Magical Elves unveils new senior team

Top Chef and Project Runway prodco Magical Elves has named its senior management team after it emerged the company’s founders are leaving the Tinopolis-owned company.

Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth

Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz founded Magical Elves in 2001 and remained with the company following its acquisition in 2014 by UK-based Tinopolis Group, but are stepping down to launch a new company.

They are being replaced by exec VP of current programming Casey Kriley, who will become chief operating officer, and exec VP of development Jo Sharon, who will take the role of chief content officer.

Kriley has been at Magical Elves since 2001 and has credits on shows such as Top Chef while Sharon has been with the prodco for almost a decade and has worked on Nailed It! and In Defense Of.

Meanwhile, Toby Gorman will become interim CEO at Magical Elves in addition to his role as president of fellow Tinopolis US outfit A Smith & Co Productions.

Arthur Smith, chairman at Tinopolis US and CEO of A Smith & Co, said Kriley and Sharon had “been instrumental to the success that Magical Elves has enjoyed.”

Magical Elves is among an array of producers owned by UK-based Tinopolis Group, including Mentorn Media, Firecracker, Pioneer and the recently launched Thunderclap Media. Tinopolis also has its own distribution arm, Passion Distribution.