eOne hires ITVS exec for sales

Transatlantic producer and distributor Entertainment One (eOne) has appointed an ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVSGE) exec to oversee sales across EMEA.

Dan Gopal

Dan Gopal takes up the newly created role of exec VP, sales in EMEA and will lead all TV and film content sales efforts in the region, working with free and pay TV broadcasters as well as OTT platforms.

He reports to Stuart Baxter, president of eOne Television International, and will oversee the EMEA sales team in London and others across Europe.

Gopal most recently worked at ITVSGE where he led the commercial team responsible for all TV, digital and home entertainment sales in EMEA, including dealing with global streamers such as Netflix and Amazon.

Prior to that, he worked for The Walt Disney Company and later launched and managed the EMEA distribution business for Miramax after its private equity buy-out from the Mouse House.

Baxter said Gopal’s “experience at ITV, Disney and Miramax as well as his relationships across Europe” would be “invaluable” as eOne expands its operations.

“As the company continues to invest more in content and creative partnerships, we need a bigger and stronger distribution team to drive our commercial growth,” Baxter added.

eOne, which sells shows including The Walking Dead, companion series Fear the Walking Dead and Designated Survivor, has been shifting its sales and acquisition operation over recent months.

In May, eOne said it would merge its TV and film divisions in a bid to “underpin future growth” under its strategy, unveiled in 2014, to double in size within five years.

A month later, Noel Hedges joined from UK sales outfit DRG to work across its acquisitions operation.

eOne, which has offices in Toronto, LA and London, has experienced a tumultuous 18 months having bought a number of companies over recent years, including Peppa Pig producer Astley Baker Davies and The Mark Gordon Company.

It rebuffed a takeover bid by UK commercial broadcaster ITV last year after seeing its share price plummet amid fears about debt refinancing and the profitability of its movie business.

Earlier this year, C21 revealed Carrie Stein, exec VP for global production at eOne Television, had resigned and would be leaving the company at the end of June.