Company Launches
Discover Communications founder John Hendricks, who retired in May, will launch a new project called CuriosityStream. It sounds like an online platform for nature and science lovers.
Studios, Networks, Conglomerates
Endemol Shine Group (the newly formed conglomerate combining Endemol, Shine and CORE Media) announced details about the company's new structure. Former Endemol UK CEO Lucas Church is Chairman of Endemol Shine UK, and former Endemol UK Chief Operating Officer Richard Johnston will be CEO of Endemol Shine UK.Film
Studiocanal hired Shana Eddy-Grouf as SVP of International Production and Development. She will be looking to generate production opportunities for the European mini-major, from her L.A. base. She will also support Studiocanal's U.S.-based producing deals with The Picture Company and Grand Electric Entertainment.
Berlin-based world sales and production company Picture Tree Intl. brought on Barbie Heusinger to handle sales and acquisitions for Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Heusinger, who is based in Germany and Brazil, already represented PTI at Ventana Sur, the Latin American film market, in December.
Television
TLC exec Amy Winter has landed the newly created position of EVP and General Manager at UP TV. She will oversee development and production of scripted and non-scripted series and movies as well as scheduling and acquisitions, marketing and public relations and digital and social media properties. Jocelyn Diaz has been named EVP for Original Programming at Epix. Previously she was VP of Production at Walt Disney Studios, helpeding to develop and produce live action movies including Into The Woods, and Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Pan-European pay TV giant Sky has named Gary Davey, who is executive VP programming at Sky Deutschland, to a larger role as managing director, content, with the additional responsibility for its entertainment, movies and news channels in the U.K. and Ireland. Peter Hutton has been tapped as chief executive officer of pan-European television sports network Eurosport, which Discovery Communications acquired in May 2014. Jonathan Barzilay was named COO of PBS. Barzilay was a former executive at ABC, CBS, FLO TV and the Ford Foundation. And he will be “charged with developing innovative and collaborative strategies that safeguard the health of the public broadcasting system, and for ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to meet business objectives, system priorities, and marketplace challenges and opportunities.”
Digital
Online-video company Fullscreen named film and TV vets Rozanna Tesler Fried and Suchir Batra to new exec posts as it expands business and legal affairs in a push into more original-content creation and development.
Multiplatform video services provider Vubiquity appointed Michele Edelman, who was a longtime marketing exec at Warner Bros., as executive VP of marketing and communications. Agencies, Management Companies, Marketing, Public Relations, Law Firms
Former New Wave Entertainment execs Mark Rousso and Paul M. Brown have joined Industry Entertainment Partners. The pair, both of whom were VP Management and Production at New Wave, will bring with them clients including Alexis Bledel, (Gilmore Girls) Laura Prepon (Orange Is The New Black), Noel Fisher (Shameless), Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey), Tommy Dewey (The Mindy Project), Corey Reynolds (Selma) and David Alan Basche (The Exes), among others.
The Gersh Agency has upped three of assistants to agent status in the talent department. Louise Abnee Keshaviah has been promoted after three years at Gersh, where she worked for Nick Collins before moving to Leslie Siebert’s desk. Josh Glick has been working for talent head Alex Yarosh and will continue to work with Yarosh in his new position. Trey Cannon has been at Gersh for two and a half years, starting as an intern. He’s worked for SVP and TV talent agent Jennifer Craig. Inspire Entertainment has brought on talent manager Ali Forman. Forman comes to Inspire from Impression Entertainment, where she worked with clients like Ana de Armas, Tyler Blackburn, Sosie Bacon, Katie Nehra and Marisol Nichols. Forman will be working closely with Inspire partner Jason Spire on existing Inspire Entertainment clients as well as a select group of clients she will be bringing with her.
Music
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has been run for the last 17 years by John LoFrumento, who retired last year. His replacement as CEO, Elizabeth Matthews, will step in as CEO, and she has been EVP and General Counsel since 2013. Before that she was EVP and Deputy General Counsel at Viacom Media Networks.
In Jody Gerson's first major hire, Marc Cimino has been tapped for the newly created position of chief operating officer at the Universal Music Publishing Group.