Company Launches, Partnerships & Deals
Three of First Artists Management have left to form Fortress Talent Management. Robert Messinger, the owner and partner of First Artists is a principal at Fortress. Randy Gerston has been made a principal as well, up from his title of talent agent at First Artists. Rich Jacobellis also joins Fortress as a principal. He was previously a partner at First Artists. Based out of Calabasas, the full-service boutique agency, like First Artists, will represent composers and music supervisors for visual media.
Producer Dan Sterling has inked a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. Under the pact, the former The Office EP will join the studios’ series The Last Man On Earth as EP and showrunner, taking over showrunner duties for series creator and star Will Forte. Sterling will EP the series with Forte, Chris Miller & Phil Lord.
Writer/director Nick Weiss has inked a two-year overall deal with ABC Studios to develop for network and cable as well as direct existing ABC series and future pilots. Weiss nabbed the attention of ABC executives with his pilot ‘found footage’ style Family Reunion. On the features side Weiss, repped by WME and Apostle’s George Heller, directed and co-wrote (with brother Tony) the micro-budgeted comedy Drunk Wedding for Paramount Insurge, to be released May 22.
Alex Cary has signed a two-year overall deal at Universal TV. He spent the last four years executive producing the Fox 21 produced Homeland. Prior he worked on 20th Century Fox’s Lie to Me as story editor, EP and then co-showrunner and while at 20th he landed his first overall deal. He’s repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson.
Actor-comedian Jimmy Pardo has inked an overall deal with Warner Bros TV Group-based Conaco, O’Brien’s development/production shingle, to develop scripted and unscripted projects. Pardo was previously O’Brien’s warm-up comedian for his late night talk show. He is also a regular panelist on Conan and hosts companion web series The Pardo Patrol.
FILM
Sam Neswick is the new Chief Strategy Officer at Participant Media switching over from his previous post as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning there.
Broad Green Pictures today has appointed veteran marketing and distribution executive Dylan Wiley as the studio’s President of Specialty Releasing. Wiley, who has been working with the company since November, is charged with managing all aspects of the release of Broad Green’s specialty film slate across all media. Jeremy Fuchs has also signed on as the Chief Technology Officer, he was previously the principal of Media and Entertainment Practice at Capgemini. He will head the company’s consolidated IT strategy, delivery and operations globally, working with senior management to develop new systems and technology to support all of the studio’s creative endeavors.
Simon Kilmurry has been tapped by The International Documentary Association to be their new Executive Director and will take over as of July 6. He was previously an EP at POV.
Lionsgate UK has tapped Nicola Pearcey as President of Distribution. During her nine year tenure she was the Managing Director of Home Entertainment and New Media. Lionsgate last year relocated its international sales and distribution headquarters to London.
Juliana Lubin has signed on to be the director of international sales at 13 Films, she was previously manager of international sales at The Exchange.
Participant Media has tapped Sam Neswick as Chief Strategy Officer. He was previously the company’s SVP of Strategic Planning. In the newly created post he will handle strategy, investments, innovation and corporate development and head up strategic partnerships.
Amy Bucher is the new VP of Content & Creative at Part2 Pictures in New York. Lindsay Washick has also been promoted to director of production at Part2Pictures, she previously was on staff as a line producer.
TV
Al Jazeera America has appointed Al Anstey as interim CEO following CEO Ehab Al Shihabi’s departure in the wake of turmoil at the network. Anstey has been at the network for ten years and most recently served as managing director of Al Jazeera English since 2010. Lisa Barroso has been promoted from VP to SVP of distribution of Crown Media Family Networks (Chicago).
Michela Di Mondo has been promoted from Executive Director of Sales at FremantleMedia International (Toronto) to the VP in that department.
Sara Geater has been named as All3Media’s CEO in London. She was previously the CEO of FremantleMedia UK.
Chantal Jackson is the new head of development, alternative content at Breakthrough Entertainment in Toronto. He previously worked as a writer/producer on HGTV’s Buying & Selling with the Property Brothers.
Hal Rosenberg has been upped form SVP to EVP of Content Distribution & Affiliate Marketing, UP TV in Atlanta.
Chairman/CEO Bruce Rosenblum appointed five new members of The TV Academy’s Executive Committee: Kevin Reilly, President of TBS and TNT; Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios; Bela Bajaria, EVP of Universal Television; David Nevins, President of Showtime Networks; and Rick Rosen, head of television at WME. They will work with the academy’s officers and Board of Governors to lead and shape the group’s direction.
Francisco Lopez-Balboa has been named CFO of the Spanish-language telecaster, Univision, and will report to CEO Randy Falco. Lopez-Balboa was previously Head of Telecom, Media and Technology Investment Grade Financing at Goldman Sachs.
Ana Salas Siegel is now the General Counsel, Hispanic Enterprises and Content at NBCUniversal beginning in June. She was previously the SVP, Deputy General Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs, FOX International Channels in Miami.
Marci Wiseman is Entertainment One’s new EVP of Global Business & Legal Affairs. She was previously the Executive in Charge of Owned Content Strategy & Distribution and Head of Business Affairs at AMC Network. As the new EVP, she will handle business and legal for eOne’s film and TV groups, including production, acquisition, international co-production, direct distribution and international sales.
Management, PR, Agencies
ICM Partners has formed a new department within its television department devoted to servicing the agency’s TV directors, producers and below the line producers. Sean Freidin will be the new Co-Head of ICM Partners’ TV Production Department. He was promoted from Agent in their TV Literary department. Janet Carol Norton has been promoted to co-head of the TV production department at ICM Partners. She is also a partner at the company.
Tory Howard is the new VP of Atlas Artists, he was previously a talent manager at Mosaic. He joins Nicholas Todisco who will be a talent manager at Atlas, and also moved from Mosaic where he was a talent manager. Atlas Artists as recently launched by Charles Roven under his Atlas Entertainment as the management division. Howard and Todisco both reunite with Atlas Artists President Dave Fleming who also hails from Mosaic.
Music, Digital, Publishing, Misc.
Conde Nast Entertainment has snagged Joy Marcus as EVP, General Manager of Video. She was formerly the CEO of Bloglovin’ in New York.
Karen Lieberman is the new VP of Sales & Digital at Disney Music Group, she was formerly the Vice President of Digital Marketing & Strategy at Kobalt Music.
Management’s Alliance Of Motion Picture and Television Producers has tapped former political director of the California Republican Party, Jarryd Gonzales, as their new spokesman. He previously was the chief spokesperson for Verizon in California and Texas, and before that for T-Mobile USA. He was also the state GOP political director from 2001 to 2006.
Jenny Swiatowy has been promoted from Director to the Senior Director, Creative Sync Licensing at Capitol Music Group.
Mark Lemmons is the new Chief Technology Officer at Deluxe, he switched from being T3Media’s Chief Technology Officer.