Johnny Holden
This year, FilmRise elevated CFO Johnny Holden’s position to Chief Strategy Officer, overseeing all financial operations for the company. Holden spoke exclusively with Señal News about his new challenges and the cost-effective strategies the company will implement to gain ground in the international arena.
You have been promoted to Chief Strategy Officer at FilmRise. What are your main objectives and challenges in this new role?
"Being elevated from CFO to Chief Strategy Officer brings unique challenges. Our number one priority right now is thinking about international. There are a lot of international content opportunities within our library—we have an expansive library with over 20,000 titles, translating to around 30,000 hours of content. We’re looking at where we can actually exploit those rights and where we can expand. The second strategy is growing and fortifying our content library model, ensuring that we are acquiring content for both the U.S. and international markets."
What features must content have to be acquired by FilmRise?
"It's about looking at what has worked in the U.S., although what works here won’t always work in a local market, so we’re identifying content that will resonate in markets that may require more localized content. In addition, wehave a lot of options in dubbing now, and the impact of AI has been incredible in reducing those costs. But we also want the content to connect with audiences. An essential consideration in dubbing is ensuring that the voice actor or dubbing technology preserves the story arc and audience experience. For instance, casting a suitable voice actor for a role—especially in a long-running series or deep catalog with multiple seasons—is crucial to maintain continuity. This avoids any tonal or character shift that could disrupt the narrative and detract from the audience's immersion in the storyline. I'm thinking about cost-effectiveness and leveraging our international consultants, working closely with the international members of our sales team to identify opportunities in Europe and Latin America."
It sounds like an exciting time for the company…
"We face industry-wide challenges and plenty of competition, but FilmRise has been here for a long time. FilmRise CEO Danny Fisher recognized early on the opportunity in the AVOD and FAST space, where others didn’t, and we’ve grown from strength to strength. Going forward, we recently launched six new FAST Channels—The Sherlock Holmes Channel, Z Nation, Continuum, FilmRise Drama, Sheriffs: El Dorado County, and Iron Chef en Español—all available globally. We see the international market as a major opportunity, and we’re prepared to approach it with precision."
What new content would you like to highlight for the global market?
"We have acquired exclusive U.S. digital distribution rights—including AVOD, FAST, and SVOD—for Electric Entertainment’s hit CW series 'The Outpost', which is a very high-quality title. FilmRise is well-known for its classic content, with titles from the 1970s to the 1990s, and we’ve recently acquired more premium content. This direction in the marketplace shows that we’re not just a classic TV catalog. We’re bringing high-quality content that supports both FAST channels and AVOD, while also expanding our international rights, particularly in Spain, Italy, France, Latin America, and possibly Mexico and Brazil as well."