Earlier in her career, as a brand manager and art director at JAKKS Pacific’s Play Along Toys division, she worked on the Disney-licensed “Hannah Montana” fashion doll line and directed packaging for Care Bears. She is also founder of Brandberry, a brand licensing and creative agency, served as president of Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment and sits on the Board of Directors of the Toy Association and the Board of Trustees of the Toy Foundation.

Zigazoo founder Zak Ringelstein will move into the role of Executive Chairman, where he will work with Mady on fundraising while leading the company’s online safety, government affairs and long-term strategic initiatives. Mady will also join the company’s board, alongside former Disney, Marvel and Moonbug executive Simon Philips, who joined the board earlier this year.

“Since Ashley joined Zigazoo, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the company we are today,” Ringelstein said. “We’re building the media company Gen Alpha will grow up with, just as previous generations grew up with Disney and Nickelodeon, and Ashley is exactly the leader to help make that vision a reality.”

“Every child deserves the opportunity to create, not just consume,” Mady said. “We believe the future of media will be participatory, creator-driven, and built with communities, not simply for them.”

The promotion follows Zigazoo’s July launch of Zigazoo Studios, a joint venture with Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse aimed at developing content, businesses and long-term brands around creators on the platform. That venture builds on an existing relationship: Wheelhouse was an early investor in Zigazoo. Under Mady, the company said it plans to expand further into original content, entertainment, consumer products, strategic partnerships and live experiences.

The moves come as regulators in multiple countries scrutinize youth social media use. The UK is considering further restrictions on social media access for minors, while Australia has enacted an under-16 ban. Zigazoo, which has built its platform around child safety since its founding, is positioning the expansion as a way to operate within that tightening regulatory environment.

Zigazoo’s partnerships span the NBA, MLB, WWE, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Netflix. Its investors include the NBA, Serena Ventures, MaC Venture Capital, iHeartMedia, Russell Wilson and Ciara, Charli D’Amelio and Jimmy Kimmel.

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