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Tag: Steve Beeks

  • Lionsgate extends deal with Emmett-Furla for 10 movies

    Lionsgate extends deal with Emmett-Furla for 10 movies

    MUMBAI: Lionsgate and its Grindstone Entertainment Group have extended their long-term partnership with Emmett/Furla Films for another 10 movies, several of which will be released through the newly-launched Lionsgate Premiere label.

     

    Grindstone’s collaboration with Emmett/Furla has generated a string of successful star-driven event films, including the Bruce Willis, Josh Duhamel and Rosario Dawson action adventure Fire With Fire, the crime thriller Empire State, starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and The Hunger Games franchise’s Liam Hemsworth, and the serial killer thriller Frozen Ground, featuring Nic Cage and John Cusack.

     

    The partnership’s eagerly-anticipated upcoming slate includes the heist film Bus 657, starring Robert DeNiro and Kate Bosworth, the CIA action thriller The Extraction, teaming Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz and Gina Carano, and the thriller Daughter of God, featuring an all-star cast led by John Wick’s Keanu Reeves and Mira Sorvino. The first film to release through Lionsgate’s new Premiere specialty distribution label will be The Extraction.

     

    “Grindstone is an important contributor to the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, and they have established one of the industry’s most enviable track records of consistency and profitability as well as a dynamic pipeline of star-driven event films. We’re delighted to extend their productive collaboration with Emmett/Furla for another 10 films that we expect to be distinguished by the high-octane excitement, A-list talent and commercial success that have become their trademarks,” said Lionsgate co-chief operating officer and Motion Picture Group president Steve Beeks.

     

    “Randall Emmett and George Furla are among the most consistently exciting film producers in the world today, and we’re thrilled to extend and expand our partnership for another 10 films. Emmett/Furla is recognized by audiences around the world as a truly global brand synonymous with big stars, box office excitement and outsized commercial results. Our pipeline of films from world-class producers like Randall and George, combined with our access to Lionsgate’s tremendous marketing and distribution infrastructure, is an unbeatable combination,” added Grindstone president Barry Brooker and Grindstone partner Stan Wertlieb.

     

    “We’ve been part of the Lionsgate family since the earliest days of the studio, and our partnership has grown with their success. Lionsgate has emerged as a powerful creative force in the global marketplace, and we’re thrilled to continue our collaboration with Steve Beeks, Barry Brooker and the rest of the Lionsgate team as well as to help launch Lionsgate Premiere, the Company’s newest label,” said Emmett and Furla.

     

    Emmett/Furla partnered with Lionsgate on the theatrical films Rambo, Wonderland, Narc and last year’s Escape Plan, starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in an action thriller that became a box office blockbuster in China and Russia on its way to grossing nearly $140 million around the world.

  • Lionsgate UK CEO Zydi Kamasa extends contract; takes on added responsibility

    Lionsgate UK CEO Zydi Kamasa extends contract; takes on added responsibility

    MUMBAI: In a move reflecting Lionsgate’s continued globalization, Zygi Kamasa has entered a new long-term agreement to continue serving as Lionsgate UK CEO and to assume additional new responsibilities as CEO of Lionsgate’s European office.

     

    Kamasa, who has led Lionsgate’s self-distribution business in the UK to record revenue and profits, will continue to grow Lionsgate UK’s film, television, home entertainment and digital businesses, including distribution of Lionsgate and Summit films, production and release of its own Lionsgate UK titles and third-party acquisitions. In his expanded role he will also spearhead Lionsgate’s strategic growth initiatives and new business development across Europe, including potential coproduction arrangements, M&A initiatives and entry into new lines of business.

     

    Lionsgate UK recently expanded its distribution slate to include Summit as well as Lionsgate releases (for Summit titles produced after July 2015). Lionsgate has also relocated its international sales and distribution headquarters to London, moving its international sales executives closer to key European markets.

     

    “Zygi is one of the entrepreneurial executives playing a leadership role in moving Lionsgate forward around the world. He and his team have grown Lionsgate UK into a vibrant and diversified company, and his expanded mandate for Europe underscores our commitment to continue building Lionsgate into a next generation global content leader,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer.

     

    “Zygi has achieved record results and established an important film brand at Lionsgate UK. His business acumen, creative leadership and strong talent relationships will be invaluable as he continues to grow Lionsgate UK’s portfolio of businesses as well as exploring innovative growth opportunities across the European continent,” said Lionsgate co-chief operating officer and Motion Picture Group president Steve Beeks.

     

    Lionsgate UK is coming off two straight years of record revenue and profits as the company continues to diversify its slate and broaden its relationships. Kamasa and his team have overseen the investment, production and distribution of more than 350 films and have launched over 150 top ten box office hits in the UK, including the first three installments of Lionsgate’s global blockbuster The Hunger Gamesfranchise, the Saw horror franchise, Olympus Has Fallen, Cabin in the Woods and Stephen Soderbergh’s Magic Mike.

     

    Kamasa, a staunch advocate of the UK film industry, has also developed a strong track record in investing in UK projects including: the worldwide hit Bend it Like Beckham; Lasse Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt; the adaptation of Eric Lomax’s autobiography The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman; and the upcoming A Little Chaos, directed by Alan Rickman and starring Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci and Matthias Schoenaerts.

     

    “I’m delighted to continue growing our business within the entrepreneurial and forward-looking culture that Jon, Michael, Steve and the rest of the Lionsgate team have created. Lionsgate’s emergence as a content leader with global scope positions us to continue building our portfolio of production and distribution businesses in the U.K. as well as exploring strategic opportunities across the European continent,” said Kamasa.

     

  • Post acquisition, Lionsgate sheds 80 staff

    Post acquisition, Lionsgate sheds 80 staff

    MUMBAI: Following Lionsgate’s purchase of Summit Entertainment last January, the former has begun laying off about 80 of its employees.

    Most of the layoffs came in the motion picture and home entertainment divisions, where the two companies had the most overlap and staff reductions were expected, it is said.

    The lay-offs represent 12 per cent of the combined company. Of a total staff of 675, Lionsgate has about 500 employees, while Summit has around 175. The company is aiming at bringing the number down to around 575.

    Last Friday the company announced that its COO Steve Beeks had signed a new long-term agreement and is also taking on the additional title of president of the Lionsgate motion picture group.

    “With the growth of our combined operations through the recent Summit acquisition and a combined feature film slate that is now capable of generating a billion dollars a year at the North American theatrical box office alone, Steve‘s ongoing focus on financial discipline, cost control and overhead management is more critical than ever,” Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said in a statement.

    Besides Feltheimer, Beeks will also report to Lionsgate motion picture group co-chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger in his new president role for that division.