V10 hires Paramount alum Samantha Cooper to lead int’l licensing, open NYC outpost

LA-based production group V10 Entertainment, owner of companies including America’s Funniest Home Videos maker Vin Di Bona Productions, has appointed former Paramount executive Samantha Cooper.

Samantha Cooper

Cooper, who served as executive VP of global content licensing at Paramount Global from 2019 to 2023, has been named as V10’s head of international licensing and business development.

She has opened a New York office for V10 from which she will focus on licensing the company’s catalogue globally, as well as library acquisitions and forging strategic partnerships.

Cooper’s responsibilities include overseeing global distribution rights to America’s Funniest Videos, in addition to selling V10 titles such as Follow Me, Totally Funny Kids & Animals, Blue Collar Auction, World’s Funniest Videos and upcoming sports docuseries Arch Racing with Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger.

During her time at Paramount Global, and also at Viacom, Cooper oversaw the licensing of content from some of the media company’s biggest brands, including Paramount Pictures (The Godfather, Star Trek, Mission Impossible), CBS (Criminal Minds, CSI), MTV Entertainment Group (Yellowstone, RuPaul’s Drag Race), Nickelodeon (SpongeBob, Paw Patrol) and Showtime (Ray Donovan, The Affair).

Her previous roles include exec VP of content distribution and partner marketing at Viacom and senior VP of content distribution and business development at Paramount.

V10 Entertainment CEO John Stevens said Cooper’s experience “across linear and streaming for top film and TV franchises will be a tremendous asset for V10 as we level up our global footprint with IP and licensing.”

President Carter Skeath said the appointment and opening of the New York outpost are a “significant step in V10’s journey as we continue to opportunistically expand our library, production, and global partnerships.”

V10 Entertainment, whose portfolio of companies also includes Fishbowl Media Worldwide, Home Video Licensing (HVL.com) and V10 Digital, is backed by private equity firm Clarion Capital.