Zynga Adds DreamWorks CEO Katzenberg To Board

Strengthening ties with the movie industry, social game developer Zynga announced that Jeffrey Katzenberg, producer and CEO at film studio DreamWorks Animation (Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda), has joined its board of directors. "Jeffrey redefined storytelling when he launched DreamWorks Animation," said Zynga founder and CEO Mark Pincus. "He turned an independent studio into a brand name, and his vision will be an asset as we work to define the future of play." Katzenberg co-founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994 with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, then spun off DreamWorks Animation into a separate company 10 years later. Prior to DreamWorks, he headed Disney's film and animation efforts for a decade. Zynga didn't specify any future collaborations resulting from Katzenberg's board appointment, but Pincus joked, "Jeffrey and I have been friends for some time, and I knew he'd be a great fit for the board after he suggested that the blockbuster of 2011 could be ShrekVille." The San Francisco-based developer previously worked with DreamWorks on its first feature film integration for FarmVille by bringing Mega Mind content into the social game. Zynga later ran similar campaigns with Nickelodeon's Rango in FrontierVille, and Sony's The Green Hornet in Mafia Wars. "DreamWorks Animation is a revolutionary technology company, a recognized consumer brand, and at its core, a media company," said Pincus in Zynga's company blog. "It's easy to see the value that Jeffrey will add to Zynga as we grow and look for more ways to delight our players."