Below is a compilation of the latest moves in the industry.
Peter Noll is joining KERO Bakersfield, Calif. as VP and general manager. Noll, who has been ABC/Disney Television’s director of ABC affiliate marketing and promotion since 2010, begins at the Scripps Station May 18. He previously was KJRH Tulsa’s creative services director.
Turner Broadcasting System has hired Doug Shapiro as executive VP and chief strategy officer. Shapiro, Time Warner’s senior VP international corporate strategy, will start in July. He will supervise Turner’s domestic Research and Consumer Insights team and its Media group.
Clara Kim has been selected to serve as executive VP and general counsel of ASCAP, effective June 1. Kim, previously executive VP of business and legal affairs for the National Geographic Channel, takes over for Elizabeth Matthews, who became CEO of ASCAP in January.
Impecca announced May 12 the appointment of Steven Lyon as VP of sales at the company, which designs, develops, manufactures and markets audio/visual products. Lyon, who has past work experience at Dell, Toshiba, Sharp and Zenith, will be responsible for increasing the Impecca’s market share and account penetration.
Earl Licera has joined Shotoku Broadcast Systems as product manager for its manual camera support systems in The Americas. The announcement was made by Tony Hanada, managing director of Shotoku, a manufacturer of advanced camera support products.
Production and post-production company Illuminate has a new president, Tal Fiala, who has previously worked with brands like HBO, Amazon, Netflix and Hulu. CEO Jim hardy made the announcement May 12.
ESPN has named Justin Connolly as head of distribution at ESPN and Disney networks. Connolly had been leading college networks, including SEC network. His new title is executive VP, Disney & ESPN affiliate sales and marketing, previously held by David Preschlack, who announced plans to leave at the end of the year.
Kre8 Media has appointed Tina Wisner as VP of data science and analytics. Wisner joins the DRTV, digital media and brand ad agency from Hawthorne Direct, where she served as director, data science and analytics. Wisner will lead efforts to leverage new technologies, tools and applications through advanced statistical approaches.
Josh Cogswell has joined Tribune Media Company as chief product officer. Cogswell, who spent 15 years at Viacom, most recently as senior VP of product management, will supervise the creation and performance of Tribune’s digital strategy as its top digital executive.
Marv White has returned to SportVision, Inc., as the company announced May 11 that White, one of its original executives when formed in 1998, will serve as chief technology officer. White, who previously served the same role from 2004-09, will work out of SportVision’s Fremont, Calif. office.
Deluxe AdServices has welcomed Augie Ciulla as senior VP, sales. Ciulla, who began his 13-year career at First Spin and most recently was regional VP of sales at DG, will be responsible for sales functions, creating and executing strategies for sales and marketing.
Spike TV has upped Cedric Foster to senior VP of brand marketing, digital and fan engagement strategy. Foster, who previously served as general manager of the Spike digital business, will help create brand strategy for Spike’s on-air, off-channel and digital media, as well as streamline Spike’s marketing efforts.
Comcast has tapped Michael Cavanagh as its senior VP and chief financial officer. Cavanagh was formerly the Carlyle Group’s president and coCOO and, before that, CFO of JPMorgan Chase. Cavanagh, who will start early this summer, takes over for Michael Angelakis, who announced in March he was leaving to start a hedge fund.
Bill Simmons will be leaving ESPN when his contract expires this fall. Sports and pop-culture Website Grantland, which Simmons launched in 2011, will remain with ESPN, according to ESPN president John Skipper. Simmons, who initially joined ESPN in 2001, is one of the country’s most influential and well-known sports writers.
KTMF-KWYB news director Kalee Scolatti was one of two people killed in a triple shooting May 6. Scolatti had spent 10 years at the ABC-Fox stations in Missoula and Butte-Bozeman, Mont. Her estranged husband has been identified as the shooter.
PR firm M Booth has tapped Mark Malinowski as senior VP, director of partner innovation. Malinowski, who has more than 20 years of entertainment marketing and branding experience, has negotiated brand partnerships with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC’s Ellen and NBC’s Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
El Rey Network chairman and founder Robert Rodriguez announced May 7 the formation of the El Rey Diversity Council, an advisory group of leading national Latino advocacy organizations. The council, which will look to create a comprehensive reporting system to ensure diversity in Hollywood, will have its inaugural meeting May 20 in Austin, Texas.
Rob Elmore has departed his post as WTVD Raleigh-Durham’s news director to become VP and news director at sister ABC-owned station KABC Los Angeles. Elmore, who had led WTVD since 1998, previously was news director at WHEC Rochester, N.Y. Cheryl Fair was upped to president and general manager of the L.A. station in February.
Deluxe AdServices has added Rick McKinney as VP, secondary post production, of the film and video editing and post-production company. McKinney, a former VP at McCann Erickson, will supervise all operations pertaining to production within the the U.S.-based organization.
Civolution company NexGuard announced May 7 the hiring of Jean-Philippe Plantevin as senior VP of products and solutions. Plantevin, who previously held senior management roles at DiviCom/Harmonic, Nagravision and SagemCom, will work out of NexGuard’s office in Rennes, France.
CNN International Commercial has named Rob Bradley as head of digital advertising sales and data. Bradley, formerly the head of business operations at IDG UK, will supervise the international rollout of the company’s programmatic strategy and the integration of data-based strategies including social media.
Al Anstey is the new CEO of Al Jazeera America, effective immediately, taking over for Ehab Al Shihabi, who is leaving the company. Al Shihabi joined the network as interim CEO, helping to lead its 2013 launch. Anstey had been serving as managing editor of AL Jazeera English since 2010.
Entertainment One has hired Marci Wiseman as executive VP, global business and legal affairs. Wiseman, who had been AMC Networks’ executive in charge of owned content strategy and distribution, will have responsibility over film and television production, acquisition, international coproduction, direct distribution and international sales.
WGN America has appointed Tim Russell as VP, brand partnerships, and elevated David Diederich to VP, ad sales and brand partnerships, Western Region. Russell previously worked at Meredith Video Studios as senior managing director and head of sales, while Diederich had been serving as VP of sales since 2009.
HBO led all networks with 27 nominations for the 5th annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards. FX was second with 16, followed by CBS (13), ABC (12) and Fox (10). FX drama Justified and HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge both received five nominations to lead the pack.
Disney and ESPN Media Networks on May 6 announced that they had promoted James Rollins to VP of digital video distribution. Rollins, who had been serving as senior director, will be responsible for finding and developing new product opportunities in addition to increasing product and service distribution with affiliates.
NBC Sports Group led the 36th Annual Sports Emmy Awards with 17 wins across all its networks, just above ESPN’s 15. Fox Sports Media Group tallied 11 wins, followed by MLB Media’s four and HBO sports’ three. George Bodenheimer, the former president of ESPN, received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mike Weatherley, a former British MP and Intellectual Property Rights advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron, has been named vice chairman of the Motion Picture Licensing Company, Ltd., as well as executive VP of its parent company Motion Picture Licensing Corporation in L.A. He will serve as director of both companies.
