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Filmmaker Adam Morse, who directed Billy Zane-starrer “Lucid,” is set to get in front of the camera in a new documentary, titled “Blind Ambition,” about his career. The unscripted project, directed by Ukrainian-British filmmaker Julia Varvara, will follow Morse’s journey from losing his eyesight at the age of 19 due to the incurable condition Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy to shooting a SuperBowl commercial earlier this year. Among other achievements, Morse has walked the runway at London Fashion Week and did his own stunts in AppleTV+’s “See.”

Morvara Entertainment is co-producing the doc with Abrupt Films. Rocky Mudaliar produces. “This documentary is more than just a film, it’s a powerful message for people everywhere to stay positive and be more determined,” says Varvara.

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A new two-part documentary from Wonderhood Studios (“The Kidnap of Angel Lynn”) is set to uncover the story of a Canadian chef accused of...

Warner Bros. International Television Production (Wbitvp) has tapped All3Media’s Ben Pays to be its managing director in Belgium, Variety has learned.

Pays, who joins the company on Oct. 7, will work alongside Peter Bouckaert, MD of Eyeworks Belgium, Wbitvp’s scripted label in the region and report to Wbitvp president Ronald Goes.

In his new role, Pays will have responsibility for general management and commercial and operational leadership of the company’s non-scripted entertainment slate and authentic fiction business as well as working on new ideas and adapting existing IP from the Wbitvp catalogue to cater to the Belgian market.

The respected European exec joins from All3Media Belgium where he was a key creative and showrunner. He previously worked at Lecter Media as creative director and head of development, earning a Rose d’Or nomination for celebrity reality format “Groeten uit…” (“Greetings from…”). The original concept went on to be produced in six territories.

Warner Bros. Discovery (Wbd) has undertaken leadership changes in Australia and New Zealand as part of a broader reorganization in the Asia-Pacific region. Michael Brooks will take on an expanded role overseeing all of Wbd’s businesses in Australia and New Zealand, excluding television production in New Zealand which reports separately.

Brooks has been with Wbd since 2016 and currently leads television production in Australia. In his new role, he will manage networks, streaming, licensing, home entertainment, consumer products, and games across the two countries. Brooks will report directly to James Gibbons, president of Wbd’s Asia-Pacific region, and Ronald Goes, head of international television production.

Gibbons praised Brooks’ qualifications, noting over 10 years of experience at BBC Studios and Endemol Shine North America prior to joining Wbd. “Michael’s background positions him well to guide our businesses through the complex Australian and New Zealand media landscapes,” Gibbons stated.

In addition, Nilesh...

Michael Brooks has been appointed General Manager for Anz at Warner Bros. Discovery.

James Gibbons – the company’s president, Anc region – announced Brooks’s promotion at Wbd, alongside confirmation of current Apac CFO Justin Emmer’s departure after 19 years with the company.

Gibbons said of Brooks’s appointment:

“In addition to his existing role as Managing Director, Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia, Michael will assume this expanded role immediately, reporting to me and Ronald Goes, President, Wbitvp.

“Michael has been with the company since 2016, and prior to this, spent more than 10 years in the US, including leadership positions at BBC Studios and Endemol Shine North America.

“In this newly expanded position, Michael will oversee all non-theatrical businesses locally, comprising Networks and Streaming, Content Licensing and Home Entertainment, Consumer Products and Games, as well as Wbitvp Australia. Wbitvp New Zealand remains within its current reporting structure into Wbitvp HQ in London,...

Michael Brooks has been appointed Gm for Australia and New Zealand at Warner Bros. Discovery.

In addition to his existing role as MD, Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia, Brooks will assume the expanded role immediately, reporting to James Gibbons and Ronald Goes, president, Wbitvp.

Brooks has been with the company since 2016, and prior to this, spent more than 10 years in the U.S., including leadership positions at BBC Studios and Endemol Shine North America.

In the newly expanded position, Brooks will oversee all non-theatrical businesses locally, comprising networks and streaming, content licensing and home entertainment, consumer products and games, as well as Wbitvp Australia. Wbitvp New Zealand remains within its current reporting structure into Wbitvp HQ in London and is not part of Brooks’ extended remit.

Separately, current Apac chief financial officer Justin Emmer has decided to depart the company, leaving at the end of this year. “[Emmer] has been...

Glen Kyne is exiting his role as Senior Vice President and Head of Networks at Warner Bros Discovery Australia and New Zealand (Anz) on July 5.

Juliet Peterson, current Senior Director of Content and Bvod, will lead the business as Vice President, Head of Networks, Anz, and report to James Gibbons, President of Wbd’s Asia Pacific business.

This leadership shuffle comes amid the impending closure of Newshub in New Zealand, where more than 300 jobs will go when the newsroom ceases operations in July.

Michael Brooks will continue in his dual role as MD of Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia, reporting to Ronald Goes, and Head of Studios, Anz, reporting to Gibbons.

“Glen has done an incredible job of navigating industry disruption,” said Gibbons. “He has been a popular and calming leader; his leadership of the organisation through its recent restructure put empathy and kindness at the forefront, two attributes...

Warner Bros International Television Production Changes Spain MD

Warner Bros. International Television Production (Wbitvp) has appointed Stefano Torrisi as its MD in Spain and Portugal. In January, the veteran exec will replace Sebastian Moguilevsky, who is stepping down at the end of the year. Wbitvp’s Iberian division produces the local version of First Dates and counts shows such as Netflix drama Brigada Costa del Sol among its credits. Torrisi has previously held senior roles at the likes of Europroducciones TV, Endemol and Banijay in both Spain and Italy. Ronald Goes, EVP Production Itvp commented: ‘We are delighted to announce Stefano’s appointment . He brings a wealth of experience to our operation and I have no doubt that we will go from strength to strength under his leadership. I would also like to thank Sebastian for his great contribution in building our business in Spain.”

Ex-Deluxe Exec Joins Ar Platform...

Move follows spate of senior departures in recent weeks

Warner Bros Discovery president of international Gerhard Zeiler has announced his new leadership team following a series of departures in recent weeks.

The appointments follow the exits of Emea president Priya Dogra, head of international TV distribution Robert Blair, Germany boss Hannes Heyelmann and French general manager Pierre Branco.

Clement Schwebig, who has managed India, Southeast Asia and Korea (Inseak) since 2020, will now have responsibility for Gsa, France, Benelux and Africa which will be brought together into a single Western Europe & Africa market cluster.

James Gibbons, president and managing director for Australia,...

Warner Bros. Discovery international boss Gerhard Zeiler has unveiled a new international leadership structure for the company following various executive departures and restructurings.

“Following my recent announcements about the departure of Priya Dogra, Robert Blair, Hannes Heyelmann and Pierre Branco, I have been working with the leadership across the international business to create a new International structure that best leverages the strengths of our businesses, while empowering all of us to drive the future growth and success of the company,” he said in a memo. “After many discussions I am now pleased to share with you the new international leadership team, who will report into me.”

As far as key regions go, Latin America will continue to be led by Fernando Medin.

Meanwhile, in the Asia Pacific area, the India, Southeast Asia and Korea (Inseak) and Western Pacific regions will be united into a single Apac region under the leadership of James Gibbons.

Warner Bros. Discovery international boss Gerhard Zeiler has set a new leadership structure for his team following a spate of exits in the past few weeks.

Zeiler sent an all-staff email out this morning in which he laid out how the team will work now that Emea boss Priya Dogra, international distribution head Robert Blair, Germany lead Hannes Heyelmann and France chief Pierre Branco have departed. There have been no layoffs as part of the restructure, Deadline understands.

James Gibbons has been promoted from Asia Pacific, Inseak and Western Pacific boss to run all of Apac, while Clement Schwebig, who has managed Inseak since 2020, will now have responsibility for Gsa, France, Benelux and Africa, which will be brought together into a single Western Europe & Africa market cluster under his leadership.

You can see the full structure at the bottom of this article laid out in Zeiler’s email.

Zeiler said...

Warner Bros. International Television Production (Wbitvp) has decided to fold its production arm in Denmark and centralize its Scandinavian operations out of Sweden.

Under the reorganization, the company’s future TV production for Denmark, such as “The Bachelor,” will be managed out of Stockholm in Sweden under the leadership of Johan Idering, managing director of Wbitvp Sweden. As such, Fredrik Hillerbrand, managing director of Wbitvp Denmark will step down in the coming months. The news was first reported by Deadline.

Besides Hillerbrand’s exit, the company has warned that “some roles will be impacted.” Warner Bros. had previously relocated its Norwegian operations in Sweden.

Warner Bros. Discovery said the “difficult decision” was made against an “incredibly challenging backdrop of ongoing uncertainty in the Danish media market and the rising costs of content creation.”

Ronald Goes, EVP and head of Warner Bros. International Television Production, said “this has not been an easy decision for the company,...

Exclusive: Warner Bros Discovery is closing its Danish production arm, we’ve learned.

Warner Bros International Television Production Denmark will effectively shutter and be consolidated into Wbd’s Swedish production base in Stockholm. We understand a number of roles will be impacted. Wbitvp Denmark has a staff in the double digits, though it’s not yet known how many posts will go.

Fredrik Hillerbrand, Managing Director of Wbitvp Denmark, will exit in coming months after overseeing a transition. Johan Idering, Managing Director of Wbitvp Sweden, will assume responsibility for Denmark, adding to his duties in Sweden and Norway.

A business review is underway to manage the situation. Some roles will certainly go but Wbitvp is looking to retain staff were possible.

Despite a physical exit from the local market, ratings-winning shows such as TV2’s reality series The Bachelor will be safeguarded. We hear that Wbd is holding talks with...

Warner Bros. International Television Production (Wbitvp) New Zealand has promoted Emma White to co-managing director, working alongside Mike Molloy. Both White and Molloy will be jointly responsible for running the company’s production operations in Nz, and report to Ronald Goes, executive vice president and head of Wbitvp. White takes over the role previously held by […]

The post Wbitvp New Zealand appoints Emma White co-managing director appeared first on If Magazine.

Discovery UK chief James Gibbons is to become president of Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) Anz and Japan, with Priya Dogra taking over UK leadership.

Discovery UK chief James Gibbons is to become president of Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) Anz and Japan, with Priya Dogra taking responsibility for Emea, including Discovery’s UK and Ireland operations, following a rejig by Wbd International chief Gerhard Zeiler.

Gibbons, who has been serving in an expanded brief as executive vice-president, general manager of UK and Nordics since 2020, is to relocate to Asia to take up the role of president and managing director of Australia,...

Warner Bros. Discovery has set out its long-awaited international leadership team under Gerhard Zeiler.

Zeiler, as announced earlier this month, is the newly installed president of international for the merged company, and oversees the global channels business with a “dotted line” to international streaming lead Jb Perrette. He previously held the same role for WarnerMedia, and now adds responsibility for Discovery’s international footprint.

In a staff memo, seen by Variety, Zeiler explained that the company is putting in place dedicated regional leads “to reflect the scale and complexity of the business which would, in turn, increase focus on key markets.”

“This results in a different geographical split to the pre-merger state which will also allow each of the regional leaders to more rapidly assess opportunities for growth and efficiency and to integrate the two companies quickly,” said Zeiler.

The restructure sees Priya Dogra, formerly the president of WarnerMedia Europe,...

Warner Bros Discovery International Head Honcho Gerhard Zeiler has set his leadership team, with big promotions for the likes of Priya Dogra and Anil Jhingan.

In a note sent to staff in the last hour, seen by Deadline, Zeiler outlined the 10 people who will oversee various regions and responsibilities as the newly combined entity’s international offering takes shape.

“Our combined international business has significant scale, and a diversified portfolio – both geographically and across lines of business,” said Zeiler.

“As a result, when deciding the new leadership structure, we wanted to ensure that we had dedicated regional leads, to reflect the scale and complexity of the business which would, in turn, increase focus on key markets.”

As predicted by Deadline’s analysis last week, London-based Dogra takes on a President and Managing Director Emea role (excluding Poland). Having done similar for Warner Media she will now oversee the company’s...

Warner Bros International Television Production has appointed Bruno Henriquet to lead its operations in France. Henriquet will be based in Paris, joining the company on June 1 and will report into Ronald Goes, EVP and Head of Wbitvp. Henriquet was most recently Deputy Managing Director in charge of Development at Fremantle France where he was responsible for format adaptations such as Family Feud, Password, and Game Of Talents as well as locally developed programming. Recent original IP creations include All Your Wishes, Battle Of The Judges and The Artisan, along with late-night show The Farmer Wants A Wife: Rewind. Prior to joining Fremantle in 2008, Henriquet spent five years at Studio 89, was Editor in Chief for Morning Live on M6 and worked as a journalist for Canal+.

Channel 4 has commissioned a feature-length documentary from Caravan and Quicksilver Media exploring the origins and growth of the anti-vaccination movement, and its impact on...

Studio’s television department restructures following staff departures.

Warner Bros is bringing its UK indies including Wall to Wall, Twenty Twenty and Ricochet closer into the corporate fold following the departure of Clare Hungate and Nick Emmerson.

Last week, the Hollywood studio revealed that the joint managing directors would be leaving Warner Bros. Television Production UK, which they have run for two years.

Its UK production companies, which also includes Yalli and Renegade, will become part of Warner Bros. International Television Production (Wbitvp), which operates the company’s other 26 production companies around the world.

The move will mean that the chief executives of all of the indies will report to Ronald Goes, executive vice president of Wbitvp.

The firm hopes that the structure will give the companies an “enhanced ability to best serve their local audiences” and create more local versions of their shows, including First Dates and Who Do You Think You Are? [pictured] around the globe...

Michael Brooks.

Warner Bros. International Television Production in Australia has appointed Michael Brooks to the role of Managing Director..

Brooks will be based in Sydney, reporting directly to Ronald Goes, Executive Vice President and Head of Warner Bros. International Television Production, and will be responsible for running production operations in Australia.

Wbitvp Australia produces both new and existing WB formats in Australia, including hit shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for Network Ten, First Dates for Seven Network and Who Do You Think You Are for Sbs.

.We are thrilled to appoint Michael as Managing Director at Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia,. said Goes. .Having worked on some of the most successful franchised series in the world, Michael brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the team, and he is the perfect choice to lead our Australian production business in what is a fast growing territory for us.

Warner Bros. Television Group (Wbtvg) on Monday completed its takeover of the international operations of reality TV giant Eyeworks, sealing a deal to acquire all of Eyeworks' operations outside the U.S. The deal includes Eyeworks' businesses in 15 countries across Europe, South America and Australia/New Zealand and greatly strengthens WB Television's international TV production capabilities. "This is an exciting day for Warner Bros. International Television Production, as we grow our on-the-ground production operations by 13 territories," said Ronald Goes, executive vp and head of Warner Bros. International Television Production, the division launched by Wbtvg in 2009 to

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London -- Warner Bros. Television Group has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in British superindie Shed Media, home to "Supernanny" and "Who Do You Think You Are?."

The deal could mark the beginning of a land grab of international production assets as Warner seeks to establish a strong program development and format base outside the U.S., something it has failed to achieve so far.

Shed, which has operations in both the U.K. and the U.S. Shed Media will remain an independent production company, while its distribution operation, Outright Distribution, will be folded into the Warner Bros. International Television Production unit, also based in the U.K.

"Our objective is to align with the best possible talent in each major country, said Ronald Goes, Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. International Television Production.