Oesterlin promoted to senior vp at RHI Entertainment
October 02, 2006
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has promoted Tim Meade to vp Asian licensing, and Chris Dyde has been upped to vp Europe, Middle East and Africa licensing. Both report to SPHE vp international T. Paul Miller. Hong Kong-based Meade, who was executive director, will continue to oversee the management of all SPHE licensing business in Asia. Dyde, based in London, will continue to oversee licensing business throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was executive director.
Caleb Weinstein has been named senior vp strategy and business development at MTV Networks' Comedy Central, Spike TV and TV Land channels. Weinstein oversees business development, strategic analysis and long-range planning for the channels. Weinstein, who joined MTV Networks in 1999, was vp business and strategy development for the MTV Networks International unit as well as Nickelodeon.
William Bensussen and Laura Beedy Ritchie have been promoted to deputy general counsel at SAG. Bensussen focuses on the guild's collective bargaining and contract enforcement initiatives; Ritchie focuses on legal strategy and policy. Along with New York-based deputy general counsel Ray Rodriguez, they will continue to report to general counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. Bensussen and Ritchie joined SAG in 2002.
Keith Watanabe has been named senior manager cinema sales in the entertainment solutions division of projection systems firm Christie. Watanabe oversees sales for North America in addition to identifying new business opportunities for Christie's digital cinema and onscreen advertising initiatives. Watanabe joins Christie after 25 years with Kodak Co., most recently serving as national accounts manager.
Dana Shelburne has been promoted to vp current programming at 20th Century Fox TV. She oversees day-to-day creative matters on the CBS drama "The Unit" and Fox drama "Standoff," among other shows. She joined the studio three years ago after working in development at Silver Pictures. Also at 20th, Alana Kleiman has been promoted to director of casting after two years as a manager in the department.
Lisa Herzlich has been named senior vp and managing director of L.A. Live, the $2.5 billion sports-and-entertainment project under construction in downtown Los Angeles. Herzlich, previously marketing director for Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver, will be responsible for the overall operation of the completed project, reporting to Tim Leiweke, CEO of project developer AEG, and Ted Tanner, AEG senior vp real estate.
Friedenson named senior vp at Lionsgate
August 18, 2006
Grey Rembert has been named vp development at Graham King's Initial Entertainment Group. Rembert will work alongside senior vp creative affairs Jennifer Wachtell on developing screenplays and books, reporting to King. Before joining Initial, Rembert ran the literary department at DreamWorks, which she joined at its inception.
Starz Entertainment Group has promoted two veteran business affairs executives. Richard Waysdorf has been promoted to senior vp business affairs, distribution, and Richard Turner is the new senior vp business affairs, programming. Also, Marc Barson has been tapped to head a new Los Angeles office for Englewood, Colo.-based Starz as vp business affairs, production, reporting to Turner. Waysdorf has been with Starz for 10 years, most recently as vp business affairs, affiliate relations. Turner is a seven-year Starz veteran who was vp programming. Barson was a business affairs executive at Brainstorm Media and Nu Image/Millennium Films.
Robert Adelman has been promoted to vp affiliate sales, central region, at Fox Cable Networks. He oversees regional sales of Fox Cable Networks' portfolio of 27 channels in the Midwest and other territories. He has spent the past five years as director of affiliate sales, based in Atlanta.
Erik Arneson has been promoted to vp media relations at Fox-owned cable network Speed. Arneson joined the Charlotte, N.C.-based motor sports-oriented channel as director of public relations in July 2002.
Zach Rosenfield has joined Fifteen Minutes PR as head of its entertainment division. He will handle a range of clients, companies and branded entertainment clients for the public relations firm founded last year by Howard Bragman. Rosenfield comes to Fifteen Minutes after spending nearly 10 years as a publicity executive at Insignia PR.
Inez Ho has been appointed director of communications, Asia Pacific, for Disney-ABC Television Group. She oversees communication strategies and publicity for Disney-branded television businesses in India, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, among other territories. She also serves as the Asia Pacific liaison for other Walt Disney Co. divisions. Ho reports to Patti McTeague, senior vp kids' communications at Disney-ABC Television Group.
Bixler becomes senior vp at 20th
September 08, 2006
Dina Appleton has joined the entertainment, media and communications practice at law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton. Appleton, who is the co-author of the 2002 book "Hollywood Dealmaking: Negotiating Talent Agreements," spent nearly 10 years as head of business and legal affairs at Writers and Artists Agency.
Abra Potkin and Joe Ferullo have been named vps programming and development at CBS Paramount Domestic Television, where they will be responsible for overseeing talent and new series development. Both executives also will work on such current programming as "Entertainment Tonight" and the talk show "Dr. Phil," and they will spearhead new-media brand extensions for current and new programming. Potkin and Ferullo will areport to Terry Wood, president of creative affairs and development at CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Prods. Ferullo joins Paramount from NBC, where he was a supervisor and producer at "Dateline NBC." Potkin has been a producer at CBS News for the past decade.
Christa Zofcin has been appointed vp business and legal affairs at Yari Film Group. Zofcin most recently served as general counsel and vp business and legal affairs at Pariah. Before Pariah, Zofcin worked in the business and legal affairs department at Media 8 Entertainment.
Chelsye Burrows has been promoted to vp programming publicity at Starz Entertainment Group. Burrows will be responsible for publicity for all programming on the Starz and Encore premium channels and its on-demand outlets. She joined Starz in 1999 and has been executive director of corporate communications since 2003.
Daria Rachlin has been promoted to vp digital media at ABC Owned Television Stations. Rachlin, previously director interactive sales for ABC's O and O division, will help develop and implement digital strategies across the 10 ABC-owned stations. She will move from New York to Los Angeles and report to Bill Burton, executive vp digital media. Rachlin joined ABC in 1999.
Jeff Yordy has been promoted to vp acquired marketing at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Yordy oversees marketing for the division's acquired products, including Hit Entertainment children's properties. He also oversees Fox's efforts in what the company describes as "faith and inspirational markets" through its Fox Faith marketing efforts. Yordy, who joined the company in 2003, helped spearhead Fox's video release of 2004's "The Passion of the Christ."
Jim Weiss has been tapped head of publicity, communications and media relations for Atlanta-based FSN South and Turner South. Weiss is a cable PR veteran, having held top posts at Turner Broadcasting System and Rainbow Media. During his tenure at TBS, Weiss helped launch Turner Classic Movies and Turner South. Most recently, he has served as a consultant to Gospel Music Channel, Lifetime Television and TV Guide Channel.