Frouman to leave Red Arrow Studios

The chairman and CEO of German production outfit Red Arrow Studios is leaving the company and stepping down from the board of its parent, ProSiebenSat.1 Media.

Jan Frouman

Jan Frouman will leave both posts when his contract expires at the end of February next year. He has been with ProSiebenSat.1 in a variety of rolls for 15 years.

He will be succeeded by James Baker who has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Red Arrow Studios from his current role as COO. He will report to ProSiebenSat.1 CEO Max Conze.

In his expanded role, Baker will oversee the 20 production companies across Europe and the US which make up the Red Arrow group and will be responsible for the company’s strategic expansion.

The changes come at a time of executive upheaval at Red Arrow. Earlier this month it was announced that Henrik Pabst would be leaving the group’s distribution arm, Red Arrow International, with Bo Stehmeier succeeding him as president.

Pabst is becoming chief commercial officer at ProSiebenSat.1’s entertainment segment and will work with Baker in his new role, as will ProSiebenSat1’s chief content and channel officer Wolfgang Link. Stehmeier will report to Baker.

Reza Izad, CEO of digital-focused Studio71, will continue to lead the global multi-platform company and report directly to Conze. Baker and Izad will cooperate to further increase collaboration between Studio71 and Red Arrow’s production companies, and rapidly develop and scale the global digital video business.

James Baker

In order to increase Red Arrow’s German production footprint, a newly created steering board will ensure close collaboration and creative exchange. In this board, Link and Pabst will work alongside Red Arrow executives Baker, Michael Schmidt (CCO), Raimo Reese (CFO), Martin Metzger (chief legal and business affairs officer), as well as Izad.

Baker joined Red Arrow in 2011. Prior to joining the company, Baker spent 11 years at Sky. After leaving in 2007, he worked with media private equity group Fleming Media before joining Current TV, Al Gore’s ground-breaking web and TV network Current TV, as UK general manager.

Frouman joined ProSiebenSat.1 in January 2004 following the acquisition led by Haim Saban, for whom Frouman worked in Los Angeles. Prior to launching and becoming chairman and CEO of Red Arrow Studios in 2010, Frouman held several senior corporate positions within ProSiebenSat.1.

Conze said: “Red Arrow Studios is an important part of ProSiebenSat.1, and I would like to thank Jan for successfully building and leading the group from the start.

“I’m also very pleased that we’ve been able to promote James Baker to lead the company going forward. He knows Red Arrow inside and out, and together we will expand our production footprint, further strengthen the operational performance of the Red Arrow companies and particularly develop a broader German content production ecosystem.”