Alex Pye, Kristina Giulalieva and Sarah Postlethwaite
BossaNova Media has hired three new executives to its marketing, rights and acquisitions teams. The appointments follow BossaNova’s growth over the past year, when the distributor unveiled its strategy of investing in a smaller but broader range of projects with different risk profiles – but with a greater potential for success.
Former Warner Bros. Discovery Alex Pye has been appointed to the newly created role of marketing manager. Kristina Giulalieva join BossaNova as a contracts rights co-ordinator, reporting to director of commercial and business affairs Claire Lowe and Sarah Postlethwaite takes on the role of acquisitions executive, supporting BossaNova’s head of acquisitions Claire Runham. Postlethwaite, who has worked for Entertainment One, AMC Networks and STX Entertainment, will divide her time between BossaNova and the Content Team at Eccho Rights, which is part of Herbert L Kloiber’s production and financing company, Night Train Media.
Paul Heaney, BossaNova founder and CEO, said: “I’m so thrilled to announce the new hires, reflecting the demands of the business. In this business climate, we are being very careful to hire only when we see the need and the benefit to all stakeholders. When it comes to the content pipeline and the actual number of new shows and series we are launching, our focus is on building strong brands and getting behind noisy singles and mini-series. It’s not just to deliver more for our producers from these fewer projects, but to also generate a lot more business that we have the time to get fully behind to market and talk about in depth. Alex, Kristina and Sarah are enhancing what was already a hugely talented, high achieving and dynamic team. For a company like BossaNova, which runs on trust and relationships, investing in up-and-coming colleagues is as important as investing in great shows. We want them to really enjoy their roles and thrive.”
BOSSANOVA FRANCHISES
Meanwhile, BossaNova has closed a huge renewal package for several of its best-selling franchises. Greenstone TV’s "Border Patrol" (series nine to 12), "Highway Cops" (series four) and "Highway Patrol" (series eight, nine and 15), and Worldmark Films’ "Caught On Dashcam" (series one) are headed to Sky as a part of a volume deal with the UK’s largest pay-TV broadcaster.
Also, seasons two and three of "Borderforce USA: The Bridges" has sold to Discovery Latin America and series one to four to Discovery Nordics. The show which follows the work of US Customs and Border Protection officers as they attempt to stop terrorists, drug smugglers and arms traffickers from crossing the world’s busiest border between the US and Mexico, has also been acquired by Mediawan for its French channel in Belgium and RTL Netherlands – both channels buying series one to five.