Company Launches
Former National Geographic Channels president Howard T. Owens is heading back to independent TV production by launching Propagate Content, a company that will create, develop, produce and distribute programming for cable, broadcast, and digital. Owens has brought in a partner, former A&E general manager David McKillop, who will serve as Propagate Content’s chief creative officer. Owens is CEO.
Comcast has launched a $41 billion investment and operating company, to be run by CFO Michael Angelakis, with plans to invest in, and help run, “growth oriented companies” in the U.S. and abroad. The cable and broadband company will put up $4 billion of its capita, and will be the sole outside investor for ten years.
Digital Domain Holdings and Immersive Media are teaming in a joint venture called IM360 to create hardware, software and actual shows for the world of virtual-reality entertainment - 3-D video that surrounds a viewer and gives a completely enveloping visual experience.
Film
Michael De Luca is leaving his post as president of production at Sony’s Columbia Pictures to produce films for Universal Pictures with an overall producing deal. Details are still forthcoming, but De Luca is expected to reprise his role as producer on the next two installments of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.
Broad Green Pictures has hired Steve Nickerson as President of Home Entertainment to handle DVD, digital and TV sales. Nickerson brings on former Summit colleagues Sandy Friedman as EVP (Friedman was most recently a Cinedigm exec) and Bobby Gerber (previously at ARC Entertainment) as senior VP.
True Entertainment co-founders Steven Weinstock and Glenda Hersh have been named co-presidents and co-CEOs of that company along with Original Media. The NYC-based Endemol Shine North America subsidiary production companies will still operate as separate entities, retaining their development and production teams, as well as their own brands.
Sony Pictures has named John Restall EVP Domestic Marketing Research. A lawyer by training, he was SVP Client Consulting at Nielsen NRG, where he was the lead account representative for several studio clients. In his new role, he will oversee domestic theatrical market research efforts for the studio’s marketing department, helping to shape and manage the studio’s messaging.
Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment has brought on former Millennium Entertainment head of business affairs Craig Gates as VP Business & Legal Affairs, Worldwide Distribution. Gates had been a consultant for the past few months and has closed deals for the film and TV outfit, recently helping acquire international rights to the Ridley Scott-produced PBS television series Mercy Street and co-financing the feature Go With Me.
Television
Four new executives have joined Sesame Workshop as part of CEO Jeffrey Dunn’s global strategic reorganization of the nonprofit that produces PBS’ Sesame Street. Dunn’s recruits include two execs from his previous home Nickelodeon, Steve Youngwood and Brown Johnson. Youngwood has been named chief operating officer, and Johnson joins as EVP and creative director. Shifting from EVP and chief marketing officer for the Workshop, Sherrie Westin is the new executive vice president of global impact and philanthropy. Joseph Salvo is coming on as EVP and general counsel.
Bad Robot confirmed that BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson will be leaving his position to join J.J. Abrams’ production company as head of the TV division. At BBC Drama since 2008, Stephenson ordered and oversaw more than 450 hours of drama a year, including Sherlock, Call The Midwife, Luther, Happy Valley, The Missing and Wolf Hall.
Nickelodeon has appointed Jennifer Dodge to the newly created position of SVP West Coast Development and Production for Nickelodeon Preschool. The move comes soon after the kids cable network began layoffs as part of broader reductions at parent Viacom.
Management, PR, Music, Agencies, Digital, Misc.
John Sacks, Susie Fox and Joanna Scott joined Jason Heyman, Martin Lesak, Greg Cavic, Gregory McKnight and Nick Nuciforo, who resigned from CAA to go to UTA. Sacks and Fox represent writers and talent across film and television, and Scott works in the touring area.
Anne Sweeney said she wanted to become a director when she left her job as co-Chair of Disney Media Networks. Sweeney just became a different sort of director at Netflix, which is beefing up its output of original series and movies. With her addition, plus that of Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith, the Netflix board grows to nine members.