Ex-Southern Star CEO lands at Shine

Rory Callaghan has been appointed executive director of Shine Australia, joining later this year after leaving Endemol-owned Southern Star Entertainment.

Rory Callaghan

The appointment ends speculation as to Callaghan’s next move, which he hinted at in January upon announcing his resignation from Southern Star. Callaghan had said his plans could “upset” the Endemol prodco.

He will join the rapidly expanding Shine Australia outfit later this year in the new role of executive director, reporting into Shine Network and Shine Australia CEO Mark Fennessy and MD Matt Campbell.

The company has also recently hired WTFN head of production and development Peter Newman as creative director to replace former programming chief Paul Franklin, who joined Shine USA earlier this month.

In his new role, Callaghan will be responsible for growing Shine’s group catalogue formats such as MasterChef and The Biggest Loser in Australia and New Zealand, as well as those of Zodiak Media and Talpa Media through local representation partnerships.

“Rory is one of the finest television executives in the business. He brings a wealth of expertise and proven success as an independent producer and provides additional strength to a talented executive team,” said Fennessy.

News Corp-owned Shine launched in Australia in 2010 and has made a major impact, snatching local production rights to the country’s biggest rating format, MasterChef, from FremantleMedia. “In its short history Shine has changed the Australian television landscape,” said Callaghan.

However, Shine and the other superindies present in are set to face increased competition from the region’s first superindie, Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder, which was created recently in the merger of Cordell Jigsaw Productions and Zapruder’s Other Films.

Upon the news of that deal, Zapruder chief exec Andrew Denton said: “We have long seen ourselves, separately, as local corner shops up against multinational supermarket chains importing overseas formats by the container-load. Combined, we will have greater strength to continue championing lovingly-made, original, Australian television.”

Callaghan is behind Southern Star dramas such as Offspring, Rush and Puberty Blues, and oversaw growth of unscripted shows like Deal or No Deal, Beauty and the Geek and Undercover Boss.

He was appointed Southern Star CEO in 2009 following Endemol’s acquisition of the company. Prior to his time at Southern Star, Callaghan was MD of Granada Productions, ITV’s Australian production arm.