Appointment of 20-Year Nonfiction Television Veteran Signals
Continued Expansion of Company's Alternative Programming
Worldwide
SANTA MONICA, Calif., and
VANCOUVER, May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflecting the
continued growth of its global television distribution operations,
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) has named 20-year industry veteran
Ted Bookstaver to the newly-created
position of Senior Vice President of Alternative Programming Sales,
the Company announced today.
Mr. Bookstaver will assume responsibility for licensing
Lionsgate's growing slate of alternative programming to broadcast,
cable and digital platforms around the world, further strengthening
the Company's international television distribution infrastructure
and capitalizing on growth opportunities throughout the global
marketplace.
"Ted is an experienced sales and distribution executive and an
adept strategist with great relationships throughout the
international marketplace," said Lionsgate EVP of Alternative
Programming Jennifer O'Connell. "He is ideally qualified to
extend the rapid growth of our alternative programming roster into
fresh opportunities worldwide."
"With our third key appointment in the past four weeks, we're
continuing to bolster an international television distribution team
that is well positioned to respond to developments in a
fast-changing global marketplace," said Lionsgate President of
Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution Jim Packer.
"Ted has the knowledge, vision and relationships to leverage our
growing slate of alternative programming across the full spectrum
of broadcast, cable, SVOD and digital buyers around the world."
Lionsgate began incubating an unscripted content business
several years ago under the direction of Alternative Programming VP
Brian Tannenbaum. Ms. O'Connell has continued to build on
that momentum since joining the Company last year, and Lionsgate's
recent acquisition of a majority stake in Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Media Group has further
accelerated the growth of a nonfiction business that now
encompasses nearly 50 reality series and a roster of acclaimed
producers that includes Fear Factor and Wipeout
executive producer Matt Kunitz,
Eli Frankel (Project Runway),
Jonathan Karsh (My Five
Wives) and Adam DiVello (The
Hills), among many others.
Lionsgate's slate of nonfiction programming includes Monica
the Medium on Freeform, Hellevator on GSN, Douglas
Family Gold, which premieres next week on Oxygen,
Revenge Body with Khloe
Kardashian, debuting on E! next year, and Kunitz's
survival competition series Kicking & Screaming,
which was recently added to Fox Broadcasting's lineup with a
January 2017 premiere date. The
show is poised to become a global brand for which the Company has
retained all international distribution and format rights.
Lionsgate will also distribute Pilgrim's reality shows in the
international marketplace.
Before joining Lionsgate, Mr. Bookstaver served as Vice
President of International Distribution at Dick Clark Productions,
Inc. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Head of
Americas at Shine International, where he managed and led the
Americas' sales and acquisition activities.
Previously, he spearheaded global distribution efforts at
Eyeworks International Distribution, and also had an eight-year
tenure at CBS/King World Productions, where he oversaw the global
licensing, production and programming of game and reality formats,
including blockbusters Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!,
Hollywood Squares, as well as The Oprah Winfrey
Show.
Mr. Bookstaver holds an MBA degree from Pepperdine University and a BA degree in History
from Washington University in
St. Louis.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader
with a diversified presence in motion picture production and
distribution, television programming and syndication, home
entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded
channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and
location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80
television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime
production, distribution and syndication businesses. These
include the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New
Black, the syndication successes The Wendy Williams Show
and Celebrity Name Game (with FremantleMedia), the breakout
series The Royals and the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy
Casual.
The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and
includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise,
the Now You See Me, Divergent and John Wick
series, Sicario, The Age of Adaline,
Roadside Attractions' Love &
Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films'
Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion
Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing
Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in
box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates.
Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of
approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is
an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation
for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and
Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality
entertainment in markets around the
world. www.lionsgate.com
For inquiries, please contact:
Cristina Castaneda
310-255-5114
ccastaneda@lionsgate.com
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SOURCE Lionsgate