Company Launches
Republic Records and IM Global launched a multiple picture co-financing and co-production deal for music-driven feature films. The first movie will be comedy Rollin’ Thunder, directed by Bille Woodruff and produced by IM Global Music chief David Schulhof, Republic’s Monte Lipman and IM Global’s Matt Jackson, and co-produced by hip-hop artist Nelly and actor/comedian Nick Cannon.
CBS Interactive is joining several media companies starting in-house advertising-production efforts. The CBS unit launched Studio 61, a unit focused exclusively on creating content for advertisers designed to run on media properties such as CNET, CBSNews.com and GameSpot.
Film
The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki has hired Andrew Haas to be vice president and his producing partner at Galecki's Warner Bros-based Alcide Bava Productions. They are producing The Master Cleanse, directed by Bobby miller and starring Galecki, Anna Friel, Angelica Houston and Oliver Platt.
Jonathan Deckter, IM Global President, is leaving after five years to partner with Nicolas Chartier at Voltage Pictures. Deckter will run all day to day business operations at Voltage and serve as President / COO. Chartier will continue in his role as CEO and oversee all production related activities along with Zev Foreman and Craig Flores.
RLJ Entertainment upped Mark Ward to Chief Acquisitions Officer, Feature Films, and hired Angela Northington as its SVP Content Acquisitions. Ward will continue to oversee feature film acquisitions for both Image and UMC, and Northington will pursue acquisitions for RLJE’s urban brand, UMC.
Skydance Productions has brought on Anne Globe to be its first Chief Marketing Officer. She’ll oversee marketing, publicity, branding, licensing and promotion for all Skydance projects and report to CEO David Ellison. Globe consulted on several films and was CMO for DreamWorks Animation.
Television
Discovery Communications has hired vet TV executive Marc Graboff as President, Global Business & Legal Affairs, Production Management and Studios. Graboff will be based at Discovery’s Los Angeles headquarters, reporting to Bruce Campbell, Chief Development and Digital Media Officer and General Counsel.
Katherine Nelson will move to Syfy and Chiller from NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment sister Esquire Network. In that position sge served as SVP Communications, since January 2013. In her new role, Nelson will be responsible for overall communications strategy for Syfy and Chiller, including corporate communications, program publicity and talent relations.
FX publicity vet Dominic Pagone has been uppsed to the newly created position of SVP Communications for FX Networks. Pagone will oversee Trade Communications, Talent Relations, Public Affairs and Photo Publicity for FX, FXX, FXM, and FXP.
Endemol Shine International LA-based EVP of Sales & Acquisitions, Matt Creasey, will lead distribution operations across the Americas, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, London-based Executive Director, Mark Lawrence, will run Endemol Shine International’s teams across the region. Also based in London are CFO John Richards and Jan Rowland, who becomes Endemol Shine International’s Head of Operations.
ABC News named Cecilia Vega and Tom Llamas anchors of the weekend edition of “World News Tonight.” The pair have been filling the post since former weekend anchor David Muir became anchor of the weekday program.
Political reporter Jeff Zeleny has left ABC News to join CNN as its senior Washington correspondent. Zeleny, based in Washington, D.C., will report on air and write for CNN Politics Digital. He joins CNN this month.
Management, PR, Music, Agencies, Misc.
The Directors Guild of America has named Lily Bedrossian Director of Media Relations. She spent almost nine years in the corporate and interactive media relations divisions at the Walt Disney Company.