Wattpad Webtoon Studios has announced that it has appointed Tina McIntyre as the Interim Head of Publishing and Marketing for Wattpad Webtoon Studios in preparation for the departure of Ashley Gardner, who will leave her post as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Global Publishing at the end of May. McIntyre will report to Wattpad Webtoon Studios President Aron Levitz.

Wattpad Webtoon Studios produces movies, films, and books based on Wattpad and Webtoon properties, including the Webtoon Unscrolled graphic novel imprint, which was launched in 2021 (see “Webtoon Announces New Graphic Novel Program, Webtoon Unscrolled”) and has published such titles as True Beauty and Tower of God.

Gardner joined Wattpad in 2013 as Head of Content, building the webnovel platform’s partnerships with publishers and nurturing new writers including Anna Todd, whose novel After has been adapted into a graphic novel. When Wattpad Studios was created in 2016, she became Head of Partnerships there, and then Deputy General Manager of Publishing in 2018. She launched Wattpad Books, the company’s first direct publishing program, in 2019, and built the program to include six imprints, including the Webtoon Unscrolled graphic novel imprint, within the Wattpad Webtoon Book Group.

McIntyre came to what was then Wattpad Studios in 2020 as Interim Head of Publishing, following senior roles at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, where she was in charge of marketing for the Twilight Saga books, and Hachette. When Wattpad merged with Webtoon to create Wattpad Webtoon Studios and the Wattpad Webtoon Book Group, she was promoted to VP of Marketing for books and entertainment.

“Ashleigh’s leadership transformed publishing at Wattpad, turning an idea into a global business that supports authors and our platforms while inspiring our teams,” said Levitz said in a statement accompanying the announcement, adding “Tina’s leadership has already made an enormous impact on how we sell books around the world.”