Company Launches
NYC-based The Door Marketing Group recently opened a Los Angeles office, bringing on Food & Wine publicist Erika Gable as senior vice president. The new branch’s clients include James Beard Award-winning chef Charles Phan and Food Network chef Marcela Valladolid.
Canada’s DHX Media and China National Television are launching a new Internet platform company in China focused on children’s entertainment. Under a revenue sharing program, DHX will provide more than 700 half-hours of children’s content.
Entertainment One is expanding its Australian operations, launching a TV production and development unit run by Jude Troy.
Studios, Networks, and Media Conglomerates
Warner Bros has hired former Universal exec Jessica Schell as EVP and General Manager of the studio’s home entertainment division.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has named Nicholas Weiss SVP Creative Advertising - the latest exec hire in the studio's marketing division. Weiss will report to Michael Pavlic, who was promoted to replace the departing President of Worldwide Advertising Tommy Gargotta this summer.
The Museum of the Moving Image has named Sony Pictures Classics co-chairman Michael Barker as co-chairman of its board of trustees. He is replacing current co-chairman Herbert Schlosser, who will become chairman emeritus of the New York museum. Barker joins remaining co-chairman Ivan L. Lustig.
Hasbro has promoted veteran exec Stephen Davis to the newly created role of EVP-Chief Content Officer. He will be responsible for developing content for Hasbro’s brands across multiple platforms.
Film
Jae-woo Kim has joined the Los Angeles-based 13 Films as director of international sales. Kim will report directly to company founder Tannaz Anisi, and she most recently served as international business manager at South Korean sales company 9ers Entertainment, where she acquired the Point Break remake and Johnny Depp film Mortdecai. Television
Colin Callender's Playground Entertainment has hired Sophie Gardiner as Creative Director of Playground Television in the United Kingdom. Gardiner will develop and produce original British dramas and assume an active role in the company's existing and future co-productions.
Veteran network exec and producer Teri Flynn has joined Mark Ciardi’s Aspire Entertainment as Chief Content Officer and EVP. Flynn will develop content for the new multiplatform production company alongside founder and CEO Ciardi.
WE tv promoted Lauren Gellert to the newly created position of executive vice president of development and original programming. She will be moving into the new position from her post as SVP of original production and development.
OutEast Entertainment has hired NBC News vet Courtney Hazlett to head up its development efforts as it expands its push into primetime. As SVP Development, Hazlett will be working out of the company’s Los Angeles and New York offices.
George Cheeks has been named head of late-night television at NBC. Cheeks will work with Alternative and Late Night Programming President Paul Telegdy to overseeing late-night. His new title will be EVP Business Operations and Late Night, NBC Entertainment.
Dee Forbes has been named President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Northern Europe. The division will encompass the UK, Ireland, the Nordics and Benelux.
Marinella Soldi has been named President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Southern Europe and will add France to her current oversight of Italy, Spain and Portugal.
Kasia Kieli will add Germany, Austria and Switzerland to her portfolio as President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Amazon Studios comedy executive Sarah Babineau has joined Comedy Central as VP Original Programming and Development, East Coast. She is replacing SVP Brooke Posch, who is leaving the network at the end of her contract to run Amy Poehler’s production company Paper Kite, based at Universal TV.
Chris Levinson has closed a joint two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV and its cable division Fox 21. Under the pact, Levinson will develop cable series through Fox 21 and broadcast projects through 20th TV.
Agencies, Management Companies, Public Relations, and Law Firms
The Gersh Agency has hired four new agents as it grows its bi-coastal comedy department in New York and Los Angeles. Moving over to Gersh after eight years at ICM Partners is William Rodriguez, who reps comedians like DL Hughley, Charlie Murphy, Earthquake, Aries Spears, and Gary Owen and Sinbad. He’ll focus on booking concerts with promoters, performing arts centers, and casinos. Matt Charkow comes to Gersh after overseeing touring for start-up Parallel 49. Prior to that he worked in WME’s Personal Appearance department for a decade.
Evolution partners Amy Slomovits and Brady McKay are leaving the management/production company to join fellow Haven Entertainment as partners. At Haven, they will launch a talent department. Slomovits and McKay join Haven founding partners Mauricio Betancur, Jesse Hara, Kevin Mann and Rachel Miller.
Talent agent Rachel Sheedy has joined Equitable Stewardship for Artists.
Lynda Cevallos is now a licensing agent at Abrams Artists. Previosly she was Vice President, Licensing, at Paramount Pictures.
Digital
Bunim/Murray Productions has hired John P. Roberts, former SVP Digital Media at Endemol. He will head up its digital division. The company also promoted former Director of Digital Media Kesila Childers to VP of the division, reporting to Roberts. Bryan Thoensen, who ran Hulu’s integrated marketing division for the past four years, has left the Internet TV company. In a statement, the company said that it would combine the branded-content efforts with its advertising sales group.
The veteran broadcast journalist and producer Laura Ling is joining Discovery’s digital side to create more online-native content for the company’s web presence. Ling will be Director of Development for the digital networks, which currently generate 150 million streams a month to online viewers.
Music
Universal Music Group Nashville has upped its vice president of promotion, Shane Allen, to head of promotion at Capitol Records Nashville starting in the new year. Allen will succeed Steve Hodges, who is leaving Capitol, the label group announced on Thursday.
Richard Conlon is now Universal Music Publishing Group‘s Special Advisor on Performing Rights. Conlon was previously SVP of Corporate Strategy, Communications, and New Media at BMI. He left his position earlier this year to pursue other opportunities.
Sonic branding company Man Made Music has hired Kevin Perlmutter as SVP and Chief Strategist. Perlmutter was previously Senior Director of Brand Strategy at Interbrand.