Shorts appoints international president

London-based Shorts International has appointed a former MGM and Chello Zone executive to the newly created role of president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Philip Mordecai will be responsible for all network activities at Shorts International-owned ShortsTV, a cable TV network dedicated to short movies that is available in the US and a number of European countries.

He will also oversee group commercial development, reporting to Shorts International CEO and founder Carter Pilcher, who said the hire would contribute towards “accelerating” the company’s growth.

Mordecai has more than 12 years broadcast experience. Most recently he was general manager of MGM Networks Central Europe, prior to which he was commercial affiliate director at Chello Zone, overseeing commercial across Central and Eastern Europe.

ShortsTV is available in the US on DirecTV and AT&T’s U-Verse service. In Europe, the channel is available in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg through cable provider Numericable, in the Netherlands through UPC and in Turkey via TTNET’s Tivibu service.

The company, which is headquartered in the UK but has offices in Los Angeles, also offers a short movie on-demand service through iTunes in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan and throughout Europe.