John Pollak, formerly Shine International executive vice president, has joined Ben Silverman‘s multimedia studio Electus as president of the newly formed Electus International.
Pollak won’t need many introductions in his new job. He previously worked with Silverman and Electus chief executive officer Chris Grant at Reveille, the production and distribution company Silverman, where he was senior vice president of International Distribution and Creative Affairs. In that role Pollak (pictured) launched Reveille International, which is now known as Shine International.
His experience in distribution of such unscripted hit series as MasterChef, The Biggest Loser and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? will come in handy at Electus, where his responsibilities include the international strategy and execution for distribution Electus’ programming and content from its third-party provider partners. Pollak also has experience with scripted programs like Archer, The Hour, and The Listener, Shine International’s first scripted network series and a co-production between NBC, Fox International Channels and CTV in Canada.
At Electus, Pollak will continue the international expansion initiated by the company’s partnership with Chris Philip’s production and distribution company Engine Entertainment. Philip will remain president of Engine and will lead an initiative that will provide Electus with a continued slate of scripted programming.
Grant said global business model for Electus, an operating business of Barry Diller’s IAC, made it important to get an executive of Pollak’s caliber. “John is, without a doubt, the right person for this job,” Grant said. “We are aggressively seeking out companies to invest in, both in the U.S. and the U.K., and one of our most important selling points is that we are not beholden to any sister companies in our distribution efforts. We will not force our content through any one specific partner around the globe. For that reason, it is essential that we have the best sales team and the best leader for that team.”
Pollak issued the following statement: “I am proud to have the chance to once again join Ben and Chris, and to work closely with Drew Buckley at this incredibly entrepreneurial and talented company. Electus International will be run with the same energy and passion that has guided each of us for the better part of the past decade and will be the driving force behind our daily efforts. And with no other agenda than to maximize revenue for Electus’ companies and those of our third party partners, we will be able to independently operate in an ever-changing marketplace by distributing to all traditional and new media platforms.”
Related links:
http://www.shineinternational.com
Electus release – http://tinyurl.com/6qnfw99
