Franklin branded for 'Avatar' gig

FranklinLightstorm Entertainment has named former Disney Consumer Products exec Kathy Franklin as president of franchise development, where she will spearhead the company's efforts to build the "Avatar" brand with 20th Century Fox."Anticipating the exponential growth of the Avatar universe, we looked for someone who could lead a team that will cement 'Avatar' as a world class brand across all platforms and markets," said Lightstorm Chairman and CEO James Cameron. "Kathy's experience, coupled with her drive and vision for what 'Avatar' can be, made her the right choice."20th already has two "Avatar" sequels in the works. Studio has slated the first for 2014 and the second for the year thereafter.With Disney, Franklin most recently served as VP of global studio franchise development. There, Franklin led the strategies that drove the Disney Princess, Fairies, "Cars" and "Toy Story" franchises while building partnerships with film, television, and online divisions of the Disney company.Prior to her VP role, Franklin worked as VP of Disney Worldwide Outreach and began at the Walt Disney Company as director of philanthropy Disney Learning Partnership.Franklin will work out of Lightstorm's Santa Monica headquarters. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com