Lionsgate makes London move

US studio Lionsgate is relocating its international sales operation and several executives from the US to headquarters in London.

Jon Feltheimer

The executive VPs of international sales in the company’s motion picture group, Wendy Reeds and Crystal Bourbeau, have already been relocated to the UK and the process of recruiting other executives for the office is underway.

Last month the company bolstered its London-based sales arm by hiring Mark James from CBS and Fabio Etienne-Tinchant from ITV Studios Global Entertainment as director of sales for Central and Eastern Europe and director of sales for Greece, Turkey, Africa, Middle-East, Spain and Portugal, respectively.

Lionsgate’s international headquarters will be based at the existing Lionsgate UK offices. Lionsgate UK CEO Zygi Kamasa recently entered into a new long-term agreement with the company to continue running its UK operation, which recently agreed a content deal with Amazon for its Prime Instant Video service.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said the London move would bring the company closer to its overseas markets, having recently signed output deals with Tele Munchen Group in Germany, Roadshow Pictures in Australia and Nordisk Film in Scandinavia, among others.

The Mad Men and Anger Management studio said it currently has more than 30 television shows on-air on more than 20 networks. Its feature film business has been boosted by the box office performance of The Hunger Games and its sequel.

The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: “This is testament that Britain is open for business. As chancellor, I have been determined that we back the UK’s brilliant creative industries, which is why we have invested in skills and training as well as providing tax relief for films, high-end TV, animation, video games and regional theatre.”