Company Launches
21st Century Fox and Apollo Global Management have merged Endemol, Shine Group and CORE Media. The newly created joint venture will at first operate under the name Endemol Shine Group, starting on January 1.
21st Century Fox has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire true[X] media, a video advertising company that specializes in consumer engagement and on-demand marketing campaigns.
Film
Aspire Entertainment announced that Campbell McInnes will be joining as the Senior Vice President of Feature Production and Development and will be overseeing the company’s film division. McInnes comes to Aspire Entertainment with a strong background in production and development as a Production and Development Executive at Lotus Entertainment, where he was involved with a slate of films including The Grey and Killing Them Softly.
Millennium Entertainment has named Vincent Scordino to the newly created position of SVP Marketing. He’s returning to the company after a stint at Cinedigm. Scordino will report to EVP Marketing Brooke Ford and will head traditional and day-and-date marketing campaigns for the company.
Multiplatform distributor Cinedigm uppedDirector of Theatrical Releasing Kristin Harris to a newly expanded Senior Director position. Harris will focus on acquisition titles and will also help develop Cinedigm's slate of co-productions with label partners like Great Point, VMI and Rapid Eye Studios.
Television
The Company, which Charlie Ebersol founded with Mike Lanigan, has named veteran corporate strategist Austin Katz COO. He will be responsible for strategic planning, business development and operations at the production outfit.
Sonar Entertainment CEO Gene Stein has made a move into the long-form world by recruiting Tom Patricia as SVP Limited Series, Miniseries and Movies.
Comedy Central vet Ian Friedman has been promoted to VP Original Programming and Development. He will continue to be based in the network's Santa Monica office, reporting to EVP Jim Sharp.
Syfy announced that Chris Regina, one of the key players behind the network's acquisitions strategy, with projects like Sharknado, has been promoted to Senior VP Program Strategy, Syfy and Chiller. Regina now will report to Dave Howe, President, Syfy and Chiller. He will oversee Syfy and Chiller's program planning and strategy, original-movie development and production, and scheduling.
Brad Siegel has been named president of TV One network, and will lead all business and creative aspects with chairman and CEO Alfred C. Liggins III.
BET Networks vet Stephen Hill has been promoted to the Viacom cabler’s top programming post. Hill fills the spot left earlier this year when Loretha Jones left after six years as head of programming.
In his first exec move since the merger of Fox 21 and Fox TV Studios, president Bert Salke has promoted Tara Flynn to VP Creative Affairs. She will work on the development of comedy and drama cable projects and will assist in the oversight of the company's current series.
ABC News has tapped chief national correspondent Byron Pitts to replace Dan Abrams as one of Nightline’s three co-anchors. Abrams will remain chief legal analyst, but ABC News prexy James Goldston said in a memo that Abrams intends to return to full-time work on his Abrams Media Network digital business.
WE tv continues to grow its original programming team following recent promotions of Lauren Gellert to the newly created position of EVP development and original programming. Suzanne Gladstone Murch has been upped from executive producer to the newly created role of VP original programming, overseeing all unscripted production. David Stefanou joins WEtv as VP development, overseeing the network’s ongoing search for fresh, new unscripted series. WE tv has appointed Angela Molloy as VP development.
AMC has brought on veteran business affairs executive Rick Olshansky as head of business affairs. He will report to AMC president Charlie Collier. Olshansky succeeds Marci Wiseman, who earlier this year moved to a new role of executive-in-charge of owned content distribution and strategy for AMC Networks.
Agencies, Management Companies, Marketing, Public Relations, Law Firms
Julie Chappell and Monica Delamater are the newest account executives at Falco Ink. Both have been with the PR firm for three years and have worked on campaigns for films like The Skeleton Twins, Fading Gigolo, The Cosmopolitans and To Be Takei.