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YTV, Teletoon Director of Programming John Rooney Passes Away
posted on by Alex Mateo
John Rooney, former director of programming at YTV and Teletoon and executive director at Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI), passed away on December 10, 2020 due to complications from a stroke. He was 50.
He passed away peacefully with family at his side.
Rooney began working with YTV in the '90s, becoming a director of programming, working in children's television and Canadian animation. Rooney later moved to Teletoon and became its director of programming. He helped to shape the Corus Kids & Family brand, as well as helped develop brands like Bionix, Nickelodeon Canada, and ABC Spark Canada. He helped to launch Cartoon Network and Adult Swim in Canada.
He joined TAAFI, a Canadian animation festival, in 2017, and eventually became a board member and executive director.
Sources: Canadian Obituaries, Jesse Betteridge's Twitter account
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