Grindon joins Legendary launch

US producer Legendary Television and Digital is launching a global distribution arm that will be headed by a former president of Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI).

Michael Grindon has been brought in to oversee Legendary Worldwide Distribution, with a remit to shop the firm’s shows globally. He will report to Legendary Television & Digital president Bruce Rosenblum.

Grindon is looking to hire marketing and sales execs for the new unit, which will also distribute content for third-party production outfits.

The move adds another element to Legendary Entertainment’s TV and digital division, which recruited former Warner Bros Television Group chief Rosenblum as president in 2012 and took over US prodco Asylum Entertainment in December.

Rosenblum said the company was now “well-positioned and ready” to expand its infrastructure, adding that Grindon’s experience would enable him to build “a nimble and innovative infrastructure that will enable Legendary to deliver on its promise of producing and distributing quality television content on a worldwide basis.”

Grindon said: “We are going to build a worldwide TV distribution operation, territory by territory, that balances our experience at the major-studio level with a clear understanding of our client’s needs, in all media, in this rapidly evolving television environment.”

Grindon was president at SPT’s international division for 15 years before leaving in 2010, having overseen distribution of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s TV and feature film content to TV services and latterly mobile and digital platforms. He was most recently head of production and distribution consultancy Grindon Media.