3 September, 2008
London, 03 September 2008 – Greg Phillips, President of Fireworks International, today announced an expanded presence in the US following the rapid development of the company’s worldwide TV division with the appointment of Paul Lewis to the newly-created position of Vice President, Development. Based in the Los Angeles office, Lewis will spearhead the acquisition and development of new scripted and non-scripted programming.
Commenting on the hiring, Phillips said, “The expansion of our TV division in LA is a critical step in continuing our rapid growth after the acquisition of Fireworks by ContentFilm around three years ago. Paul’s appointment underlines our strategy to build product flow with increased high-profile programming in the U.S. We are confident that his expertise and knowledge of the market, coupled with our global resources and funding, will be the first of many steps to build a highly visible presence in the U.S.”
Lewis joins the company with a well-established and proven track record in developing high profile programming for major international media companies. Previously Director of Programming and Development, Live Action & Alternative Programming at Nickelodeon, he was responsible for overseeing such shows as ‘ROMEO’, ‘JUST JORDAN’ and ‘JUST FOR KICKS.’ Prior to this, Lewis was an Executive in comedy and drama programming at Fox Broadcasting Company supervising such shows as ‘THAT 70s SHOW,’ ‘FAMILY GUY’ and ‘PARTY OF FIVE.’
During the last year Fireworks has been on a tear which includes taking on the distribution of the Harmony Gold catalogue, the acquisition of over 1,000 hours of programming from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the establishment of the new Toronto-based Fireworks Factual Entertainment division. These moves have resulted in the significant growth of the company with the company’s TV division now representing over 3,000 hours of programming. Added Phillips, “We’ve got resources, we’re aggressive and we’re here to grow and thrive.”
About Fireworks International
Fireworks International is ContentFilm’s international television distribution division with over 3,000 hours of high-quality and commercially appealing programming including an extensive slate of major drama series, factual entertainment, kids live action comedy and drama series, TV movies, mini-series and special event programming. Recent additions include hit crime drama series THE BORDER and heart-warming family drama series, HEARTLAND; BLOOD TIES, twenty-two hours of mystery drama with more than a touch of the supernatural; brand new U.S. tween comedy THE ASSISTANTS; Mondo Media’s MONDO MINI SHOWS catalogue featuring a raft of offbeat comedy programming; children’s programmes YOUNG DRACULA, DESPERADOS and ROBOTECH; plus over 200 U.S. network mini-series and TV movies; and specials including the Annual U.S. PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS shows. This new product is combined with the large and valuable Fireworks library catalogue which is complemented by a raft of formidable television shows including Gene Roddenberry’s ANDROMEDA, MUTANT X and RELIC HUNTER.
About ContentFilm International (CFI)
ContentFilm International (CFI) is the worldwide film and library sales arm of ContentFim plc. CFI specializes in high quality and commercial feature films, and is able to assist film producers in securing finance. Content handles worldwide sales, marketing, and publicity on all titles. The recently formed Feature Films Library arm also concentrate on international sales on over 120 title. The latest CFI productions include ‘The Messenger’ with Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson produced by ‘Saving Private Ryan’s Mark Gordon, the true story of Hawaii’s ‘Princess Ka’iulani’ starring ‘The New World’s’ Q’orianka Kilcher, the action thriller ‘Horse’ with Diego Luna, intense suspense thriller ‘The Killing Room’ withAcademy Award ® nominated Chloe Sevigny, Toby Wilkins’ brilliant horror ‘Splinter’, double-Oscar ® nominee Samantha Morton stars in ‘The Daisy Chain’, acclaimed director FredSchepisi directs Australia’s top actors in ‘Last Man’, Academy Award® nominatedactor William H. Macy makes his directorial debut with ‘Keep Coming Back’ and the finest of
Africa Wildlife crew tells the breathtaking story of the ‘Elephants of the Okavango’. Anthony LaPaglia stars in ‘Balibo’. Completed films include, ‘August’ starring Josh Hartnett, Richard Attenborough’s ‘Closing the Ring’ which includes cast such as Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer and Mischa Barton; the horror ‘Outpost’ widely sold to Sony, Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Black Book’ and Jason Reitman’s ‘Thank You For Smoking’ which generated more than $20 million at the US box office. CFI attends all major markets and festivals including Cannes, Venice, Toronto, AFM and Berlin. CFI is being managed in an executive capacity by Jamie Carmichael, President of ContentFilm International.
For further information, please contact: Fireworks International:Jennifer BrinkworthVice-President, Marketing and Communications
Tel + 00 44 (20) 7851 6517
www.contentfilm.com
